Cycling Holidays In Spain
For anybody interested in seeing the real Spain, try a cycling holiday. Cycling is a great way to discover parts of Spain well away from the busy resorts featured in the holiday brochures. Spain has a mild climate and a diverse landscape, ranging from the lush meadows, mountains and rugged coastline of the north to the more familiar Mediterranean holiday resorts in the south.
There are a variety of cycling holidays available in some of Spain’s most beautiful and unspoilt areas, places far away from the bustling resorts. Catalonia, just over the french border is the perfect place to discover the real Spain. Catalonia was once a country in its own right and the inhabitants of Catalonia are fiercely independent. They have their own language, Catalan which is more than just a dialect. Catalan is spoken in many rural areas and the menus of most inland towns and villages are written almost exclusively in Catalan, which can make it extremely difficult to know what you’re ordering.
Eco friendly adventure holiday specialists, Responsible Travel, feature a number of cycling holidays in Catalonia including an excellent self guided, holiday cycling through the beautiful Catalonian countryside, exploring medieval villages in the company of a small group of cyclists. This holiday has received rave reviews from over 20 people.
Another of the Catalonia cycling holiday being offered by Responsible Travel is called “the food lover’s tour”, if you love cycling and Spanish food, this holiday combines the two by giving you the opportunity to sample Catalan cuisine as you cycle through the remoter parts of the Catalonian countryside. The tour takes in vineyards, and manufacturers of local produce including the region’s cheeses.
Spain has the ideal climate to really enjoy all the benefits of cycling, riding a bike on a warm sunny day along deserted roads winding through stunning scenery is hard to beat.
The region of Andalucia in the south of Spain is another popular area for cycling holidays. This area, away from the coast, has some magnificent scenery. The famous whitewashed villages of Andalucia feature in a number of cycling holidays being advertised by Responsible Travel. If you fancy something a bit more physical, there’s an excellent family mountain biking holiday in the Sierra Nevadas.
The green north of Spain with its rugged coastlines and mountain villages is almost unknown by overseas tourists. The area is crisscrossed by medieval footpaths known as the “pilgrim’s routes” These ancient pathways terminate in the ancient city of Santiago de Compostela where the remains of the Apostle James are said to be buried in the city’s magnificent 11th century cathedral.
Santiago de Compostela is the third most important city in Christendom behind Jerusalem and Rome. Serious walkers have known about the pilgrim’s footpaths for years and there are a number of companies specialising in walking holidays along the various routes. For an unforgettable experience you are now able to cycle along the camino de Santiago from Gijon with a small group of up to twenty cyclists. This holiday is featured in Responsible Travel’s 2012 activity holidays.
If you love cycling, sunshine, excellent food and good company a Spanish cycling holiday would make the perfect holiday.