Straightforward across the steppe.
Motorbiking in Extremadura |
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Biking in threes side-by-side on a barely frequented and large asphalt road, with open scenery and driven by the summer wind, sounds like a movie scene, but it is nevertheless a reality in an area for hundreds kilometres between the Lake district of the Serena and the southern border of Extremadura. |
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The mountainous area. The population of Extremadura is living mainly in towns. With barely one million inhabitants and the surface area of Switzerland, Extremadura is the only place in Europe where you can travel over dozen of kilometres without meeting anyone. |
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Dehesa. Extremadura’s countrified diversity is unique. The south is dry and the north very humid. In addition to this the wide mountainous areas, the huge artificial lakes and the rivers Guadiana and Tajo and their tributaries. |
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Sierra de Gredos. This mountain range separates Extremadura from Castilla y Leon. The culminating point is the Calvitero with 2401 metres of altitude. |
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It is a fact: Extremadura is a paradise for motor bikers. Enthusiasts of this leisure activity will find in the border region in the west of Spain all they need to indulge in their passion: endless asphalt roads as well as serpentine mountain passes, a lot of sites worth seeing, pleasant weather and little traffic. Travellers from the north of Extremadura will at first pass through the romantic Jerte valley over a few kilometres. A transit across the region is especially recommendable in March or at the beginning of April because of the cherry blossom. The A-road N 110 is relatively narrow. Thus, anyone who wants to go faster will rather take the road through the wider Ambroz valley, westerly of the A-road. At the end of both valleys emerges the town Plasencia, a former bishop seat. It is a good place for resting and savouring a delicious café con leche with pieces of Iberian ham. It may be possible to progress rapidly through the recently enlarged motorway A 66 in the south of Plasencia, but it is not worth missing the national park of Monfragüe for that reason. The EX 208 road, a well enlarged asphalt road, leads through the park, a wonderful and mountainous forest area with breathtaking views. Each visitor must see the raptor rocks in the south of the park, which can be reached in a few minutes after passing across the Tajo. Dozens of griffon vultures nest on rocks above the river or fly in the air above the watchers. Bikers can relax at this stage before reaching the bendy part of the road. The southern exit of the park leads to a roughly ten kilometre long and serpentine road section that ends up just before Torrejon el Rubio. Fans of this kind of route will find full satisfaction in the connecting roads of the northern mountain valleys and in the Sierra de Guadalupe. It is also romantic to ride the whole route from Hervas via the pass of Honduras towards Jerte, or to take the way from Valdastillas towards Cuacos de Yuste. Anyone who does not only ride motorcycles but also wants to admire them must have a break and visit the motorcycle museum Hervas. Following the holm oak forest, you will reach the next town Trujillo, where the beloved vehicle can have its deserved break for a few hours and you can visit the town in the meantime. This can be repeated in the capital Merida featuring its ancient excavation sites and in the student town Caceres in the middle of the country.
In the south of Guadiana, one hour away from Trujillo, begins one of the sceneries that seems to be expressly made for motor biking. The Serena is made up of a steppe featuring endless, less bendy asphalt roads on which one can drive side-by-side, for they are wide and rarely frequented. On the left and right side of the road, shepherds with their dogs and herds of sheep trek along. White storks sit on trees. Air is clear and warm and invites bikers to enjoy life to the full in open spaces with reduced speed.
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