Away from the Crowds logoAway from the Crowds

Active, self-guided cycling and walking holidays in unexplored Spain

EagleOur choice of charming hotels and local traditional cuisine.

A typical hotel

Comfort and enjoyment of the hotels at the end of each cycle or walk is a crucial part of a successful cycling or walking tour.

Yeah, this is nice!... are the words we want to hear you say when you enter your room. You have been doing active exploration all day and now it is time to have your much deserved shower or bath and relaxing for a while before enjoying a lovely dinner either in the hotel itself or one of the restaurants in town.

Be it a historic building such as a converted castle or palace or a small and quaint country house in a lovely village, we try to choose accommodation that will please you. When this is not possible we try to favour the best location on the route or in the town or city you are visiting.

The hotels

A hotel

We often tap into the amazing network of excellent small rural hotels that are simply unknown to most foreign travellers.

Many of them are run by local families and give you a real taste of unadulterated local life. This personal experience means that many of our clients learn Spanish along the way and feel that they are fully immersed in our way of life.

In towns and cities, location and ease of access are the key features we look for in a hotel. We favour small hotels in historic buildings and with traditional architecture whenever possible.

Parador Hotels are some of our favourites. These are luxury hotels with exquisite service located in National Heritage properties: unique historic buildings such as restored Palaces, Monasteries or Castles.

Food and wine.

Food and wine

You need to be adventurous about your food in order to fully appreciate the culinary experience of authentic Spain. Each region has its own traditional dishes and is fiercely proud of them!

Wines are abundant and surprisingly economical. We always recommend the local varieties.

The Campaign for Real Ale has yet to reach the Iberian peninsular, but small local breweries are becoming more common.