| Spain
Sideways |
| This
trip goes round one of the most
beautiful landscapes of Spain.
It´s a top chance of fully
enjoying the charming villages,
vintage and cellars, small castles,
religious art and the best gastronomy
and wine.
Wine has been the backbone
of the economy of La Rioja since
the time of the Romans, and
it’s not difficult to
see why. A microclimate bordered
by two impressive mountain ranges,
with the Ebro River cutting
through the middle, its gentle
hills are perpetually covered
in vineyards and wheat fields.
In six days and five nights,
our Rioja tour introduces you
to the region’s most outstanding
highlights: wineries, both historic
and modern; kilometre after
kilometres of quiet country
roads that wind along the banks
of the Ebro; the presence of
the Camino de Santiago (Saint
James Way); and the beauty of
the Sierra de la Demanda mountains
to the south.
This is the perfect tour for
people who are newcomers to
cycle touring and Spanish wines,
providing an amazing combination
of scenery, tastes and wide-open
spaces that will leave you with
great memories for years to
come.
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Itinerary |
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Day
1 LAGUARDIA (ALAVA)
Laguardia is the unofficial
capital of the Rioja Alavesa
– the Basque section
of La Rioja – and
many of the 320 wine cellars
dating back from the late
18th century are still
functioning today. This
medieval town Hill match
your eye, it stands perched
high, still ringed in
part by ramparts, towers
and fortified getaways.
After arrival, you’ll
have a chance to sample
some famous Rioja vintages
in a nearby wine interpretation
centre, located in a traditional
Basque farmhouse. |
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Day
2 ABALOS (RIOJA)
Riding
through the Rioja Alavesa
(32 km)
After breakfast, we’ll
hold the orientation session,
where your bike will be
specially fitted for you
and you’ll be presented
with all the documentation
and things you need for
your trip. Afterwards, it’s
downhill (almost!) all the
way as you skirt the banks
of the Ebro River, winding
your way through vineyards.
That evening, you’ll
stay in a converted 17th-century
bishop’s palace and
get to sample some of the
region’s best cuisine.
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Day
3
ABALOS (RIOJA)
Discovering
the winery towns (50 km)
Almost all of today’s
route follows small, quiet
country paths along the
Ebro River, giving you a
chance to roam through some
of the area’s most
beautiful and historic little
towns. We go through San
Vicente de Sonsierra and
see its internationally-famous
Church of the True Cross;
Haro, the city that wine
built; and a fifteenth-century
monastery that’s been
converted into one of the
region’s most memorable
wineries. |
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Day
4
SAN MILLAN
(RIOJA)
Along
the Camino de Santiago (46
km)
Long
acknowledged as the oldest
tourist trail stretching
throughout Europe, the Camino
de Santiago (Saint James
Way, in English) is the
dividing line between the
upper and lower Rioja regions.
After a leisurely tour along
the Ebro, ride through the
atmospheric town of Briones
and head along quiet secondary
roads to the town of San
Millan. This day’s
purposely a little on the
short side to allow you
to visit the surrounding
towns and monasteries at
your own pace; or to stretch
your legs and take in some
of the marvellous walking
opportunities throughout
the valley. |
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Day
5
EZCARAY (RIOJA)
Riding the Rioja
Rail Trail (46 km)
Many of Spain’s most
remarkable monasteries and
convents are located in
and around the Sierra de
la Demanda, the southern
boundary of the Rioja Region,
and today’s route
will take us through this
scenic and architecturally
stunning region, little-visited
by tourists. From the town
of Alesanco we’ll
move south through the Cárdenas
Valley to the town of San
Millán de la Cogolla,
home of the thirteenth-century
Yuso Monastery, where the
first Latin-Castilian dictionaries,
the Glosas Emilianenses,
were compiled. The Monastery
itself is an architectural
gem, and no one should leave
without visiting its astounding
library and sacristy. From
there, we’ll skirt
the lower ranges of the
Montes de Suso hills to
Santo Domingo de la Calzada,
established by Saint Domenic
in the twelfth century to
aid pilgrims making their
way to Santiago de Compostela.
Once we’ve had a chance
to explore the streets of
Santo Domingo, we’ll
take advantage of the excellent
Vía Verde del Rio
Oja rail trail – fifteen
kilometres of pure biking
pleasure that stretch deep
into the Oja Valley, ending
in the charming town of
Ezcaray. |
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Day
6 End
of the trip
But not of our memories! |
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| PRICE:
790
€
Single
supplement: 190 €
DAYS/ NIGHTS:
6
d / 5 n
LEVEL:
Medium
DATES:
Any date from March-October
INCLUDED:
Accommodation,
buffet breakfast, 3 gourmet
dinners, luggage transfers
and road book.
NOT
INCLUDED:
-
Lunches.
- Transportation from
and to Logroño.
Ask for different options.
OPTIONS:
- Bike hire: 75 euros.
- Travel insurance 20
euros.
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- Endless country roads
winding their way through
vineyards.
- Gothic and Romanesque
architecture on the Camino
de Santiago.
- Exploring the Rio Oja
valley (especially in
the fall).
- And, of course –
the vintages themselves!
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