Gredos walking vacation in Central Spain

Planet

Our tours both guided and self-guided are inspired by our love of cycling, hiking and moreover our appreciation of our natural surroundings - what better way to enjoy nature than to be a part of it in a non-invasive way. Our goal is to promote these cycling paradises we have discovered for our tours, in a sustainable, responsible way; supporting the local community and businesses of these rural areas we have come to know and love. We understand that depopulation is a modern threat in these areas. Many of the people we partner with, are young entrepreneurs who have taken the risk and made a choice to carve out their livelihood in these areas.

We actively promote reusable drinking bottles, encourages conserving water at hotels by reuse practices, etc. (as our accommodation partners do), brief customers on recycling policies in Spain and collecting any waste or packaging when in nature and recycling/disposing of it correctly. We typically will suggest to self-guided customers coffee/snack stops and lunches at cafes/restaurants, when possible, along the way to avoid consuming any prepacked foods and to support local businesses.
Our hosts and guides brief customers on the regional park, wildlife, and other preservation practises avoiding any restricted or sensitive areas.
We also strive to reduce the use of paper and printing in our office opting for e-brochures and digital media to promote. We do print a very small quantity (under 500) of one-page leaflets for people who are less digitally connected.

We state that once you arrive, you only need your bike and feet to move around for the rest of the week as all rides, restaurants, activities are within walking distance. Customers are encouraged to use public transport as an option to arrive at their destination or alternatively a transfer service offered by local taxis/shuttles that we contract for them. If there is a cultural or winery visit that requires transportation, we hire a transfer service (locally) to transport customers.

As cyclists and hikers, we are already aware of our footprint on the environment and limiting our carbon impact.

People

We are a collaborator and founding member of the rural regional commerce association of the North Gredos region (ASENORG) where we started our flagship Gredos tour. Marlene volunteers on the board of ASENORG and is responsable for the Active Tourism workstream. All elements of our tour involve and support and locally owned businesses/individuals (hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, guides, transportation, other activity and service providers (spa, ziplining, horseback riding, etc), food and beverages including local breweries and wineries, to build our tour package. We purposely stage this self-guided tour out of one place to make a bigger impact on the local economy and reduce our carbon footprint driving from point A->B->C, etc.

It is part of our DNA to partner with local businesses and individuals to give people an authentic experience of what the region they are visiting, is all about. We bring the people on tours whether guided or self/guided, together with the locals and by mid-week everybody knows everybody. This is a key differentiator of our tours; as founder and weekend Gredos resident, I leverage the relationships I have built locally and my direct involvement in each of these areas and bring it as a cornerstone piece to our tours. During our self-guided tours, guests will be introduced to our local partners who will act as "hosts" during their stay.

Our hikers in Gredos are encouraged to supporting local initiatives such as the mountain broom festival in June, the local Tapas Festival in May and all other events going on in the area. We offer our self-guided guests a list of add on activities, shops and amenities all offered by local providers and businesses.