Iberia Peninsula - Oh no, we're cornered!
October 2026
Combine a bike trip through Spain and Portugal with flying the family out to The Algarve for a holiday.
basic plan​
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New Zealanders fly to London, bikers ride to the Algarve, family fly to the Algarve arriving same time as the bikers for 9 days. Family fly back to London, bikers head back to London.​
dates​​
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Still waiting on confirmation of October 2026 half term break, but assuming they are the same weeks as 2025:
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Wed 14-Oct: ride from London to Plymouth, catch overnight ferry to Santander
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Thu 15-Oct: - Tue 20-Oct: ride through Spain and Portugal
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Tue 20-Oct: family fly from London to Faro, Portugal (2 hour direct flight)
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Tue 20-Oct to Thu 29-Oct: family holiday in Ferragudo, Portugal
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​Thu 29-Oct: family fly from Faro, Portugal to London (2 hour flight)
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Thu 29-Oct - Thu 5-Nov(?): ride through Portugal and Spain, overnight ferry to England
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Fri 6-Nov: return to London​​
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flights
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Flights from London to Faro are common, direct and relatively cheap.
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accommodation for family holiday
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Prefer to stay in Ferragudo as we were there in October 2025 and we found it a great location; possible options are:
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considerations
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do we make this a road ride or an adventure ride? There are great options either way. As of November 2025 the general consensus is a road ride, so any further planning will be in this direction.
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road trip - some of the best road riding can be found in northernSpain and Portugal with fabulous road surface, lots of mountains and sparsely populated areas.
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adventure ride - there is an Adventure Country Route (ACT) routes for Portugal available. ACTs are similar to the Trans-Euro Trail (TET), but designed for larger adventure bikes and aren't as technical.​
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ferries
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There are three options for ferries from England to Spain, all operated by Brittany Ferries, but as of November 2025 the full schedule for 2026 hasn't been posted yet. To ride through France would add an extra 900 miles each way, with very little of interest along the way (other than Le Mans).
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Plymouth to Santander (return) runs twice a week and take 21 hours, but doesn't run in November
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Portsmouth to Santander (return) runs twice a week and takes 31 hours and runs all year round
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Portsmouth to Bilbao (return) runs twice a week and takes 31 hours and runs all year round
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possible riding itinerary
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outbound
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Wed 14-Oct: ride from London to Plymouth to catch ferry to Santander (212 miles)​
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potential stops:​
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The Old Brewery Cafe and Kitchen, cool biker cafe with good coffee and food amongst bike eye candy
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​Cafe 53, cool biker cafe with good coffee and food amongst bike eye candy
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​ferry leaves at 3:45pm, must check in by 3:00pm
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overnight ferry, lots of entertainment on the boat, but pay to bring a pre-load as imagine drinks are expensive. book early to secure a cabin.
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Thu 15-Oct: Santander to Picos de Europa National Park
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1:00pm ferry arrives in Santander​
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ride to Picos de Europa National Park (80 miles)
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Beaches along the northern coast of Spain, e.g Playa de Barnejo-Berrellín
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stay in Picos de Europa National Park for two nights to explore the area; possible accommodations:
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or stay in Potes, the main town where there will be more options for accommodation and food/drink
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Fri 16-Oct: explore Picos de Europa National Park
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Ride the N-621 - N-625 loop​
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Sat 17-Oct: ride to start of the N-2 in Chaves, Portugal (270 miles)
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take the scenic route via Reserva de la Biosfera-Valles de Omaña y Luna​
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Sun 18-Oct: day 1 of the N-2 (150 miles)
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explore along the way​
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Mon 19-Oct: day 2 of the N-2 (150 miles)
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head to the coast and check out Nazare​
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Tue 20-Oct: day 3 of the N-2 (150 miles)
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meet the family in Ferragudo​
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inbound
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Thu 29-Oct - Wed 4 Nov(?): leave Ferragudo, head north through Portugal keeping to the eastern side near the boarder with Spain and ride through the mountainous nation parks back to northern Spain to catch a ferry to England. Use Calimoto, set to "winding roads" and make it up as we go along.​ Highlights:
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Wed 4 Nov(?): ferry from Spain to England (as of Nov 25 the timetable hasn't been published)
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Fri 5 Nov(?): arrive back in London​
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references