It doesn’t usually take much to get us Britons excited about the prospect of a Spanish holiday, and John Hillman offers us some more reasons to get us planning our next trip

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There is no getting away from the financial crisis, try as we might we just cannot seem to ignore it and hope it goes away.

So with spring and summer finally on the distant horizon after one of the coldest winters since the days of industrial strikes, collapsing currencies and long boring recessions (spooky!) now is the time to think about pound saving holiday ideas.

My recommendation for those of you with a bit of the taste for the outdoors is a quick P&O ferry ride across to Bilbao, catching sight of some dolphins on the way, and then head out onto the open road using totally free pedal power.

The entire region of northern Spain is ideal for cycling holidays, from the snowy topped mountains of the Picos de Europa to the lush foothills, giving way to sandy beaches of the surrounding countryside.

Northern Spain has always been popular with Spanish families wishing to escape the intense heat and boozy bars of the southern costas; it is an altogether more civilized and respectable part of the world, excellent for those of you who get bored within minutes of sitting on a sun-bed.

The beauty of cycling is that with some modestly competent organization you can meander throughout the day along country roads, passing waterfalls rivers hills and medieval villages arriving in good time for dinner at any one of the number of B&B’s or Youth Hostels along the way.

Eat seafood on the beach at San Vincente de la Barquera, head to the ancient village of Santillana del Mar for possibly the most authentic medieval experience imaginable, or just laze on any number of golden sandy beaches that, while hot and sunny, in no way compare to the melanoma inducing UV ray-gun of a sizzle that you would expect in the south.

The region around the Cantabrian mountains offers wonderful scenery, particularly the area around San Roque de Rio Miera. You might want to think about organising an SUV to drive you up the hill so that you can enjoy the dazzling scenery of the Miera valley on the way down.

Some of the best beaches along this part of the coast are only accessible by bicycle. The area around Ribadesella is particularly unspoilt, which also happens to be close to the Cares gorge.

The trains along Spain’s wild northern coasts are pretty good, so there is no need for you to spend any more time in the saddle than you really want to, the rest of the time can be spent relaxing between destinations on cheap public transport.

There are tour operators who can help you with getting everything booked and sorted before you set off, or just take control yourself and become a lycra-clad Peter Fonda for the week.

Finally, it is going to be a tough trip so make sure you allow yourself some luxuries along the way. I strongly recommend booking into a parador for a night or two, these are Spain’s nationally subsidized luxury hotels set in buildings of historical significance and areas of outstanding natural beauty.

Go on, on yer bike!

Tags: P&O Ferries, Spain // 1 Comment »