2021 on the Ruta Vía de la Plata.
Shout-out for a cycling adventure.
Are you the type of cyclist who likes to reward exercise with great food? Would you rather sleep in a palace than a tent? Do you like to mix sightseeing with people watching? Do you enjoy sharing a journey with fun people who have similar interests? If you answer "yes" to all of the above then you might want to join me in 2021 on a Ruta Vía de la Plata (the "Ruta") cycling adventure.
Working hand in glove with Spanish experts, I've just finished writing the first English language guide to what, in my humble opinion, is one of world's best cycle routes.
The Ruta crosses the expanse of Spain starting near the south coast in Andalucian Seville and finishing at Gijón on the north coast. Its origins date back to Roman times and it has been in constant use ever since particularly, after the reconquest, by pilgrims heading up to Santiago de Compostela. It’s generally easy cycling and providing you're happy to spend around 5 hours a day in the saddle can be completed in a fortnight. Follow this link to get an idea of the sort of cycling the trip involves.
The Ruta connects amazing places. You will visit 8 UNESCO World Heritage sites, see every style of Spanish architecture, and take what amounts to a crash course in the country's fascinating history. That history has produced an intensely rich cuisine with elements from Spain’s Muslim and Jewish heritage mixed with ingredients brought from the ‘New World’ all brought up to date by a generation of brilliant young Spanish chefs. It also means you get the chance to stay in Paradors, a uniquely Spanish institution where an ancient palace or castle has been lovingly restored and turned into a classy hotel.
The guide, when it's published later in the year, is designed to help every type of cyclist with every size of budget. You can do the route fast with road bikes, or at a more leisurely pace and follow what are essentially agricultural tracks deep into the Spanish countryside. You can stay in cheap accommodation designed for pilgrims or aim for the best in town and stay in a palace.
I've been asked by lots of people to help them design a holiday and was even asked by a group to join them on a trip. Encouraged by this I now want to find out if I can assemble a group of cyclists to share a trip with me in May 2021.
It would be my sort of cycling. The route would include the best and most beautiful bits of off-road cycling (the "dehesa" landscape in May is a flower filled cycling paradise) with empty roads and each day's cycling would finish with a leisurely lunch - mid-afternoon, the best time to eat in Spain. A highly selective tour of the cultural highlights (2 hrs) would, for those interested, follow a siesta after which a beer and tapas in the Plaza Mayor would round off the day.
At this stage I'm just trying to find cyclists who might be interested. I know exactly what's involved in making a self-organised cycling trip through Spain work and it would be fun to try and put this knowledge to use with a larger group of people.
If you're interested, please email me at amithefirst@gmail.com or leave a comment on my blog.
Shout-out for a cycling adventure.
Are you the type of cyclist who likes to reward exercise with great food? Would you rather sleep in a palace than a tent? Do you like to mix sightseeing with people watching? Do you enjoy sharing a journey with fun people who have similar interests? If you answer "yes" to all of the above then you might want to join me in 2021 on a Ruta Vía de la Plata (the "Ruta") cycling adventure.
 |
| The at the start of the Ruta Vía de la Plata |
Working hand in glove with Spanish experts, I've just finished writing the first English language guide to what, in my humble opinion, is one of world's best cycle routes.
The Ruta crosses the expanse of Spain starting near the south coast in Andalucian Seville and finishing at Gijón on the north coast. Its origins date back to Roman times and it has been in constant use ever since particularly, after the reconquest, by pilgrims heading up to Santiago de Compostela. It’s generally easy cycling and providing you're happy to spend around 5 hours a day in the saddle can be completed in a fortnight. Follow this link to get an idea of the sort of cycling the trip involves.
The Ruta connects amazing places. You will visit 8 UNESCO World Heritage sites, see every style of Spanish architecture, and take what amounts to a crash course in the country's fascinating history. That history has produced an intensely rich cuisine with elements from Spain’s Muslim and Jewish heritage mixed with ingredients brought from the ‘New World’ all brought up to date by a generation of brilliant young Spanish chefs. It also means you get the chance to stay in Paradors, a uniquely Spanish institution where an ancient palace or castle has been lovingly restored and turned into a classy hotel.
The guide, when it's published later in the year, is designed to help every type of cyclist with every size of budget. You can do the route fast with road bikes, or at a more leisurely pace and follow what are essentially agricultural tracks deep into the Spanish countryside. You can stay in cheap accommodation designed for pilgrims or aim for the best in town and stay in a palace.
I've been asked by lots of people to help them design a holiday and was even asked by a group to join them on a trip. Encouraged by this I now want to find out if I can assemble a group of cyclists to share a trip with me in May 2021.
It would be my sort of cycling. The route would include the best and most beautiful bits of off-road cycling (the "dehesa" landscape in May is a flower filled cycling paradise) with empty roads and each day's cycling would finish with a leisurely lunch - mid-afternoon, the best time to eat in Spain. A highly selective tour of the cultural highlights (2 hrs) would, for those interested, follow a siesta after which a beer and tapas in the Plaza Mayor would round off the day.
At this stage I'm just trying to find cyclists who might be interested. I know exactly what's involved in making a self-organised cycling trip through Spain work and it would be fun to try and put this knowledge to use with a larger group of people.
If you're interested, please email me at amithefirst@gmail.com or leave a comment on my blog.
Update December 2020
Needless to say 2020 has not been a good year for travelling or even for planning trips. Still a number of you have had the confidence to express an interest in cycling the Ruta next year. We now have a group and a departure date (May 13th) but the pandemic means that the trip might still not be feasible. The final decision on whether to go ahead will be taken in early February when we should know a little more about how quickly vaccinations are being rolled out.
The guide, by the way, has also been a victim of the pandemic with the Cicierone delaying publication until the autumn of 2021.
Update March 2021
At last, we've made a decision - the trip planned for 2021 has been canceled. Although progress on vaccinations in the UK has been impressive (I got mine three weeks ago), the prospects of international travel for much of 2021 are just too uncertain to press ahead with trip planning. It's disappointing but it may still happen next year so watch this space. Many thanks to all the people who expressed an interest.
