El Peñon (Doney)

Start Town Altitude Elevation Gain Length Gradient Difficulty Rating
Doney de la Requejada 1,840m 791m 10.7 km 7.4% 1,024 **






El Peñon from Doney - Cycling Profile

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Climb Description

El Peñón from Doney de la Requejada is a testing climb. Not just in its gradients, which get increasingly steep towards the top, but also due to the poor road surface and rather barren scenery. However, it is a challenging climb in an area where gentle ascents are far more typical.

El Peñón is certainly not an ugly climb, but is also not the kind of road that you would ride solely for its beauty. It is though one of the highest road passes in the area though, and that certainly makes it attractive to cyclists. If you are in the area it is certainly a climb worth doing, as long as you can put up with the rough road.

The remoteness of the climb is its real attraction. You probably won't see a single other person once you have passed through the village of Las Truchillas. You will, however, see plenty of cattle. This area of Spain is also home to many packs of wolves - indeed, the nearby Sierra de la Culebra Natural Park has the highest density of wolves anywhere in Europe apart from in the former Soviet states. The Iberian wolf is very small and notoriously timid, so don't let their presence put you off your pedal stroke.

El Peñón is nominally open throughout the year. However, given its high altitude, snow is common in the winter and can cause short term closures.


El Peñon from Doney - Castilla y León Cycling Climb

The scenery opens up towards the top with picturesque views






Roads & Traffic

The road is asphalted, but is in poor condition, particularly on the lower slopes. It is very bumpy and there is also loose gravel, making it an uncomfortable ride on a road bike.

There is very little traffic on this climb.




Alternative Routes

El Peñón can also be climbed from Truchas in the north.





Nearby Climbs


Llano de las Ovejas

Laguna de los Peces

Collada Trevinca






Cycling Holidays

We currently do not have any cycling holidays that include El Peñon. If you would be interested in customizing an itinerary to this region, please contact us and we would be happy to discuss the options.

You may also be interested in the links below to some of the tours that we currently run in north-west Spain.




Picos de Europa National Park
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Self-Guided Cycling Holiday
Length: 8 Days
Level: Difficulty Medium to Challenging
Price: from €1,490 EUR
Hospital de Orbigo Bridge
Spanish FlagSpain

Self-Guided Cycling Holiday
Length: 8 Days
Level: Difficulty Medium to Challenging
Price: from €1,690 EUR
Lagos de Covadonga
Spanish FlagSpain

Self-Guided Cycling Holiday
Length: 8 Days
Level: Difficulty Challenging-Hard
Price: from €1,490 EUR