GPS Off-Road Tour Guide to North-West Spain

Description

For this GPS Off-Road Touring Guide, we spent six weeks exploring adventurous trails across north-west Spain in our Land Rover Defender.

The result is a collection of 26 off-road routes running along the Cantabrian Mountains all the way to Galicia. We drove and documented every route ourselves.

This 4×4 touring guide features 26 detailed, illustrated route descriptions.

Starting in the Basque Country, we travel along the northern side of the Cantabrian Mountains through lush green landscapes that are quite unlike the Spain most people imagine. Crossing the Picos de Europa, we explore exciting mountain trails in Asturias along the southern foothills of the range, with spectacular views.

Passing over barren, treeless mountain ridges, we eventually reach Cabo Fisterra in Galicia on the western Atlantic coast.

Interesting special features provide useful background information about this lesser-known tourist region, highlighting its distinctive landscapes, walking routes and viewpoints.

Using the download code included in the book, you can download the tracks and waypoints for all routes as GPX and KML files and import them into your navigation device.

At the end of each route description, you will find a waypoint list that provides useful guidance for passengers who cannot see the GPS device. Each route is given a difficulty rating (SG), making it easier to assess the route in combination with the vehicle classes (FZK).

We have also rated the routes using a star system based on our impressions of driving enjoyment, scenic beauty and the overall experience. These star ratings are, of course, highly subjective.

Tips and tricks on off-road driving and navigation complete this off-road travel guide.

The Data Download

With the data download, you will receive the following for each route:
– all GPS tracks and waypoints (GPX)

The ‘GPS Data’ folder contains two subfolders. These include the track and waypoint list for each off-road route in two different file formats: a KML file for viewing in Google Earth and a GPX file, the standard exchange format for navigation software and GPS devices.

We hope you enjoy this travel guide and wish you an exciting and memorable journey.

220 pages

Which vehicle sizes is the 4×4 Touring Guide suitable for?

Vehicle Classes (FZK) 1–4

We are often asked how we classify vehicles into different categories. This is how we define them:

FZK 1: Off-road vehicles (Defender, Land Cruiser, G-Class, etc.) in virtually standard specification.
FZK 2: Pick-ups with camper units, 4×4 Sprinter, Bremach, Daily 4×4, etc.
FZK 3: Lorries up to 12 tonnes, Unimog, 12M18, 1017, TGL, etc.
FZK 4: Heavy lorries, Zetros 6×6, MAN KAT, etc.

The boundaries between the classes are flexible. A light, compact Unimog may be able to tackle FZK 2 routes that might not be suitable for a pick-up with an extremely heavy, tall camper unit and poor approach, departure and breakover angles. In this case, the pick-up would be more appropriately classified as FZK 3.

The GPS Off-Road Touring Guide to North-West Spain features 26 routes.

All 26 routes are suitable for FZK 1 vehicles.
Of these, 24 routes are suitable for FZK 2 vehicles.
Of these, 10 routes are suitable for FZK 3 vehicles.
There are no (0) routes suitable for FZK 4 vehicles in the guide.

Is four-wheel drive required?

The trails mainly consist of gravel and dirt tracks. In midsummer and dry weather, four-wheel drive is not required on many of the routes. However, the vehicle must have sufficient ground clearance and short overhangs.

Of the 26 routes, four-wheel drive is required on 16. The remaining 10 routes should be manageable without 4×4 in summer, provided they are driven with appropriate care.