Take a Gran tour
Iwent to Gran Canaria for Ducati’s Multistrada 1260 launch (page 34) and the riding was fantastic. It’s a circular island that just happens to be the tip of an ocean-going volcano. Spanish settlers arrived in 1478 and started lacing forests, crags and cliffs with amazing roads. But it’s only been in the last few decades that motorways have spread along the coast, pulling traffic from the well-surfaced and sinuous minor routes. Sunny all year round, too. A long weekend booked two months in advance will cost £125 return with Jet2, and a BMW F800GS from the likes of motoandbike.com is yours from £75 per day. It’s the best place for a quick winter adventure I’m yet to come across. We rode the GC-500 from Arguineguin to Pasito Blanco. Long curves encourage a fast pace, but it’s best to keep a little in reserve to deal with the strong winds. Venture north into the island’s interior on the GC-60 from Maspalomas. This road has a perfect surface and cuts through steep-sided valleys towards the island’s 1949-metre peak. The views here are stupendous. High up in the central area the land is covered in pine forest and temperatures drop refreshingly. Dive down the northern slopes to discover the GC-200, a cliffside coast road that’s among the most technical and dramatic in Europe.
Ben Lindley Staff Writer Snow and fog getting to you? Gran Canaria is a fine winter refuge