How to Find a Solo Walking Holiday in Spain You'll Love

The path out of Bárcena Mayor follows the river first, past stone houses with wooden balconies, then turns uphill into beech wood. A couple of hours later you are standing on Alto de la Guarda with 650 metres of climbing in your legs, the valley laid out below and the picnic coming out of the rucksack. Somebody has brought chocolate. Somebody else has spotted a griffon vulture riding the air above the ridge. That is the moment a good solo walking holiday in Spain is built around, and it is easy to find once you know what to look for.

What to look for in a solo walking holiday

Search results for walking holidays in Spain tend to blur together. These are the details that tell you a week will deliver both great walking and great company.

Routes someone has walked first

The best weeks publish real routes with real distances. On our Cantabrian Walking Week the options run from a gentle 4.3 km loop round Playa de Valdearenas west beach, to the coast path from San Vicente de la Barquera to Playa de Oyambre (7.6 km, about 100 m of ascent), the river walk up the Bárcena Mayor valley, the Senda Fluvial del Nansa on the waymarked Camino Lebaniego, and that big climb to Alto de la Guarda (8.5 km, 650 m of ascent). Every route has been scouted on foot by the walking hosts.

A pace that suits you

Look for a week where you walk with people rather than in single file behind a leader. Jen and Jim Holgan, the volunteer walking hosts on our walking week, have been taking walkers out in Scotland for almost twenty years. Jen sets a leisurely pace, and Jim is very happy to push on for anyone who wants more miles. All ages and every pace are welcome, and the only real requirements are good boots, full walking kit and a liking for being outdoors.

A house that looks after you

Walking all day is a lot more fun when somebody else has thought about dinner. Check that meals are actually included, and which ones. At Casa Agara every meal is: breakfast, a light lunch (a picnic in your rucksack on walking days) and a home-cooked dinner every evening, with vegetables from the kitchen garden. The bar is free, with house wine, beer and spirits poured all day and only premium brands carrying a charge.

Fair terms for solo travellers

Check how a week treats people who book on their own. Ours has no forced single supplement: you twin-share at no extra charge, or choose a room of your own as an option.

How the Cantabrian Walking Week runs

The Cantabrian Walking Week is based at Casa Agara, an 18th-century stone casona in Fresneda de Cabuérniga, inside the Saja-Besaya reserve and about an hour from Santander airport. There is walking on at least four days, balanced with sightseeing and plenty of time to enjoy the company, and minibus transport during the week is included.

Evenings are the reward. Boots come off, the fires are lit in the sitting rooms, and dinner might be tapas and cava round the fire, duck confit, a curry night with homemade lime pickle, or Tudanca beef from the local breed. Around the table the day's route gets walked all over again, with the last climb growing steeper every time somebody describes it. Chispa, the house dog, listens to every word.

Days off the trail

A walking week here has plenty more in it. The surf beaches of the Cantabrian coast are under an hour away, there are horse riding trails in the mountains and rides along the beaches, and the Picos de Europa make a full day out about 1.5 hours by car. The stone villages of the Cabuérniga valley are right on the doorstep. Optional excursions are extra, and Rob will happily point you to the good ones.

If you are still weighing up options, our guide to walking holidays in Spain for singles goes wider, and this comparison of the walking, painting and other weeks helps you pick.

Questions people ask

Who can join the walking week?

Anyone who loves a good walk. All ages and every pace are welcome, from people who want a gentle beach loop to people who want the biggest hill on offer. You will need full walking kit, including good boots, waterproofs and a bottle that holds at least 1.5 litres of water.

How hard are the walks?

You choose. Routes range from a flat 4.3 km beach loop to an 8.5 km hill circuit with 650 m of ascent, and some can be linked into longer days if the group fancies it. Jen keeps a leisurely pace and Jim picks it up for anyone who wants a quicker walk.

Do solo travellers pay a single supplement?

No. There is no forced single supplement, so you can twin-share at no extra charge. A room of your own is available as an option.

What is included, and what is extra?

Your room, every meal, the free bar of house wine, beer and spirits, and minibus transport during the week are included. Flights, travel insurance, optional excursions, premium spirits and lunch out at a restaurant are extra.

How do I book?

Every scheduled week at Casa Agara is booked through Spice Escapes, our exclusive booking partner (ATOL 9046). They will talk you through rooms, dates and flights.

Lace up and come walking

Green hills, scouted routes, good food and a house full of people who love being outdoors. See the scheduled weeks and check dates for the walking week. If you run a walking club or rambling group, enquire about bringing your group and Rob will reply personally with dates and how a week could work.