| 'FANTASTIC WAY TO EXPLORE ANDULUCIA' |
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Strengths:
- Quick and reliable communication via email before we left UK.
- Good instructions on where to meet up for our day-only-trips
- Good local knowledge of fauna etc. Stopping to eat wild figs etc.
- Nice easy going manner
- Great local knowledge of routes
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Weaknesses:
Gorse! |
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Overall:
This was our first time with our mtb bikes abroad so didn't really know what to expect. EasyJet was no problem at all.
We had only planned two day trips with Jim and these worked out great with good instructions where to meet up.
The weather was great with Sun the full week in mid-Nov.
Jim already had week-long clients and had the usual issues of having to meet the needs of a mixed ability group which he managed great.
The riding was exactly what we wanted through beautiful countryside mixing in singletrack with doubletrack and roads where necessary in lovely sunshine - although it was slightly cold in the shade sometimes.
On trips like this you are paying for local knowledge of routes and how to join them up. We had tried a couple of wee cycles ourselves to acclimatize after a cold and wet Scotland and didn't get far before hitting no entry signs - just as we expected from walking trips in other warm climes.
Having spent more time at Glentress recently the cycling here reminded me of a different age. Centres like GT with their new no-braking airtime routes built by the (wonderful) trial fairies are evolving mountain biking into a more resort skiing type thing which is great fun.
Cycling in Andulucia was much more like mountain biking of old just getting out in the hills exploring the many hundreds of trials. This doesn't mean it's boring though. There was plenty of technical downhills with narrow switchbacks, slab sections and some scary rock-strewn routes. Lots of double track to burn up and down too. You have to look for the opportunity for some airtime though.
I can see all this changing though. You can't help cycling here without wondering what the GT trial fairies could make of Andulucia!!! The tourist folk will wake up sooner or later and build some fantastic mountain bike centres there too and we would have the best of both worlds.
In summary we had superb rides in beautiful weather and scenery with a great guide. |
