bike > Bike: San Sebastian > Mountain Bike Route: Rocky Hell Road

Mountain Bike Holidays with BasqueMTB: Riding big trails in the Pyrenees.

Length: 20km, 4-5 hours.
Height Gain: 500m in van, 500 on bike.
Height Loss: 1000m.
Average Technical Difficulty: Very difficult and rocky.
Maximum Technical Difficulty: 100% possible but most people will walk some parts.
In 3 Words: Rocky, technical, physical.
And In More: The climb is difficult but is over fairly quickly. The descent is physical, rocky and technical but once you get your head around the rocks you realise that speed is your friend.

 

Mountain Biking in Spain, here the last of the Pyrenees almost reaches the beaches.

This isn’t a route we use often on our mountain bike holidays. It’s very, very technical and is unrelentingly rocky and physical. The climb, although fairly short, is also tough and only the fittest will complete it all on their bikes. The mountain is the last of the Pyrenees, and stands at 900m with big views to the nearby beaches. At the top of the mountain is a bar and restaurant, serving people who climb to the summit on the old Victorian rack and pinion train. Unfortunately they won’t currently take mountain bikes, however we are working on that! As we crest the mountain summit, we are greeted with cheers and congratulations from the tourists who have climbed in the train.
We start by climbing to around 500m in the van. There is also another option to climb on an old roman road, which is very technical but a lot of fun.

 

We call this mountain bike route “Rocky Hell Road”, it’s not a road or hellish but it is rocky.

Once we arrive at the mountain summit we normally stop for a drink and some food. If the climb was hard then the descent is just as tough, rocky, physical and techincal. If this is your idea of a fun mountain bike holiday then you will be in heaven. If you rather your mountain bike routes smooth and flowy then you won’t be taken here! The trail drops down and across the old railway track before picking up the old trail, switchbacking down the mountain side. This isn’t singletrack, it’s about a meter wide and is a jumble of rocks, both lose and fixed. It’s a long way from trail center mountain biking. Speed is your friend here and as you find the confidence to let off the brakes your bike will start to float over the rocks and you can feel the flow starting to make an appearance.

 

We haven’t taken many people here on their mountain bike holidays. If you want us to we can.

The initial descent takes us to a junction point. From here you have the option of a fast, flowy singletrack descent back to the van. The other option is to climb a little bit before taking a very long and technical singletrack descent which winds round a couple of mountains before dropping us back to the van. After the ride we are only a few minutes from the beach and a quick dip in the sea is perfect to help your muscles recover for the rest of your mountain bike holiday!