Autumn in Aralar

The holidays are over, and with them the long, hot summer days and the time spent having a beer with friends. The first storms are here, and autumn can catch you unawares. A time of year that brings decadence and splendour in equal measures.  The clocks go back, it's raining and cold. That best-loved time of year when you can go out and ride whenever you want has come to an end.  Now you have to hope that the weather forecast does not show too much rain, or spend hours kitted out and staring out of the window in the hope that the storm will let up for a while. You have to make the best of any breaks in the bad weather: winter is coming!

But autumn is not all bad: when the weather permits, it's the perfect time of year to ride through woods such as these, in the Sierra de Aralar mountains. Much-travelled routes take on a different look, the trees are transformed and spots that have never caught your attention before suddenly seem magical. The autumn is short but intense, so you need to make the most of it.

That is easier to do if you have the right gear for wet, windy, cold weather, and at Spiuk that's something we know a thing or two about. A good waterproof jacket can get the better of any storm, and you don't feel the cold with a good thermal jersey. Soon the leaves will be gone from the trees and the paths will lose their colour. Wrap up warm and don't let the bad weather spoil your desire to get out and enjoy the autumn!