Formigal, Panticosa and Tena Valley: Summer Pyrenees

The Valle de Tena is the great motorcycling axis of the western Aragonese Pyrenees: a wide, green valley that rises from Sabiñánigo (700 m) to the French border at the Puerto del Portalet (1,794 m), passing through Biescas, Panticosa and Sallent de Gállego. The N-260 and A-136 roads that run through it are broad, well-surfaced and laced with long-radius curves that allow a flowing rhythm, with the river Gállego glinting at the bottom of the valley and the snow-capped Pyrenean summits — still white even in June — as a permanent backdrop.

Formigal is the largest ski resort in Spain and, paradoxically, one of the best starting points for summer motorcycle routes. The Puerto del Portalet, which connects Spain with the Ossau Valley in France, is a mountain road of brutal beauty: the curves unfold between alpine meadows, herds of cows, ibones (mountain lakes) and views of the Pyrenean three-thousanders. In summer, the resort turns into a landscape of green pastures and wildflowers that contrasts with its winter image of snow and ski lifts.

Panticosa is a thermal village whose history dates back to the Romans. Its Balneario de Panticosa, tucked into a glacial cirque at 1,636 m of altitude, was during the 19th century the most luxurious spa in Spain, frequented by aristocracy and royalty. The road that climbs from the village of Panticosa up to the spa (A-2606) is spectacular: 8 km of ascent through a gorge where the river forms waterfalls and the forest closes in over the road. The Bachimaña ibones, reachable on foot from the spa, are high-mountain lakes of an intense blue.

The full circuit of the Valle de Tena includes some extraordinary variants for the experienced rider: the Puerto de Cotefablo (1,423 m) towards Aínsa, the Portalet into France with the option of linking up with the Col d'Aubisque and the Col du Tourmalet (the legendary passes of the Tour de France), and the Puerto del Somport (1,632 m) via the N-330, one of the oldest historic roads in the Pyrenees, used since Roman times to cross into Gaul.

Rider's notes: the Pyrenean passes of the Valle de Tena are open from June to October (sometimes November). The cold at the summits can be intense even in August (always carry warm clothing). Petrol stations in Sabiñánigo, Biescas and Sallent de Gállego. For accommodation, in Panticosa the Hotel Continental is a charming classic. As for food, migas a la pastora (fried breadcrumbs with grapes and chorizo) and ternasco de Aragón are a must in any restaurant in the valley.