Puerto de Honduras - Hervas

The Puerto de Honduras is a pass, typical for Central Spain : relatively long and never really steep. The climb starts at approx. 540 m of altitude, where you leave the mainroad Plasencia-Bejar, heading for Hervas. In Hervas (650 m) you follow the direction "Cabezuela del V., 36 km" (!), indeed, there is no human settlement between those two villages. During the next 10-12 km, the climb is a bit monotonous, always about 6%, in a nice forest area (shadow!). The narrow road is of relatively good quality. Then, suddenly, the landscape opens for the last 3-4 km to the top, giving a nice scenery. After passing the top you gently descent for some 2 kmts gently then, there are 1.5 kmts uphill again, after which you start definitively the long descent to the Valle de Jerte (approx. 540 m, the region of the orkyards (cherries). The descend is a narrow road with good surface, again running accross a forest.
NB : starting from Vallejera (where the ex-pro cyclist L. Cubino runs a sport-hotel), we descended via Bejar to Hervas, crossed the Honduras, took the mainroad (though very quiet) direction Avila (over the Tornavacas) till El Barco de Avila, where we turned to the left, reaching Vallejera after the final climb of the Alto de la Hoya. Closing the loop via the Puerto de Tremedal, rather than the Alto de la Hoya was not recommended by Cubino, due to the current bad surface of the road over the Tremedal.The ultimate morning (our airplane took off that afternoon in Madrid) of our stay in Cubinos hotel (Vallejera) was ideal to schedule a "up and down" of the Covatilla. It was again splendid weather (end of june 2005) when we started at 8:30. The proper part of the climb, i.e. from where you leave the main road Béjar-Barco de Avila, in la Hoya (in fact, before reaching La Hoya, you are already constantly climbing ...), can best be considered as a mini-Ventoux : take 2/3 of each section of the Bedouin-side of the Ventoux, and you obtain the Covatilla : 3 kmts stepwise up (like Bedouin - St Esteve), then 6 kmts really steep (about 10 %, like St Esteve - Chalet Renard) and finally 4 kmts moderately steep (8-9% like Chalet R. - top). Due to the ideal meteorologic conditions and the fact that our legs were not submitted to substantial effort the hours before, we had no problem at all to reach the top. This could be quite different in the heath of the afternoon at the end of a long mountain stage, e.g. the Cubino Classic, an event for cyclo-sportifs organized each 3rd Saturday of June, crossing the whole montaneous region and where the finish is judged at the top of the Covatilla (optionally, you can also terminate in Bejar).
jan devos - sint-martens-latem, Belgium

The Puerto de Honduras is situated in Cáceres . Starting from Hervas, the Puerto de Honduras ascent is 15 km long. Over this distance, you climb 750 heightmeters. The average percentage thus is 5 %.

Look for other sides to climb the Puerto de Honduras.

Story by stefaan Nimmegeers from sint niklaas, Belgium, submitted on 07/05/2011

Puerto de Honduras! Some nice scenery when you start from the east side. But the road is in such a poor state... Althought the average % is round 5, the most parts of the climb are rather 6 - 6,5%. The reason: a lang (about 1,5km) flat, even a bit downgoing part just before you reach the final 2km. When you want to climb the Honduras, first check out about the surface, or use a mountainbike... The downhill part (had to go down the same side) was was real horror! ps: made this climb in june 2011. According to the marks on the road, the spanisch government already knows about the poor quality of the road surface. Probably they will fix this problem during the next months... Nevertheless: check!

My personal climb rating:

Story by jan devos from sint-martens-latem, Belgium, submitted on 04/03/2006

The Puerto de Honduras is a pass, typical for Central Spain : relatively long and never really steep. The climb starts at approx. 540 m of altitude, where you leave the mainroad Plasencia-Bejar, heading for Hervas. In Hervas (650 m) you follow the direction "Cabezuela del V., 36 km" (!), indeed, there is no human settlement between those two villages. During the next 10-12 km, the climb is a bit monotonous, always about 6%, in a nice forest area (shadow!). The narrow road is of relatively good quality. Then, suddenly, the landscape opens for the last 3-4 km to the top, giving a nice scenery. After passing the top you gently descent for some 2 kmts gently then, there are 1.5 kmts uphill again, after which you start definitively the long descent to the Valle de Jerte (approx. 540 m, the region of the orkyards (cherries). The descend is a narrow road with good surface, again running accross a forest. NB : starting from Vallejera (where the ex-pro cyclist L. Cubino runs a sport-hotel), we descended via Bejar to Hervas, crossed the Honduras, took the mainroad (though very quiet) direction Avila (over the Tornavacas) till El Barco de Avila, where we turned to the left, reaching Vallejera after the final climb of the Alto de la Hoya. Closing the loop via the Puerto de Tremedal, rather than the Alto de la Hoya was not recommended by Cubino, due to the current bad surface of the road over the Tremedal.

Tell us your story too! Or send your story in your own language: NL -  FR -  DE -  ES