Hi everyone,

I'm heading to Spain for a couple of weeks in June and would like to find a good, smoothly paved bike path to go skating (rollerblading/in-line skating) on. I've been doing research, and so far the only info I can find are web sites that hint at there being a good bike path in Bilbao and one in Sitges.

Does anyone out there know of any good bike paths to go skating on?

Thanks!
owl

Barcelona has good bike paths but I'm not at all sure you, a rollerblader, would want to share that same path with fast-moving bicycles.

Many of the Mediterranean cities have good waterfront walks, promenades, boulevards on which you always see rollerbladers. But the truth is, you don't see much of that in Spain as you do in the USA.

Saludos, MadridMan

Right, and then the other issue is that many of these waterfront walks, or "promenades", are paved with tile-like things so that they're ridged and, thus, make skating more difficult.

I'm still hoping though! There's gotta be a smooth path somewhere! and I don't mind sharing with bikers at all - sometimes I even pass them!

Hi!

As Madrid Man said, skating isn`t very popular in Spain.
There are carril-bicis (bike paths) in some cities, like Barcelona and Valencia. Palma de Mallorca has a beautiful one along its seafront line, aproximately 36 kilometres long.
http://www.mallorcaquality.com/index/paginasgenerales/excursiones/...
http://www.mallorcabike.com/rutas.htm
http://www.ciclismourbano.org/utilidades/enlaces.html

Anyway, you'd better try to contact with the 'Real Federación Española de Patinaje' or other skating 'federaciones'.
Here you have the links.

http://www.fep.es/website/index.asp
http://www.fmp.es/index.htm
http://www.fecapa.cat/index.asp

There is also the Anillo Verde Ciclista here in Madrid.

Don't know how good your Spanish is but this article talks about the project. It is due to be finished this spring. I live in the barrio of Sanchinarro and the anillo de ciclista passes through the area. Beautiful new bike paths with room for walkers, skaters, bikers and mommies with baby carriages. As soon as the weather seems to even out here I will be dusting off my blades!

There are tons of rollerbladers who swarm the Retiro Park (in Madrid) every weekend to rollerskate on kilometers of smooth roads (with no car traffic). Once you get away from the Estanque, it's not terribly crowded, either.

Great resources! Gracias.

El Anillo Verde looks great. I'm going to try to find a map of it, so I know where to pick it up.

Thanks guys.

There is also a cycle path that runs alongside the M607 road in northern Madrid. This road goes from (roughly) the hospital Ramon y Cajal in northern Madrid all the way out to Colmenar Viejo. The cycle path is apart from the road, and has it's own bridges and tunnels. It starts around the area where the road to Fuencarral leaves the M607, all the way to Colmenar Viejo via Tres Cantos, and then continues alongside the road all the way into Soto.

It is very popular, and I have seen rollerbladers on it, although cyclists and pedestrians are more the norm.

Great info. Thanks:)

I'm also going to be in Bilbao...and believe there is a bike path somewhere...perhaps near the beach.

thanks again everyone for all the help!
owl