Big climbs, quiet roads, dinner cooked.

Coffee, breakfast, a quick check of the tyres, and the club rolls out into the Cabuérniga valley. The roads here are quiet mountain roads, and the climbs are the real thing. The road up to La Hoja and the Salto de la Cabra on the CA-13 is the kind of ascent that becomes the week's main topic of conversation. Split into a fast group and a steady group, regroup at the top, take the summit photo, then enjoy the descent you earned.

The next day might be a longer loop on more quiet roads, or an easy spin so tired legs can recover. Gravel riders get their say too: tell Rob the surfaces and distances your group enjoys, and he will come back with what the valley can offer.

Rest days fill themselves. The river Saja is a short walk from the house, the stone villages along the valley are worth an afternoon, and the Cantabrian coast, with its surf, is under an hour away.

Then the reward. Back at the house the tea and coffee are on, and the bar is free all day, with house wine, beer and spirits included and only premium brands charged. The firelit sitting rooms fill up with riders comparing times and gradients. Dinner is home-cooked with vegetables from the kitchen garden, and nobody has to work out where the club is eating tonight.

Why the house works for a cycling club

Casa Agara is an 18th-century stone casona in Fresneda de Cabuérniga, inside the Saja-Besaya reserve, with 12 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms for up to 24 guests. The club sleeps under one roof, rides out together in the morning and comes back to the same front door.

Cyclists run on food, and the house is fully catered: breakfast every morning, a light lunch, and a home-cooked dinner every evening. Lunch is served at the house, so ask Rob how it can fit around your long ride days. Tea, coffee and local spring water are there all day for filling bottles before you leave.

Off the bike there are firelit sitting rooms, a garden with forest and valley views, and an open hall indoors used for yoga and practice, which is ideal for a stretching session after a big day in the hills. Take a look round on the house page.

You ride, the house refuels you

Your club knows how it likes to ride, so the riding stays in your hands. You plan the routes, set the groups, lead the rides and handle the bike side of things: mechanicals, spares and any support vehicle you want on the big days.

The house takes the rest off your plate. Every meal is cooked, the bar is poured, the fires are lit and the rooms are ready when you roll in. You get to be the organiser who rides, instead of the one who spends every evening booking restaurants and counting heads.

Bike storage, cycle hire and transfers are all things Rob will confirm for your group when he replies, so mention them in your enquiry.

The riding around the valley

The Cabuérniga valley is road cycling country: quiet mountain roads, oak and beech woods, stone villages and big climbs, with griffon vultures overhead. The climb to La Hoja and the Salto de la Cabra on the CA-13 is the headline, and it sets the tone for the week.

Be realistic about the famous mountains. The Picos de Europa are about 1.5 hours away by car, so they are a day out with the bikes on a vehicle rather than a ride from the door. The Cantabrian coast is under an hour away for a rest-day trip to the sea.

Groups already run weeks here

Casa Agara is a working group house. 10 group weeks have run here since 2023, led by specialist operators including WalkWise for guided walking, New You for yoga and wellbeing, and Thrive Fitness Coaching, who ran a fitness week in September 2026. See the weeks currently on sale on the scheduled holidays page, and the groups page for the other kinds of group the house welcomes.

Getting there with the bikes

If your riders want their own bikes, the ferry is the easy answer. Brittany Ferries sails from Portsmouth and Plymouth to Santander, and the port is about an hour from the house, so you can drive out with the bikes in the car or van.

Flying works too. Santander airport is about an hour away, with direct flights from several UK airports, and Bilbao is roughly 1.5 hours. Check your airline's rules for bike boxes, and ask Rob about transfers.

Bring your cycling club

Big climbs by day, a cooked dinner and a free bar by night. Enquire about bringing your group and tell Rob about your club: how many riders, the kind of riding you do and the dates you are looking at. He replies personally with dates and how a week could work. You can also WhatsApp or call +34 699 489 998, or +44 7778 298497 from the UK.

Questions organisers ask

Can we hire bikes locally?

Cycle hire partners are not published yet, so Rob will confirm hire options for your dates in his reply. If your riders want their own bikes, Brittany Ferries sails from Portsmouth and Plymouth to Santander, about an hour from the house, so you can drive out with them.

Is there somewhere to keep the bikes?

Tell Rob how many bikes your club is bringing when you enquire. He will confirm the storage arrangements for your group in his reply.

What are the climbs like?

The valley has quiet mountain roads and big climbs, such as the road up to La Hoja and the Salto de la Cabra on the CA-13. You plan and lead the rides, so you can set routes to suit your fast and steady groups. The Picos de Europa are about 1.5 hours away by car, so treat them as a day out.

What do riders eat during the week?

Breakfast, a light lunch at the house and a home-cooked dinner are served every day, with vegetables from the kitchen garden. Tea, coffee and local spring water are there all day, and the bar is free, with only premium brands charged. Tell Rob about dietary needs and ask how lunch can fit around your long ride days, and he will confirm both in his reply.

How do we get there from the UK?

Santander airport is about an hour from the house, with direct flights from several UK airports, and Bilbao is roughly 1.5 hours. The Brittany Ferries crossing from Portsmouth or Plymouth arrives at Santander, also about an hour away. Ask Rob about transfers and he will confirm what is possible.