Self guided cycling vacation in Valencia, Spain

Planet

We genuinely believe that cycling is one of the most interesting, healthy and environmentally responsible ways in which to explore new places. We have a specific garage for our bikes where we recycle everything: tyres, brakes, cables, etc. We use ecological products in order to clean them.

Our tours go through natural parks where there is native vegetation and a variety of wild life. We supply travel documents which advise our clients how to respect the local ecology. We remind them of the importance of preserving our wild, local areas for everyone and of what a precious resource water is.

In order to minimize vehicle emissions, we begin all of our tours on the same day of the week. This drastically reduces the number of van miles travelled each week in order to transfer clients' luggage from one overnight stop to the next.

Our pre-trip information is all given by email in order to save paper. Currently we are changing from providing tour information on sheets of paper to creating a small booklet. This use far less paper.

We use recycled printer cartridges and we recycle any leftover printed material.

People

Our company provides the opportunity to get to know local people and to invest money locally in small local shops, accommodation, restaurants, etc.

We are selling and operating tours almost exclusively in rural areas in order to support small local business. We want to encourage local councils to improve and promote the cycle paths which pass through their small communities. This helps the locals to expand their rural, family businesses. As natives of Valencia Province we know the area extremely well. To ensure the fullest possible local experience we recommend specific visits related to gastronomy, culture, history, ecology and shops which offer local products, especially handmade goods.

We are a small company, operating tours since 2015. Our aim is to expand in order to be able to create more local employment. This year we have created one permanent job and one part-time job so now we are 3 people. In high season we also employ some local guides. Our aim for next year is to create another full-time job whenever possible. We obtain everything we need (bikes, accessories, computers, etc.) from local suppliers. When we need to change bikes we will donate the old ones to a local NGO.

We give our clients an information booklet which explains different aspects of our region: the local history, gastronomy, agriculture, landscape and so on.

We encourage clients to visit historic sites such as monasteries, ancient Iberian towns, castles, etc. where there are free guided tours. We believe that this provides them with deeper insight into the Valencian way of life and its roots rather than just offering them a superficial cycling tour.

On our tours our clients have the opportunity to experience different landscapes, agriculture and ecology: rice fields, vineyards, orange groves, etc. We encourage them to visit local businesses, for example wine cellars, orange juice tasting, wine tasting, artisan shops, artisan cheese makers, etc. In these local businesses clients can taste products and buy them. We also recommend that they take a boat trip on the Albufera Natural Lake in order to support the local boatmen. Group tours actually include one of these boat tours plus several wine tastings.

On the subject of gastronomy we have a great deal to offer. We encourage people to try our traditional dishes. We recommend local restaurants where clients can enjoy local Mediterranean foods. Because the tours encompass such a variety of landscapes, clients can experience the food and drink indigenous to each area, for example, in the area of inland vineyards and orchards they can sample the meats, fruits, nuts and wines to be found here. Close to the coast there is an abundance of fish and sea food and around the Albufera rice paddies there are many different, delicious rice dishes.

Of course, the accommodation that we use consists of small rural houses (Casas Rurales) and family-run hotels. This keeps the countryside alive, enabling people to live and work in remote areas whilst preserving and improving rural properties.