Away from the Crowds

Reviews

we didn’t hear another English voice for days!

We loved our two trips with you: the wild flowers and birdlife (cuckoos, nightingales, hoopoes, golden orieles) and varied scenery. Also that we didn’t hear another English voice for days! The hotels were varied but always good and welcoming. Routes interesting, e-bikes excellent, baggage movement efficient, liaison with AFTC staff good.

The e-bikes made it so much easier to tackle the routes that we were able to arrive for lunch at every destination. It also meant that the route on Day 4 over the summit (1600m) was achievable even for a couple of crocks like us! It was a lovely route and I suggest you include this in the route book, not just the map (we almost missed it as an option).

There is now nowhere to eat at Fuentes de Bejar (the only restaurant has closed!). Luckily the (hotel) prepared a salad for us, otherwise we would have gone hungry!

I’m already planning our next trip but it might not be for a year or two!

Christine Ward, Cambridge, UK

Thank you for your kind words, Christine! Doing the Salamanca tour followed by the Segovia tour is a popular option with Aftc travellers. Thanks for the info about the restaurant that has closed. We have contacted the hotel to ensure that they always offer dinners to our travellers. So, thanks for helping us to improve the route for others!

Aftc

The song of a cuckoo accompanied us every day and storks nesting on every church tower were another delight.

We loved the trip! The scenery especially in the first few days was magnificent with snow-capped mountains always on the horizon and we enjoyed the quiet country roads which compared to England were amazingly free of potholes. The song of a cuckoo accompanied us every day and storks nesting on every church tower were another delight. We enjoyed the remote villages and Candelario was quite enchanting. We were welcomed in all the hotels and that side of it worked very efficiently with our bags always ready when we arrived. The bikes, too, gave no problem.

I’d never used a navigation app before so that was a novelty and very useful.

We are certainly talking about another trip with you in the future and I have already sung the praises of your company to other cycling friends. The booking process could not have been more straightforward and all our queries were answered quickly.

Veronica Raymond and Frances Marlow, UK

We so glad that you enjoyed the birdlife, Veronica, it's a real feature of this route! Some travellers find it daunting, the thought of using the app, so we're delighted that you had a positive experience, like most of our travellers! We hope to see you again soon!

Aftc

the best week's holiday of my life

I have returned safe and very well from the week's cycling in Spain on the old Roman road.

I would like to say that it was the best week's holiday of my life time thus far.

The scenery the route and the experience were just fantastic. The hotels were excellent and I even though others here thought I was off my nut to do it at that time of year and on my own, I have to say I felt that my progress from place to place was being monitored by the baggage forwarding, and that my arrival was expected each day, which gave me a confidence.

Edward the chap that started me off on my journey is utterly charming, and I have spouted long and loud about the experience to all around. Many thanks to your company from me.

Jane Peden, UK.

Thanks Jane. Really glad that you enjoyed it so much. Your enthusiam is really touching. We really appreciate it.

Jaime, AFTC.

welcoming hosts offering THE most exquisite meals

We had a fabulous experience on our bike tour: just the right balance between pedalling in the empty open expanses of rural Spain, welcoming hosts offering THE most exquisite meals, beautiful towns and villages (mostly free of tourist fatigue…so far!) and chances to relax after a good day’s activity. Perfect!

The bike hire company really was first class - prompt, friendly and helpful, the proprietor even arrived (before breakfast on the second day!) with another helmet for me as my first choice didn’t feel comfy. The bikes themselves did stirling service and we could just focus on having our adventure.

We’re looking forward to our next trip with Senderos y Pueblos!

Adrienne Baker and Marcus Hackett, Bath, UK

Thanks Adrienne and Marcus, we look forward to hosting you again!

Aftc

The routes were perfect

We enjoyed our cycling holiday enormously. The routes were perfect and the hotels were all very friendly and hospitable.

We especially enjoyed our 2 nights in El Barco de Avila and our day and night in Salamanca. Thank you for arranging this so well.

Muchas gracias por todo.

James Lantry and family, UK.

Well Organised, assistance when needed

This is just to say that we enjoyed the cycling tour from Avila to Salamanca, Sept 17-23.

Well Organised, assistance when needed (in my case beyond the call of duty).

The roads were fine, villages and changing landscape. It was great. All the hotels were well chosen. Thank you.

Christen Thomsen, Denmark.

We'd be happy to recommend the ride to others

We enjoyed this holiday very much and were lucky with the weather, with no rain until the final morning into Salamanca.

The varied hotels were very hospitable, and where we ate in the hotels, the food was good–especially in Hotel Villa Maria.

We'd be happy to recommend the ride to others. Thanks for accommodating our change of itinerary, and good luck with the business.

Regards, Paul

Mari Carmen at VII Carreras was especially welcoming

Many thanks for a great week! The hotels were all very good, and Mari Carmen at VII Carreras was especially welcoming. It was nice to meet all the peregrinos there.

I hope to return next year, maybe do much more of the Via de la Plata, following the 'bicimap lo esencial' guide.

Thanks for all your support.

Tom

superb countryside on very quiet roads

We thoroughly enjoyed the whole of the biking holiday in superb countryside on very quiet roads where we saw lots of hoopoes, storks, vultures and nearer to Salamanca, many black bulls (safely behind fences!).

The bikes were very comfortable, the route not too strenuous and the daily distances were easily managed.

All the hotel accommodation was extremely comfortable and varied, the managers all being very helpful (especially Hotel Villa Maria).

The weather was sunny but cooler than expected for the time of year, so we were glad we had packed our fleeces for the morning rides.

Salamanca was a lovely place to finish the tour, but for us, we were sad to give our bikes back because we had got quite used to our daily cycling routine!

I would recommend this tour to anyone who enjoys cycling on quiet roads and is reasonably fit (we are both over 60 but enjoy active holidays). We shall be looking for another route to cycle with Away from the Crowds next year!

Carol and Mike Duck, UK.

Thanks for the positive feedback Carol and Mike. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Jaime, AFTC.

one of the most interesting traveling experiences that I have had so far

I did have an amazing time. It was definitely one of the most interesting traveling experiences that I have had so far. I will go ahead and share my experience on Facebook.

I would say that more than 90% of what it was planned was very good. The bicycle was very good and the travel plan was well written. The detail of the guide was also pretty good.

I like the hotels that I stayed in. Obviously I like some better than the others. In particular, I really enjoyed Candelario, Hotel Artesa, Villa Maria (an amazing hospitality and the fact that I was able to speak English with the host), Avila Gredos (very friendly) and amazing hotel in Salamanca in San Polo ...

I really enjoyed the road and all the things that I saw ... Thank you so much for providing such a great holiday.

Hamid Tabataei, USA.

The bikes were very comfortable

Congratulations on the whole organization and superb route. We thought the scenery was magnificent and destinations very interesting with Salamanca a great way to finish.

We particularly enjoyed having a room (in Salamanca) which overlooked the square. That was a highlight as was the visit to Candelario (including hotel).We also really liked the hotel in Fuentes de Bejar.

The roads were generally perfect – very quiet and free from traffic. The bikes were very comfortable and we had no mechanical problems at all. From Roger’s perspective there were a few too many hills (!) but I enjoyed the variation in ups and downs.

The down hills were a real highlight though. You can really pick up some speed!

Caroline Coffin, UK.

The road maps were excellent

We had the pleasure to make a trip from Avila to Salamanca. We just want to let you know that everything worked perfect.

The road maps were excellent, the trip you had figured out was very well planned and the hotels were very nice.

We will certainly consider another bicycle trip in your programme some day and will happy to recommend your company to others.

Anon

trout in the crystal waters

Thanks for asking how our holiday went. It was absolutely fabulous. The choice of routes for each day’s cycle ride suited us very well and enabled us to see a lot of wonderful countryside and scenic villages. We particularly enjoyed the ones with open bars where we always felt welcome.

Spending two nights at Barco de Ávila worked very well, giving us plenty of time to explore the town and enabling us to have a lie-in on the day after our arrival instead of having to pack everything before setting off on our ride. The circular tour was probably my favourite ride of the holiday with very quiet roads and lots to see, including the trout in the crystal waters of the Garganta de Caballeros.

A particular high point for us was the night we spent in Candelario at the Hotel Artesa. We arrived in time to have comida as well as cena and the food was some of the best we’ve ever eaten in Spain, including alubias blancas, setas and mollejas combined into local dishes. They weren’t too proud to use garbanzos either, which we love but don’t see as often as we would hope.

Salamanca exceeded my expectations, which were high in any case. The best bit was climbing the tower of the new cathedral and on the way up walking around the catwalk above the nave.

All the arrangements worked perfectly.

Many thanks for your efforts to make our holiday as enjoyable as possible. They certainly succeeded.

Clive Owen, UK

The proposed routes were extremely nice. Hardly any traffic through lovely villages.

We enjoyed our cycling tour from Ávila to Salamanca very much. We were extremely lucky, as from day one onwards the weather became perfect.

As we did already a tour perfectly organized by you two years ago (Green Coast), Senderos y Pueblos / Away from the Crowds was an easy choice for us. And we were right from the very first e-mail I sent to you. The booking was very smooth, responsive, friendly and helpful.

The handover of the bikes was perfect. We got cached up on time by a friendly guy, Robert, who gave us everything needed.

The hotels were very well selected and the transport of our luggage worked perfectly. We especially liked the rural hotels in Candelario and Fuentes De Béjar.

The proposed routes were extremely nice. Hardly any traffic through lovely villages. For us, the level of difficulty was low, thus we had a lot of time to enjoy the area. Between Barco de Ávila and Candelario, you proposed the option via El Tremedal, which we did and definitely would do again, going along the road with quite a bit of traffic is no option.

The bicycles we ok. We would liked to have a few more gears, suspension in the front and tires with a bit more profile. But they were fine to go on the proposed roads.

So all in all, we enjoyed our vacations very much and will definitely consider Senderos y Pueblos and Away from the Crowds for our next trip to Spain.

Saludos, Nicole & Urs Denier, Jona, Switzerland

We're very happy that you enjoyed your Avila to Salamanca adventure! You obviously enjoy getting 'Away from the Crowds' as much as we do! We hope to see you soon!

Gaynor, Aftc

CO₂ footprint offsetting