Bikepacking the Montañas Vacías
in the heart of rural Spain
Y viva España!
For my first-ever bikepacking trip, Ryan and I scoured bikepacking.com for a suitable gravel route during spring in Europe. It is then that we stumbled across the Spanish route called “Montañas Vacías” or “The Empty Mountains”, referring to the undisturbed and remote character of the region. Et voila - we got two bike boxes at The Steershop (our local bikestore), disassembled our sturdy Surly Ogres and hopped on a plane to Spain.
Watch the full documentary of our trip here.
©2024 Montañas Vacías. All rights reserved.
We chose this route as our first bikepacking trip together - however, this is not exactly a beginner’s route. Thanks to Ryan’s experience and knowledge, I was able to avoid too much trouble or trauma on my first cycling adventure. Before making up your mind, please read up about the terrain and elevation gain of the Montañas Vacías. You can find detailed information on the official website of the route by creator Ernesto Pastor.
The route starts and ends in Teruel, a medieval city that strongly reminds us of our current home, Bruges. Along the way, you can choose to shorten or lengthen the riding as there are some lovely alternative routes and motorways. We started out so slowly - as usual - that we took some last-minute shortcuts on concrete to return to Teruel in time for our flight.
Journal entry - April 8th, 2024
“This morning, we linger for a long time in the cabin. Breakfast consists of leftover rice with mayo and eggs. We try to say something to the camera, but aren’t feeling it. We drop the cabin keys in the mailbox and make our way out of town with a steep climb that takes about an hour. Descending into the quaint town of Zafrilla, we are greeted by a very old couple with dozens of ducks, doves, and chickens of all sizes and shapes. We stopped to chat for a bit, and although we don’t entirely understand Spanish and they didn’t exactly understand our “Spanglish”, the human language is sometimes all you need. The older woman tenderly lays her hands on mine and wishes me … something profound. I choose to believe she wishes us luck on our journey. In return, I wish the couple and their feathery friends a very peaceful and happy life. I’d like to think that, at that moment, she understood me perfectly.”
Journal entry - April 3d, 2024
“After a spectacular dinner, we stroll around the lovely-lit town of Albarracín and get lost tracking the castle walls. We’re blown off our socks by the sheer beauty & majesty of the place. A true fairy-tale. Also slightly drunk after a bottle of excellent local wine. As a result, we take forever the morning after to get going. We buy bread at the tiny bakery across the street where at least a dozen of people are waiting in line to buy pan, sultanas de coco, and empanadas. A very steep climb leads us along the impressive castle walls and straight into a herd of goats. The sheepherder dogs are friendly enough and let us pass, thank goodness. We follow the ridge and meander through high pastures and abandoned farmlands.”
