Why cycling is the secret to family holiday happiness
As the old joke goes, travelling with children is not a holiday, it’s a business trip. And it’s true, there is always so much to think about that it ends up being impossible to relax, everyone is bickering and nobody is having any fun.
Which is why now, with boisterous 11-year-old twin boys, I have entirely given up on the idea of attempting to arrange restful vacations and decided instead to find ways of using up their seemingly endless energy reserves with our first family cycling holiday.
We would best describe ourselves as enthusiastic amateurs. The boys, Harry and Felix, cycled a mile each way to school every day and I used to attempt the odd spinning class if there was the promise of lattes and gossiping afterwards. My husband Dan was a stranger to Lycra. So, we were taking a gamble and, while the kids were thrilled at the idea, I was secretly dreading the thought of coming up against scores of Mamils (middle-aged men in Lycra) who pause only to sync their speed recording apps or to apply Vaseline to prevent chafing in awkward places.
I really did not want to spend my holiday wearing padded shorts (the last thing my bottom needs is an extra layer), and nor did I have any intention of squeezing those revolting energy gels down my throat as I powered to my personal best. I just wanted a peaceful half-term week away. Enter the affable team at Andalucian Cycling Experiences, run by a young British couple, Ashley and Claire Higgins, who gave up their day jobs at a shopping channel in the Midlands to spend every day doing what they love.
People imagine this sort of action-packed holiday requires meticulous preparation but, for once, I hardly had to organise a thing. We booked cheap-as-chips easyJet flights from Gatwick to Malaga and hired a car – and they took care of the rest. Just an hour’s drive inland from the high-rise resorts of Benidorm and Torremolinos is one of Spain’s most beautiful national parks – the Sierra de Grazalema. And when you see the panoramic views, which are breathtaking from every angle, it is easy to understand why Ashley and Claire made the move.
They are based in the picturesque village of Montecorto, where they own several small but perfectly formed town houses. Montecorto has a couple of small bars, a decent restaurant and a football pitch – in short, everything we needed within walking distance. It was sheer bliss to discover that someone else had taken care of all the logistics for us, and the couple could not have made our week more straightforward and faff-free.
While some people opt to fly their own bikes out, Ashley had four gleaming sets of wheels and a detailed itinerary ready and waiting for us, while Claire had left us homemade flapjacks and a bottle of the local wine. There were no decisions to be made – all we had to do was have a decent breakfast, then turn up and ride.
Ashley was our guide every day, and having young kids of his own meant he could speak my children’s language. They adored him, and winning his praise became a badge of honour. He pointed out wildlife and things he knew would interest the boys; he motivated them with minutes-until-cake-type challenges; and best of all he did not let them get too competitive with each other (which always ends in tears).
I had expected to be begging, bribing and cajoling Harry and Felix up the sort of near-vertical climbs better suited to the final stages of the Tour de France, and feared the holiday would become an endurance test for us all, but even on the toughest parts of the route nobody could find anything to complain about. And better still, nobody was firing endless questions at me; in fact, if I got a bit of speed up I could hardly hear the children at all. There were even moments when I felt an exhilarating reminder of the first taste of freedom I enjoyed as a child, freewheeling on my old Raleigh Shopper bike.
We had a go on hybrid road bikes and racers, and the children got their confidence up in no time. It helped that the weather was great in mid-October and the roads were fairly quiet.
Distances can be altered depending on the family’s level of fitness; we averaged somewhere between 25 and 40 miles a day, and felt pretty chuffed with ourselves. There were a lot of hill climbs, but nothing too intimidating, and plenty of places to refuel along the way, stopping as often as our various levels of cycling ability demanded it. The more challenging climbs provided the sense of adventure and achievement that the boys constantly want.
Andalucia is a region steeped in a rich, and often bloody, history, and so our first ride was to the idyllic hilltop village of Zahara de la Sierra where the views across the lake from the Moorish castle were nothing short of spectacular. That was a relatively gentle 22 miles and so on day two, despite our aching thighs, we asked Ashley to push us a bit harder.
The next day he led us through the glorious cork tree forest to Grazalema, which is apparently known for its wool and leather products, but we were far more taken with the apple doughnuts and Toblerone tarts. The following morning he left us to it, but rather than risk a family feud by issuing us with a map, Ashley sensibly dropped us at the start of the Via Verde, a disused railway line, which meant it was impossible to get lost. Once again the landscapes were stunning and we stopped to watch the vultures swooping through the viaducts. A series of long dark tunnels was pretty exciting too, and we were ready for our rest day, which we spent exploring the historic town of Ronda.
Raring to go again, we were driven up to Benaocaz for a fourth long day of riding through winding mountain roads, before our final ride to the adorable village of Setenil with its gorgeous cave bars carved into the overhanging rock face. We were tired by the final day but there were new goals, such as stopping at a fascinating Roman amphitheatre, or sampling some excellent fortifying tapas on Ashley’s recommendation. Somehow the boys still found the energy to play football with the local kids each evening, while we could barely keep our eyes open past 9pm.
In what still feels like a big achievement, we cycled over 150 miles in five days, most of it involving steep hills. And while we may not be pros just yet, we no longer feel like novices and all came back feeling fitter – surprising, given those daily slices of Toblerone tart. And yes, we relaxed. After all, you can’t really bicker on a bike.
How to do it
Essentials Andalucian Cycling Experience (andaluciancyclingexperience.com) offers family holidays from £475pp for a week, staying in a self-catering town house in Montecorto and including the services of a guide and an on-call support van. Flights, airport transfers and bike hire cost extra. Discounts for children under 12.
Read more: a complete guide to the best hotels in Andalucia
