Holidays alone, sorted: a hosted week of walks and feasts

The river path near Bárcena Mayor is still cool at ten in the morning. The water runs loud over the stones, the beech leaves close in overhead, and somebody up ahead has stopped to point at a griffon vulture turning slow circles over the valley. Lunch is a picnic on the bank. Nobody had to plan it, book it or carry the map. You laced your boots, climbed into the minibus and let the day happen.

That is the joy of going on holiday alone on a hosted week. Someone else handles the logistics, and you get the best bits: the walking, the riding, the coast, the long dinners and a house full of people who are up for all of it.

Why a hosted week is the best way to holiday solo

A hosted week takes every fiddly job off your list. At Casa Agara, an 18th-century stone casona in Fresneda de Cabuérniga in Cantabria's Cabuérniga valley, the routes are planned, minibus transport during the week is included and the cooking is done. You arrive, unpack, and choose how to spend each day. The house has 12 bedrooms and room for up to 24 guests, with firelit sitting rooms, an open hall used for yoga and a garden looking out over forest and valley.

It suits solo travellers because it gives you two things at once: freedom and company. Walk with the group, peel off for an afternoon by the river Saja, or join whoever is heading for the coast. Then everyone comes back to the same house for dinner, full of stories.

What a week in the valley looks like

Walking

Walking is the main event on many weeks. The house sits inside the Saja-Besaya reserve, so oak and beech woods, riverside routes and stone villages are all within easy reach, with coastal paths out towards Playa de Oyambre for a change of scene. On the Cantabrian Walking Week the routes are scouted in advance and the pace stays sociable, so there is breath left for conversation.

Riding, surfing and road cycling

This corner of northern Spain is made for getting outdoors. There is horse riding on mountain trails and beaches, surf on the Cantabrian coast under an hour away, and quiet mountain roads with big climbs for anyone who brings a road bike. Riding and surf sessions are optional extras rather than part of the week's price, so you pick the ones you fancy.

Days at your own speed

Some guests come to do everything. Others want a book, a garden with valley views and a firelit sitting room after dinner. Both work beautifully here, and nobody minds which you choose. The Picos de Europa, about an hour and a half by car, make a big day out if the group fancies mountains.

The food is half the fun

Every meal is included: breakfast, a light lunch (at the house, or a picnic carried with you on walking days) and a home-cooked dinner every evening, with vegetables from the kitchen garden. On a real week here, dinner ran from tapas and cava round the fire followed by roasted salmon, to courgette soup spiced with Ethiopian berbere and duck confit, to a joint of Tudanca beef, a local breed, on the Saturday night.

The bar is free: house wine, beer and spirits, poured without anyone counting. Only premium brands carry a charge. Tea, coffee and local spring water are on hand all day, which is exactly what you want after a long walk.

Your room, your choice

There is no forced single supplement. Solo guests can twin-share with a room-mate of the same sex at no extra cost, or take a room of their own as an optional extra. Couples, friends and solo travellers all book the same weeks, so the mix at dinner is part of the fun.

Rob hosts the week, and Chispa the house dog is usually first to say hello. Ten group weeks have run at the house since 2023, from guided walking with WalkWise to yoga and wellbeing with New You, so the rhythm of a good week here is well practised.

Frequently asked questions

Is a hosted week a good choice for a first holiday on my own?

It is one of the easiest. The planning, transport during the week and every meal are handled, and you share the days with people who chose the same week for the same reasons. You simply decide how much of the programme to join.

Do I have to join every activity?

No. Walking is offered most days on walking weeks, and you join as much or as little as you like. Plenty of guests spend a day in the garden or down by the river and catch up with everyone at dinner.

What is included, and what is extra?

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, the free bar (house wine, beer and spirits) and minibus transport during the week are included. Flights, travel insurance, optional excursions, premium spirits and any lunch out at a restaurant are extra.

How do I book?

Scheduled weeks are booked through Spice Escapes, our exclusive booking partner (ATOL 9046), which has run hosted group holidays for over 40 years. On some weeks they can add flights too.

Come and join a week

Pick your week from the scheduled holidays, or browse the wider range on Spice Escapes. If you run a walking club, a cycling club or a riding group, enquire about bringing your group and Rob will reply personally with dates and how a week could work. Either way, the valley is ready when you are.