After arrival in Bilbao we’ll make the 1.5 hour transfer to the Basque town of Irun, a pretty fishing community situated on the banks of the Bidasoa river. After building and fitting bikes we’ll head out into the lovely town to enjoy a traditional Basque supper over which the Skedaddle team will talk through plans for the following days.

The local specialities in the Basque region are “pintxos” and the majority of the bars in the town are dedicated to this fun form of eating. Pintxos can be anything from a piece of delicious cheese or tasty sweet ham on a cocktail stick to a culinary work of art mounted on a piece of bread and we’ll enjoy a lively evening hopping from bar to bar trying out different delicacies.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 2,150 Metres Approx.

Our first day on the bike is a fantastically picturesque introduction of what lies ahead as we head out on a route popular with local riders. It’s easy to see why these roads are so popular as we wind steadily through thick forest and follow the course of the Oiartzun river valley which leads us deep into the Natural Park of Aiako Harra.

The early stages, as we ride through a beautiful wild region linking the Cordillera Cantabrica and the Pyrenees range, feature relatively gentle climbs on which we warm our legs before leaving the coastal Basque region and heading into the first true Pyrenean province of Navarra where things start to get a little more serious.

Smooth switchback roads drop us back into the valleys and, after a late morning coffee stop in the striking granite village of Lesaka, we’ll continue our way along the Bidasoa valley. Later we take on Puerto de Artesiaga with its beautiful ‘mirador’ setting presenting a perfect alfresco picnic spot before we end the day descending gently the village of Eugi where we will spend the evening.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 2,275 Metres Approx.

Once again the day begins relatively gently as we cruise through the gorgeous Navarran pre-Pyrenean countryside. With the higher Pyrenean mountains looming in the distance the road meanders its way over the Puerto de Erro and the Alto Mezkiritz before we cross the path of the Camino Frances, the ancient pilgrims route to Santiago de Compostela.

Here we find ourselves close to the birthplace, home and training routes of five times Tour de France winner ‘Miguelon’ or Miguel Indurain. Puerto de Larrau, a 1,573m/5160ft summit on the border French/Spanish border lies ahead of us. A significant climb in these parts, it was here that Indurain suffered badly during his final Tour de France in 1996 marking a sad end, on his home turf, to his five-year reign.

We push on down the mountainside into the beautiful glaciated Roncal valley with its shattered limestone landscape, eventually arriving at our destination in the small and beautiful mountain village of Anso.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,950 Metres Approx.

Today and tomorrow we will ride the route of one of Spain’s most challenging Gran Fondos. The Quebrantahuesos, takes its title from the Spanish name for the enormous Lammegeier vultures native to the area and, aptly, translates literally as “bone-breaker”

To avoid any risk of breaking bones though we’ll tackle the route over two challenging yet manageable days, the first of which takes us over the Puerto de Somport and back over the border into France where will spend the evening near to the small town of Escot, the gateway to the infamously steep Tour de France classic, the Col de Marie–Blanque.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 2,400 Metres Approx.

Our second Quebrantahuesos day begins with something of a shock to the system as the Col de Marie Blanque is almost instantly upon us. It is a steep but thankfully short climb and the beautiful rural setting will help keep our mind off the gradient. After resting a while and taking in the lovely views from the summit we’ll enjoy a swift descent down the other side into the Vallee d’Ossau where we’ll take a right hand turn and make our way up the valley.

Our brief excursion into this beautiful part of France is almost over yet there is no reason to be sad as one of the most beautiful climbs, the mighty Puerto de Portalet, lies ahead of us and is waiting to coax us back into Spain’s Aragon region. The border lies at the 1,794m/5885ft high summit and after crossing it we commence a breathtaking descent to the pretty village of Sallent de Gallego.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,300 Metres Approx.

A gentler day and a welcome change of pace awaits us today as we have an opportunity to recover a little from the rigours of the previous stages. We begin the day gliding around the mirror-like Embalse de Lanuza, a beautiful reservoir situated beneath the imposing Picos de Infierno. After dropping rapidly down into the Valle de Tena we’ll swing east where we start to ascend the Puerto de Cotefablo.

The descent over the other side delivers us to the edge of Parque National de Ordesa and Monte Perdido after which we head down the Valle de Broto and follow the course of Rio Ara via a series of small canyons and villages to Embalse de Mediano.

Finally we arrive at the beautifully preserved medieval town of Ainsa where will spend the evening beneath its impressive 11th century castle and enjoy feasting on local delicacies in the quaint cobbled plaza.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 2,000 Metres Approx.

Our sixth day in the saddle sees us continuing eastward through more pleasant mountain towns and villages surrounded by towering peaks as we make our way into Catalunya.

After completing our first challenge of the day, Puerto de Foradada, the road leads us down to the banks of the gushing Rio Esera and through the dramatic Congosto (meaning canyon) de Ventamillo.

We’ll stop for a break in the town Castejon de Sos, nestled between majestic peaks of Posets, Maladeta and Aneto, the latter being the highest in the Pyrenean range at 3,408m/11,181ft, before pushing on over Puerto de Fadas and Puerto de Espina.

We end the stage descending the valley road for over 20km/12.5 miles to arrive, ultimately, in the market town of El Pont de Suert.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 2,450 Metres Approx.

We start the day by climbing out of the Valle Noguera Riborgocana to reach the Coll de Perves where we can take in the wonderful views overlooking the heartland of Catalunya.

Quiet country lanes lead us through a red-earthed lunar landscape and via the glacial lake of Montecortes and numerous isolated villages until eventually we descend into the main valley of the river Noguera Pallaresa. Riding upstream along the dramatic valley we’ll stop for a break in the bustling town of Sort.

From Sort a challenging 1,000m/3300m climb takes us up and over the Coll de Canto from where we can see the peaks of Andorra and the stunningly craggy Serra de Cadi. An exhilarating descent from the summit of the Canto takes us down open country roads, through holm oak forest and then deep into the Segre valley and our destination in the area’s capital town La Seu d’Urgell.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 1,900 Metres Approx.

Today we will climb into the Serra de Cadi, a region of outstanding natural beauty almost unheard of outside the immediate area which throws up some of the most fabulous riding on the whole route.

As the road snakes its way into the serra through thick forested hillsides, we are presented with a series of colls to tackle including the Coll de Trava, the Coll de Bancs and the beautiful Coll de Josa.

As the day progresses the dramatic Pedraforca (Stone Fork) comes into view, the unmistakeable and iconic mountain of the range that is said to bring a calming nature to those in its presence!

A fabulous 500m descent into the River Llobregat valley, which meets the sea at Barcelona, takes us away from the Serra de Cadi leaving us with a final, and thankfully gentle, 10km/6 mile climb to the picturesque village of Pobla de Lillet.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,200 Metres Approx.

As we inch ever-closer to the Mediterranean we find ourselves entering the legendary Catalonian cycling country and during the next couple of days we may find ourselves sharing the roads with some of the many professional riders who base themselves here for the training season.

We set off due east and before long we’ll be heading up the 8km/5 mile forested road that leads to the summit of Coll de Merolla, setting us up for a fantastic rollercoaster descent into the Ribes valley. Back on lower ground and the lush green wooded valleys of Girona, our route takes us past the monumental village of Vallfogona as we head for the modest Coll de Canes before descending into the busy centre of Olot where we’ll stop for refreshments.

East of Olot we head into the Parque Natural de la Zona Volcanica de Garrotxa, an area of wooded craters and green valleys, reaching the beautiful medieval village of Santa Pau where we’ll have lunch before ending the day conquering a number of minor colls on the way to the lovely lakeside town of Banyoles.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 1,450 Metres Approx.

We’ve reached our final stage and during the course of the day we will turn north and climb again towards eastern Pyrenees, taking on a series small climbs as we make our way to the coast.

Skirting the west side of the town of Figueres, the birthplace of artist Salvador Dali, we pick up the road leading to St Pere de Rodes, a 6th century Benedictine monastery perched precariously high and overlooking the Mediterranean. The winding road rises steadily, offering us amazing views of the muddled Costa Brava coastline before plunging us almost 500m down to sea level.

From here one final climb takes us into the Parc Natural de Cap de Creus, snaking through Mediterranean scrub and thicket before dropping us back down to the coast at the stunningly pretty village of Cadaques, once a fishing village and now a charming seaside resort. The village, where Dali spent many of his later years, hugs itself around a series of sheltered bays where fresh seafood and the catch of the day is on the menu for a fitting celebratory dinner and maybe a glass or two of celebratory Cava!

• Meals: Breakfast

Transfers will be arranged to Barcelona (2.5 hours), where we bid farewell as we set off on our onward journeys.