My journey in retro MTBs since moving to Spain 2 months a go (3 bikes!)

[d8mok]

I live in North Spain, the green Spain, so we have lot of nice areas. Los of single tracks like this, that is why I still loove a good 26" bicycle, not a big tire and wide handlebar, here are a night mare.

My biggest bicycle is 27.5, a Yo Eddie and a SB5T and they have to deal with this ...
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Despite you see a close area, it isn´t. It is a open wide area very long distance frendly because you have lot of tracks and not many hard climbs if you avoid them.

But not far are the mountains and they are very nice (that is my car, this climb is around 800m from bottom to top)

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And about 60km the image change a lot. No more mountains. I have done some routes in my Bromton. Easy roads. I live in the middle, so I don´t usually have to take the car to go to the mountains or the flats.

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And of course you can ride nice retro bicycles and enjoy them. It is not the imagen tourist have of Spain, it is the real Spain. The coast is full of turist and a bit crowded. But yes, tapas are everywhere. Food is more important than buying stuff etc Health and a job is first, them the rest of things will come.

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And after a good day with the bicycle ... some tapas

This is very tipical of my city, you cal black puding but it is far from that Easy and tastefull.

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Torreznos ... if you don´t like ... you are not human.

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But yes, I ´m adited at Patatas bravas, not all taste the same. But I cannot stop

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Whereabouts are you buddy?

We did a tour around north Spain a few years ago. Very beautiful.

 

[madjh]

Whereabouts are you buddy?

We did a tour around north Spain a few years ago. Very beautiful.

My city is Burgos. A mid size city in Castilla Y Leon. Out of the turist crowded area.

We have many types of landscapes, it is a complex provincia. We have a nice Canyon (Cañon del Ebro), one of the largest caves of Europe, Homo antecesor live here, Pretroleum camp (not active) High mountains or plain landscapes, lakes or flats, Middle age castles and villages ...

It is interesting to discover that your own area is full of points you can visit.

I have been in Ebro Canyon doing some routes and ... you want to stop the clock. It doesn´t mater were are you from. This planet is a jewel and I feel at home if it is sunny and have abeautifull landscape despite being far away from home. In this case I´m 60km frar away



Where are the dragons? This is Frias. Annother nice area to do a trip with a bicycle.




And one of the best road or MTB climbs of the area, Lagunas de Neila. This climb is part sometimes of Vuelta a España and Vuelta a Burgos both proffesional races. You will need a nice road bicycle o MTB to enjoy this route



If you have seen the film The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, you have seen Burgos province in this scene


Sad Hill is near in Lerma, a nice village. There is usually more than one thing to see in the same area but requires to prepare and know a little bit. This area of Lerma has lot of interesting things (desfiladero de la Yecla, Convento de Silos, where the gregorian music was famous) some amazing villages etc

 

[d8mok]

My city is Burgos. A mid size city in Castilla Y Leon. Out of the turist crowded area.

We have many types of landscapes, it is a complex provincia. We have a nice Canyon (Cañon del Ebro), one of the largest caves of Europe, Homo antecesor live here, Pretroleum camp (not active) High mountains or plain landscapes, lakes or flats, Middle age castles and villages ...

It is interesting to discover that your own area is full of points you can visit.

I have been in Ebro Canyon doing some routes and ... you want to stop the clock. It doesn´t mater were are you from. This planet is a jewel and I feel at home if it is sunny and have abeautifull landscape despite being far away from home. In this case I´m 60km frar away

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Where are the dragons? This is Frias. Annother nice area to do a trip with a bicycle.

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And one of the best road or MTB climbs of the area, Lagunas de Neila. This climb is part sometimes of Vuelta a España and Vuelta a Burgos both proffesional races. You will need a nice road bicycle o MTB to enjoy this route

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If you have seen the film The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, you have seen Burgos province in this scene
View attachment 889620

Sad Hill is near in Lerma, a nice village. There is usually more than one thing to see in the same area but requires to prepare and know a little bit. This area of Lerma has lot of interesting things (desfiladero de la Yecla, Convento de Silos, where the gregorian music was famous) some amazing villages etc

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Since you are our resident Spain expert I’ll ask here rather than a new thread.

Any experience with Spanish mortgages for UK folk?

It’s a minefield it seems. Especially if you also are considering Air BnB for it too.

 

[shedobits]

Just like in the UK Spanish youngsters are finding it difficult to get on the housing ladder or even to be able to rent a place for themselves, so there is some animosity towards Air BnB owners particularly at the moment.
Some local Juntas, especially in tourist areas, are are making it difficult for prospective Air BnB buyers (read taxes) so I wouldn't recommend this path just yet.
You'll need to speak to Spanish banks directly about mortgages. Pre Brexit It was possible to to get a UK mortgage on a Spanish property, but I'm not shure if that option is available now. Something to consider if you can still go this route is the exchange rate. When I first came here a pound bought you 1.61€, today it is worth 1.18€.
But hey the sun' shinning today.

 

[d8mok]

It would be in Salamanca so not a typically touristy destination. However some areas have already had a Air Bnb ban which would make it hard to justify the cost without.

The plan is to buy a 2-3 bed house which we can use several times a year but then rent out to help cover some bills. Even if its just a few times a month.

I may wait a few years and buy outright and see what happens with the Air BnB situation. But i feel that at some point you've just got to make the jump as other wise i never will.

 

[PhillB]

I missed this post in October, but just to say that your Razesa is awesome!

 

[madjh]

Since you are our resident Spain expert I’ll ask here rather than a new thread.

Any experience with Spanish mortgages for UK folk?

It’s a minefield it seems. Especially if you also are considering Air BnB for it too.

Shedobits is right.

To check a mortage go to Santander Bank, It is spanish and can explain the process, after that you will know the requeriments and can go to other bank to check if they can do the same but with better rates. I´m Spanish, so I havent deal with brexit, in the 2010´s I have been working in Germany, Greece and Poland without a passport. In Spain your family use to help you to buy the house, it is my case. I didn´t have to ask for money to a bank. I have a debt with my family and you cand sleep much better

Salamanca is well known for his big University, so don´t spect cheap prices, and the construction of the houses is diferent from the ones in the mediterranean area, they are a bit more expensive (more isolated, walls are thicker and windows are better isolated, heat system etc). But if you own one you can rent it easy due to the university, check the months they start and finish the courses. (September and june)

To buy a house or rent one check Idealista, fotocasa and local "inmobiliaria" (I think you call it real state) Air BnB is for turism, include internal turist no only foreigner and short stances, so I will not consider that, it is expensive and not very popular in Spain.

Here is a list of Inmobiliarias in Salamanca. I can see that Salamanca is more Expensive than Burgos, and it is because it is crowded of students. https://www.google.com/search?q=inm...04&bih=927&dpr=1#vhid=/g/1txnqrj_&vssid=rllrl

Take care of the "party areas" they have cheap houses because they don´t have good access by car (you can nnot park there) and are noisy some days of the week.

If you give a call to one, you give the money you want to expend and they give you the options or visit the web site, they usually have more. Example, prices to buy one https://www.inmobiliariahernandezbueno.es/

And if you like cycling or walking ... this is Salamanca province https://www.tuscasasrurales.com/blog/rutas-senderismo-salamanca/ Not bad at all, it is big and you can feel the loneliness if you want, Castilla y Leon is very big, and if you add the north mountains (Asturias and Cantabria) called Picos de Europa you can lost your self and forget all. Go cycling to read a book in a quiet and beautifull landscape.

Picos de Europa some photos https://viajes.nationalgeographic.com.es/a/rincones-paisajes-pueblos-mas-bonitos-picos-europa_20647 and here https://viajeros30.com/espana/imprescindibles-de-picos-de-europa/

 

[vtwinvince]

Looks like a really beautiful area. I have family in Valencia, but have never been there.