Gravel tour of the Cap de Creus natural park from Roses

This day on the roads in the Spanish north-east is perhaps the best of all. If you are thinking that the seventh and final stage is perhaps avoidable, no: you can skip some of the previous ones but not this one, which takes you overlooking the sea, to the places that inspired Salvador Dalì and to the easternmost point of the whole Iberian peninsula.

Roses is a municipality of around 20,000 inhabitants overlooking the bay of the same name. People have lived here since Greek times, but now the city is a port and tourist destination known throughout Catalonia. A dozen kilometres, mostly dirt roads, flat and away from traffic, allow you to reach Vilajuïga, a small village at the base of the first climb of the day, the Alto de Sant Pere de Roses. Around seven kilometers at an average gradient of 7% makes it a climb that takes over half an hour: make sure you get to the top with supplies of food and water because it would be a shame to immediately descend towards Port de la Selva. In fact, I advise you to spend at least half an hour between the hermitage of Santa Helena de Rodes and the monastery of Sant Pere, two incredible places.

Overlooking the sea and overlooking the hairpin bends you're about to take downhill, you'll feel like you're in paradise. And the best is yet to come, not only because the asphalted descent towards Port de la Selva is panoramic and fast. Near the town that appears to be made up of only white houses, a dirt path begins as fun as a roller coaster: up and down for kilometers and kilometres, with glimpses of the sea and gravel. For a short stretch, an arduous descent and a subsequent very steep climb, getting off the saddle and pushing the bike by hand will be the only possibility: it may be seen as a nuisance, but without a minimum of portage what gravel adventure would it be?

At a certain point you come out onto the asphalt road that leads to Cap de Creus. Here you will pedal in an incredible landscape: the sea on both sides, rocks that seem to come from the Moon and the white lighthouse that certifies your arrival at the easternmost point of all of mainland Spain. Then retrace your steps to reach Cadaqués via an asphalt road: if you are in the mood for detours, the Dalì house-museum in Portlligat is an excellent way to arrive at lunchtime mixing culture and nature. In Cadaqués, a splendid seaside town, you will feel like you have already seen everything, but again: perhaps the best is yet to come.

In fact, they start in Cadaqués, about twenty kilometres, mostly dirt roads, up and down, with a view of the sea, of rare beauty. For hours and hours you might not find a soul here, except other people on bicycles. The road is perfect for gravel and every now and then you can see the sea, every now and then some sheer cliffs, every now and then some fascinating green forest. Once in Roses, it is certain that you will want to go back and forth along this street at least one more time, and I will certainly not be the one to advise you against doing so. In short, pedal in this gravel paradise until the sun sets, because it's a real spectacle here.

Only once you've worn out the tire studs will you be able to leave north-east Spain - what a crazy adventure that was!