Spain

Northern Spain is a wonderful place for cycle touring. Green Spain as it's known has all you want. Fantastic beaches and little coves abrupt the Atlantic ocean and make perfect stop overs. Asturias and Galacia are green and differ from the South of Spain as the weather is cooler but still warm. The Picos de Europa mountain range is very close to the coast and has fantastic scenery and camping sites. Average camping costs between €7 to €15 a night in July...

I find the Spanish people friendly but not as much other countries I've cycled in.

People from EU, Canada, Japan and USA don't need a visa. All other people need a Schengen visa to visit this country. You can find more information here https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/tourist-schengen-visa/. The visa is valid for 90 days, and allows you to travel through all Schengen countries.

Spain is very safe for cycle touring. Most car drivers are considerate and usually wait for a safe time to overtake but in cities its very different where everyone is in a rush...

Fantastic food.. Tapas is a must as well as the local cuisine Even in the smallest village you'll find a small bar/coffee shop where you can by "tortilla de patatas".

Cooking fuel

Everything is readily available, except benzene and Coleman Fuel.

Last summer (2010) in the north of Spain could not find any replacement gas bottles from CampingGaz with a click closure, out of poverty but switched to injection bottles again.

Vegetarians

The vegetarian is a bit spoiled, but there are dishes to be found. For small amounts of vegetables and pasta you can go to the small mercados. In the large supermarkets you can have fresh and sometimes frozen vegetables weighed, but the vegetables are often prepackaged in larger quantities.

Supermarkets

There are more and more supermarkets, often on the edge of the core. Every village has a shop for the necessary foodstuffs.

Make sure you do your shopping on time. Between 2 and 5-7 pm it is siesta and all shops are closed. During that time you can enjoy all kinds of small snacks (tapas) in bars/cafes/restaurants.

Restaurants

Eating out is cheap but can be quite one-sided. During the siesta and in the evening from 21.00 or even 22.00 is eaten. If you can't wait until then, you can often enjoy the delicious tapas. You can also order a hot snack in cafes at noon.

Drinkable water

You can drink tap water almost everywhere, but in many cities, villages and sometimes also on campsites the water often tastes bad because it contains chlorine. Water in fountains in the mountains and in town squares usually tastes good. If this is not drinking water, it is stated: "agua no potable". In late summer, many springs can be dried up because of the drought. Bottled water is widely available in shops, bars or gas stations.Campsites sometimes have 2 systems: drinking water and shower water.

Best time to cycle

Spring and Autumn: This is the best time for cycling. In September (and sometimes even October) the temperature is still around 25 to 30 degrees. In the spring it is greener and many are in bloom. In the fall you see beautiful fall colors. In the mountains, temperatures can be cool, especially at night.

Spare parts

In major cities, all quality bicycle parts are available. In the smaller places only the cheaper ones but enough to keep cycling. Most towns and larger villages have one or more bicycle repair shops. The addresses are listed in Luc Oteman's guide. There are many 26 inch tires available. On the island of Mallorca you will find many bike rental companies that rent out racing bikes, ATBs and hybrid bikes (prices range from 25 euros per week for a beach bike to about 90 euros per week for a racing bike).