Walking is the perfect thing to do on your own — right up until dinner, when you'd rather not eat alone. A hosted walking week solves exactly that: you walk at your own pace by day, in good company, and sit down to one shared table at night. At Casa Agara, in the green Cabuérniga valley of Cantabria, the walking starts at the front door — and you are never the odd one out.

Where do you actually walk?

Straight into the Saja-Besaya reserve — at 24,500 hectares, the largest natural park in Cantabria — a world of oak and beech forest, red deer and circling griffon vultures. The trails run the full range, so solo walkers of any stamina have a genuine choice: gentle valley routes like the 7.5 km Fuente Clara loop, up to bigger days of 15–20 km out towards the ancient stone village of Bárcena Mayor, one of Spain's officially "prettiest villages" and the only settlement inside the park. The Picos de Europa are about an hour away for a day among their fringes and viewpoints — the high summits are for serious mountaineers, so we won't pretend a cable car drops you on top of one. And the wild Atlantic coast, with its easy 11 km cliff path near San Vicente de la Barquera, is half an hour off.

Is it gentle, or hard going?

Both are here, and you choose. The low-valley forest routes top out under 600 m and are walkable most of the year; the high mountain pastures involve real ascent and aren't for everyone. Tell us how your legs are and we will point you at the right days — nobody is dragged up anything they didn't fancy.

Do I have to walk with the group the whole time?

Not at all — that is the beauty of walking from the door. You can head out alone with a route in your pocket, or fall in with others, and either way you are back at the house for dinner. Company when you want it, solitude when you don't.

Is there a single supplement?

No forced one. The scheduled walking weeks are run with the walking specialists Walkwise and booked through Spice Escapes — so you can twin-share at no extra charge (matched with a same-sex room-mate, and if they can't match you they cover the supplement), or take a room of your own for an optional supplement. The flight-inclusive packages are ATOL-protected.

When is the best time to come walking?

Spring and autumn are glorious here — green, mild and quiet, with the valley at its best and the autumn deer rut a real spectacle in late September. Summer is warm and lovely for pairing walks with the coast; winter keeps to the lower routes.

Who comes on these weeks?

Solo walkers who want their days sorted and their evenings sociable — no forty-strong coach, no eating alone, no single-room penalty they didn't choose. If you would rather walk beautiful, uncrowded country and come home with friends than trudge the crowded Camino, this is your kind of week.

See the walking weeks: browse Spice Escapes →. For the Green Spain walking week here at Casa Agara, tell us your dates.