Away from the Crowds

Reviews

This company is by far the best in Europe!

This trip was an absolute delight from start to finish.

We had a very slick transfer and introduction to our e-bikes (which were lightweight). The bike man was very helpful and didn’t pick our luggage up until 10am which gave us time to have a leisurely breakfast. We appreciated the fact we had a map, a detailed road book and an app on our phones.

We cycled through vineyards and small towns on quiet roads and dirt tracks at the tail end of the vine picking harvest.

We had time to explore, and sit in cafes, to absorb the culture.

Every evening we arrived in the most fabulous 4* monasteries, convents or local hotels full of character. All hotels welcomed us as cyclists and some even had Bike Friendly secure rooms. Charging our bike batteries was never a problem.

The route was exceptionally well chosen and introduced us to not only medieval towns but also the Camino de Santiago.

This company is by far the best in Europe!

Vanda & John Tillotsen, London, UK

We strive to do the best we can and when our travellers really connect with the essence of the Aftc spirit, it's a wonderful, winning combination! Thank you so much for your amazing review! ¡Muchas gracias, amigos!

Jaime & Gaynor, Aftc

The trip was a joy from start to finish. Thank you!

Everything very good thanks - maybe the best yet !!

Upgraded accomodation was outstanding - ideal for us. The bikes were perfect and Jose (the bike provider) was very obliging - though thankfully we did not need his services during the trip.

We are already talking about the Parador trip in Galicia next June!...

The trip was a joy from start to finish. Thank you!

Tony Barry and Karen Yates, London, UK

It was a pleasure to host you, Karen, Mark and Julia again! Thanks for your enthusiasm, we look forward to hosting you again soon!

Gaynor, Aftc

Just a great rural cycling experience with poppies and other wild flowers everywhere.

We did the best of rioja bike tour in late May. It was wonderful!

The routes were great, generally secondary roads with the only cars belonging to the vineyard workers.

Just a great rural cycling experience with poppies and other wild flowers everywhere.

The towns and accommodations were great and of course the wine.

Would highly recommend this trip and am looking into other bike trips with Away from the crowds

Jay Dinowitz and Lisa Jakobsberg, Brooklyn, NY, USA

May is a fabulous month for this tour (indeed for most of our tours!)due to the outstanding wildflowers and the huge bird activity going on all around you! We look forward to having you travel with us again soon!

Aftc

This was the best self guided cycling trip we participated in.

The group from Iceland completed the cycle tour yesterday in Logrono and we are now on our way to Madrid. We just wanted to let you know that we all had a great time.

Your planning and information regarding the trip was outstanding In our view.

This was the best self guided cycling trip we participated in.

Thank you and best regards from the Icelandic group

Gunnar Jonassen, Reykjavik, Iceland

kærar þakkir Gunnar, ¡muchas gracias!

Aftc

Travelling at a slower pace meant we really felt we experienced the place properly

We had a great time in Rioja and although the weather was variable we didn't get wet so that was all good too. It might have felt cold to locals but not really to us!

We loved the hotels and locations because they were so individual.

The people were lovely, the food and drink delicious and the countryside was stunning.

Travelling at a slower pace meant we really felt we experienced the place properly and now know a little about it.

We would have no hesitation in recommending the holiday highly.

Rob & Pam Clulow, West Yorkshire, UK

Thanks for your lovely review and for sharing your fabulous photos and video with us, Rob and Pam. Hope to see you soon!

Aftc

The accommodations selected for this tour were absolutely outstanding!

We had a wonderful time on the Cycling in La Rioja Spain tour.

The Ride with GPS downloads we received prior to our departure made it very convenient and meant that we did not need to use data to travel from one place to the next.

The Roadbook was also great as it gave detailed route instructions and a bit of history and some suggested stops and things to do and see along the way. We felt very well supported for our self-guided adventure.

The accommodations selected for this tour were absolutely outstanding! Comfortable rooms and beds and delicious breakfasts included. On our departure day the hotel even prepared a picnic breakfast for us to take away as we left before breakfast hours began.

The views were wonderful and the part along the Camino was interesting as well. We loved the hours on dedicated bike trails through vineyards and olive groves, what a beautiful country!

Thank you for your consistent and professional conduct, for developing this beautiful tour.

We understand why our friends so highly recommended Senderos y Pueblos for our exploration of Spain.

Karen Good & Lynn Hyska, Edmonton, Canada

Thank you so much for your kind words, Karen and Lynn. We're so glad that we lived up to the recommendations you got from Doug and Jan! Come back soon!

Aftc

The ride as a whole was almost overwhelmingly rich culturally and historically

We'll be delighted to write a review our holiday - briefly though I can say we had an absolutely marvellous time and we couldn't have wished for more.

We cannot praise it highly enough! Everything worked smoothly, the communication, organisation and attention to detail was excellent throughout. Route finding on Ride with GPS worked well, the route itself interesting, varied and safe, the bikes modern and well suited to the conditions.

The accommodation chosen for us was invariably spectacular, of excellent quality and a welcome contrast at the end of each days ride – but it would be unfair to call them highlights – it was all highlight.

The ride as a whole was almost overwhelmingly rich culturally and historically, the La Rioja area fascinating and lovely with vineyards, bodegas, ancient towns and of course wonderful wine.

Having gone in late May we were delighted to be surrounded by wildflowers and birdsong for much of the ride – and the weather was lovely.

The quality of the trip was maintained from start to finish and we just loved it, a big thank you to all at Away from the Crowds, we are sure we will be back.

Peter and Gunilla Fuller, Hertford, UK

What a fabulous review, Peter and Gunilla! ¡Muchísimas gracias! We were sorry that you had to cancel your trip with us this year and hope Gunilla is making a full recovery.

Gaynor, Aftc

It is a well thought out trip!

"We have arrived in Logrono and the end of our bike trip today. We really enjoyed the trip, the routing, accommodation, etc.

It is a well thought out trip!

Ernest Bodie, Canada

the monastery at Yuso was a massive highlight

We had a wonderful holiday cycling round La Rioja with Away from the Crowds! We had been looking forward to it for 2 years and we were not disappointed. The most positive aspects were:

- the amazing scenery, and the good variety of different scenery that we saw

- the monastery at Yuso was a massive highlight

- we loved Ezcaray and the accommodation you use there is very bike friendly, it has everything you need for minor repairs, inflating tyres etc - really appreciated

- everyone was very friendly and the arrangements went very smoothly

Other comments for your consideration:

- the itinerary was mostly accurate and easy to follow - we only got lost once - but we did find we needed to use both the written and GPS instructions to stay on track

- it was often hard to find food on the route - admittedly being there during ‘fiestas’ did not help - but we struggled to find places to buy lunch. Perhaps you could add a few more details on food stops in the notes. Or be clear that it is necessary to carry food with you. Running out of fuel before ascending into LaGuardia was not fun.

- Jose (who delivered our bikes on the first day) only turned up with large size helmets and had to return to the depot for smaller ones. However - he met us down the road at the first cafe stop to swap helmets, and when one member of our party fell ill, he turned up within 15 minutes to pick him up and take him to the accommodation - he really could not have done more, he was so helpful.

- the cycling is quite hard in parts, particularly the LaGuardia day we found very challenging, and we are relatively fit and cycle at least weekly (admittedly not up such steep climbs). This was the only day where we struggled and that was partly because we ran out of food and couldn’t find anywhere to buy anything - but we did wonder how older / less fit groups manage.

Overall it was such an amazing experience and we certainly hope to do another of your cycling holidays in the not too distant future!

Juliet Low, Australia.

Thanks Juliet. We really appreciate your feedback and since your comments we have modified certain parts of the route to avoid hills a much as possible and included information as to where to purchase food to picnic along the way.

Jaime, AFTC.

eine eindrucksvolle Tour durch die Rioja, bei idealem Radfahrwetter, exzellent organisiert.

Hallo Gaynor,eine eindrucksvolle Tour durch die Rioja, bei idealem Radfahrwetter, exzellent organisiert. Perfekt wie immer bei Aftc. Wir planen unsere 5.Tour für diesen Herbst! Vielen Dank und macht weiter so.

Viele Grüße Horst

Horst Richter, Bad Arolsen, Germany.

Hello Gaynor,an impressive tour through the Rioja, in ideal cycling weather, excellently organized. Perfect as always at Aftc. We are planning our 5th tour for this fall! Thank you very much and keep up the good work. Attached are some photos. Best regards, Horst

Thank you for your positive feedback, Horst! Always a pleasure hosting you, Karin and Elke!

Gaynor, Aftc

best guidebook|notes we have ever had - in 40 European cycle trips

23 May 2022

excellent hotels, best guidebook and notes we have ever had in 40 European cycle trips and well chosen route.

We had a fantastic holiday!

We had a fantastic holiday! Beautiful scenery, great villages and very nice hotels.

The only remark that we have is the front fender which fell off both the girls' bikes. This could have been dangerous, but luckily no injuries occurred and we took them off completely after this happened.

Gunnar Arneberg

We were impressed with the bike route, the scenery, the information provided, the hotels, and the punctuality of the luggage transport.

Just a quick note to say that Laurie and I really enjoyed the bike trip in La Rioja.

We were impressed with the bike route, the scenery, the information provided, the hotels, and the punctuality of the luggage transport.

We took one day of rest (Laurie was tired and the forecast was calling for rain) and appreciated that that bike rental company could take us to the next town.

We hope to use Senderos y Pueblos again in the future. Please also let me know there is a place were we could leave a positive review.

Clifton Bell

Virginia, USA

We loved exploring all the towns we visited.

We really enjoyed the cycling trip 'The best of La Rioja'; I had an electric mountain bike and my husband a normal bike. The organisation, routes, hotels (and especially their location) were excellent. We loved exploring all the towns we visited. The weather at the start of our trip was hot and the electric bike was really good when the hills were steep in the heat!

Overall it was an excellent holiday and we cannot fault the organisation of it.

Sarah Jones, UK.

The accommodations were all fantastic, the breakfasts were hearty, the scenery was gorgeous

We had an amazing time biking the Best of Rioja!

The accommodations were all fantastic, the breakfasts were hearty, the scenery was gorgeous, and Jota from Nava Rent was excellent. There were a few times when we needed help wih our bikes and he was very quick to respond and help us each time.

Allison Haas, Canada.

We were so impressed by the standard of the bikes and the very friendly handover.

We enjoyed cycling through a part of Spain that was entirely new to us and the mix of countryside and interesting towns and villages was perfect. The birdsong this time of year is very special and we were delighted to be accompanied by the song of Blackcap, Serin, and especially Golden Oriole and Nightingale. The nightingales were everywhere!

All the hotels were lovely and easy to find. Maybe our favourite was Ezcaray although the setting of Laguardia was lovely.

We were so impressed by the standard of the bikes and the very friendly handover. Neither of us had any problems at all during the six days' cycling...The tarmac roads were in good condition and even the main roads weren't busy so we always felt safe.

We made the mistake of not booking winery tours in advance of our trip which turned out to be a mistake. English language tours get booked up so we missed the opportunity. Nevertheless, the museum at the Vivancos winery was well worth a visit...

We thoroughly enjoyed our first cycling holiday. It was a challenge at times but the combination of a lovely route, good bikes and a comfortable destination made it a delight. You'll be seeing us again.

John & Liz Knowles, Shropshire, UK

Such a pleasure to have you back with us on a cycling trip this time, after completing 3 walking tours with us! We're delighted that you had such a lovely time!

Gaynor, Aftc

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