A social walking break in Northern Spain

Jen and Jim Holgan have been taking Spice members in Scotland walking for almost 20 years and in that time have led 100's of walks. They are regulars on many of the Scottish weekends as well as WalkWise trips in the UK and overseas. Jen and Jim plan and check out the walking routes for this break.

The walks on this trip are a blend of social walking at a leisurely pace but if anyone wants to go a little quicker then Jim is your man and is very happy to push a little harder! This blend of walking alongside the chilled atmosphere that is Agara compliment each other perfectly.

This is a walking holiday but with the aim of being a little more 'easy going' than our usual international walking trips with WalkWise, however be under no illusion you'll be 'getting you boots on' so you will need full walking kit and miles will be done. This will be our third year of walking this area with Jen and Jim who have personally scouted all the routes involved; they are both volunteer hosts so rather than leading the walks you will be joining them for a walk; they have the routes and you are invited along for the ride (or rather walk).

Jen and Jim have used this format of informal walking with huge success for Spice Social Scotland and have grown quite a following, while Jen has a more leisurely pace to her walking, if you want something a little further or faster Jim is more than willing to pick up the pace a little. They are both experienced walkers here in the UK and internationally (they went with Spice Escapes on one of our Kilimanjaro trips!).

While this trip will have walking available on at least 4 days of the week, the focus is on balance - walking, sightseeing and socialising, if you want something more walk focused however then maybe one of our WalkWise breaks will be your choice.

You will need to be able to carry at least 1.5 litres of water with you and good walking boots are essential.

El plan, paso a paso

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Jen and Jim have extensively walked the area to find some lovely walks for our trip. Some examples of distances and height gains are shown below to give an idea of what to expect. Some of these may be linked to make longer walks if the group requests it while in situ.
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St Vincent to Playa de Oyambre
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Area of walk: Coastal, Route Type: Linear
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Distance Miles: 4.74, Distance Km: 7.6, Altitude gain m/ft: 100/325
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From to: Playa de Valderenas car park to Costa Quebrada view point
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Area of walk: Coastal, Route Type: Out & Back
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Distance Miles: 3.74, Distance Km: 6.2, Altitude gain m/ft: 60/200
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Santander sea front
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Route Type: circular
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Distance Miles: 6, Distance Km: 10, Altitude gain m/ft: 55/175
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Sequoias del monte Cabezon and Monte Corona
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Area of walk: Forrest, Route Type: Circular
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Distance Miles: 8.61, Distance Km: 14, Altitude gain m/ft: 245/800
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From to: Senda Flavial del Nansa (Camino river walk)
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Comments: Part of the Camino Lebaniego waymarked route
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Area of walk: RiverWalk, Route Type: Linear
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Distance Miles: 8.1, Distance Km: 13.7, Altitude gain m/ft: 430/1410
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Playa de Valdearenas west beach
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Area of walk: Coastal, Route Type: circular
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Distance Miles: 2.7, Distance Km: 4.3, Altitude gain m/ft: 25/75
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Bárcena Mayor Valley
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Area of walk: RiverWalk, Route Type: OutAndBack
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Distance Miles: 5, Distance Km: 8, Altitude gain m/ft: 107/350
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Bárcena Mayor Valley
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Area of walk: RiverWalk, Route Type: circular
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Distance Miles: 5.7. Distance Km: 9.3, Altitude gain m/ft: 183/600
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Bárcena Mayor - Alto de la Guarda
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Area of walk: Hill, Route Type: #circular
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Distance Miles: 5.19, Distance Km: 8.5, Altitude gain m/ft: 650/2130
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There will be other options that can be discussed on the holiday.

Incluye

International flights if selected
7 nights accommodation
7 continental breakfasts, 7 light lunches*, 7 evening meals
Local wine, beer and spirits in the hotel just help yourself
Tea/coffee available in the house throughout the day
Transport by minibus

Extras opcionales

Personal Travel Insurance
Room supplement if selected
Optional excursions
Lunches if you wish to sample the local restaurants
Personal extras

Tu guía para esta semana

Jen & Jim - walking hosts (you may have already met them so check out the image!)

Comida y bebida, día a día

Included in your trip is a continental breakfast, light lunches (available if we are at the property or a picnic lunch if on a a walk or cycle ride) and evening meal everyday. Also, there will be complimentary tea/coffee available for you to help yourself to. Locally sourced spring water will be available in the house so you won’t need to worry about getting bottled water unless you really want to. Finally local wine, beer and spirits will be available between 6-12pm every day (if you have favourite tipple just let us know before you travel so we can make sure we are well stocked!); these drinks will also be available at other times for a small charge and premium brands will also be available at any time for a charge. Sample Menu (based on a 7 night stay - shorter trips will feature part of the menu) Breakfast Alternates between boiled eggs one day and fried eggs and bacon the next supported by yoghurt, muesli, cornflakes, toast, marmalade/marmite/peanut butter, fresh orange juice and endless tea and coffee. Dinner

Día 1tapas and Cava/Prosecco round the fire followed by roasted salmon with buttery new potatoes.
Día 2Homemade courgette soup spiced with Ethiopian Berbere followed by Duck confit with duck fat roasted potatoes and wilted greens.
Día 3Fresh asparagus followed by curry choices. Chicken masala, curried chestnuts and spinach curry. All with rice and homemade lime pickle, mango chutney, green tomato chutney and yoghurt accompaniment.
Día 4Tomato and mozzarella salad followed by seared tuna and new potatoes with a choice of salads.
Día 5Avocado and smoked salmon followed by Cantabrian Mountain stew (Pork and butter beans in a rich gravy)
Día 6Melon and Serrano ham followed by Tudanca beef joint (Tudanca being a local breed of cow).
Día 7Grilled Sardines followed by slow cooked Pork belly with roasted potatoes and baby leaf spinach.

We work hard to cater for all types of allergies and preferences. Oat milk is always available and gluten free is also possible if we know in advance. If most of the group prefer less fish then we will adjust the menu (and we can do the reverse too!). Roast Salmon or Tuna might be substituted for slow roasted leg of mutton with herbs and garlic, as an example. We also work hard to cater for vegetarians and vegans and to date all the guests have offered really positive feedback on the food we provide. Its hearty and nutritious with an informal presentation – that’s Agara! NB - If you flights are evening arrivals the meal on arrival will be a light snack.

Qué llevar

Recommended kit list but at this time of year we expect good weather. Walking boots - essential A Water bottle (minimum 1.5 litre) - important Hydration Tablets A Rucksack with a plastic liner Waterproofs: jacket and trousers A Warm hat Warm gloves (not leather) Thick walking socks Base layer: (thin thermal or warm T-shirt. Best not to be cotton as it gets cold when wet) Over layer: (warm sweater or fleece) Comfortable walking trousers (not jeans as they are too cold & heavy when wet) Personal Medication Smart casual clothes for the evening. You may wish to bring: Trekking Poles Vacuum flask (if you like hot drinks on the hill) Medium size Tupperware container or plastic bag, to put picnic lunch in. Sit mat Sun glasses Lip salve Camera Personal first aid kit Short trousers T - Shirts Sun hat Sun tan lotion Antihistamines and eye spray if hay-fever is a potential issue. Insect repellent Swimming kit and for beach swim /paddle including a towel for changing/drying Cash for some lunches and getting into places of interest?