Ruta de la Plata - Seville to Santiago

The Ruta de la Plata is an ancient trading and pilgrimage route taking us from the quintessentially Andalucian city of Seville through the green valleys of the far northwest to the beautiful city of Santiago de Compostela.

This is Spanish wilderness gravel biking at its best with long climbs, thrilling descents and new challenges every day. Each day the route leads us ever northwards over a range of paths, tracks and remote trails and quiet roads. The terrain is incredibly varied, with sections of gravel roads, singletrack, dirt paths, and some quiet country roads to link the route together.

The scenery is epic with high mountain passes, Roman viaducts and incredibly diverse flora and fauna along the way. We follow in the footsteps of centuries of traders, troops, travellers, and pilgrims, all of whom have left their mark and added to the character of the route.

We pass over Roman roads and through beautiful towns and cities such as Merida with its amazing Roman monuments, Caceres and her perfect medieval centre and Salamanca’s engaging Plaza Mayor. The diversity of landscapes make this trip an unforgettable experience.

Our journey traverses the Iberian Peninsula covering approximately 1,000km through some of Spain’s least populated areas, through the province of Extremadura. While the route is rough in places, the overall technical level is not demanding, and all intermediate level riders will be up to the challenge.

Highlights

• Biking through 4 diverse regions and 7 provinces of Spain
• Delicious, regional cuisine
• Sampling a diverse range of trails and paths
• Exploring historic Roman roads and viaducts
• 1,000km of challenging linear riding through ever changing landscapes
• Crossing high passes and endless thrilling descents
• Arriving in the beautiful Santiago de Compostela at the end of our journey

The trail itself has many different guises. Smooth gravel, packed earth, ancient cart tracks and fun singletrack, it has the lot. There are some more technical sections, some of which can be avoided by skipping onto asphalt. You can find more information on riding on gravel surfaces here in our Guide to Gravel Trails

This itinerary will suit the regular biker who loves an endurance challenge over a vast mixture of terrain. Fitness and an adventurous spirit are more essential than technical skill. We will be travelling through mountainous areas and hence significant climbs will be encountered most days.