Memorable Hiking and Biking Holidays in Spain

September 30, 2010

Spain has some beautiful and diverse landscapes which offer plenty of opportunities for visitors to take part in outdoor activities. There are some stunning hiking and biking trails through remote areas and this is one of the best ways to explore the lovely scenery. Spain has a wonderful network of Paradores which are located in key areas of cultural, historical and natural interest, and provide excellent overnight stops with that little extra special touch. These Paradores are luxury hotels which are often set in beautifully renovated historic buildings and offer unique ways to experience the culture of Spain as you travel around.

Paradores3 Memorable Hiking and Biking Holidays in Spain

"Parador de Arties facade

Walking and Biking Trails

Spain is a great destination for walkers and bikers with many different terrains, from the gentle sloping foothills of the Alpujarras to the more challenging peak treks of the majestic Pyrenees. Many areas of rural Spain are also very remote with little in the way of public transport so walking and biking are some of the best ways to explore these beautiful unspoilt places. The summers in Spain can get very warm so one of the best times to explore is early spring when the weather is just starting to warm up and the countryside is in full bloom. Winter in the mountainous regions can be cold with plenty of snow and this offers some great winter sports activities and some beautiful alpine landscapes. If you are interested in traversing the challenging peaks of Spain then you could try one of the guided scrambling tours. Scrambling is a combination of walking and climbing and you will need a good level of fitness. Scrambling is basically ‘climbing without ropes’ and is a popular way of exploring Spain’s more challenging mountainous regions.

Northern Spain

The Basque country of Northern Spain offers some beautiful walking and biking trails which will take you through some impressive unspoilt landscapes from the Gorbea mountain range to the Ullibarri Gamboa marshes. There are some fine routes accessible from the Parador de Argómaniz, which is located in a stunning Renaissance palace. From here there are trails leading to the beautiful northern coastline and another top hotel the Parador de Limpias, located in a lovely 19th century palace with its own private estate.

Paradores41 Memorable Hiking and Biking Holidays in Spain

Countryside around Parador de Argomaniz

Castilla Leon

Castilla Leon has a number of attractions including Lake Sanabria, the largest glacial lake in Spain and an area of outstanding natural beauty ideal for walkers and bikers. There are plenty of guided tours and well established trails on offer and a range of terrains including some challenging trekking and mountain biking options. The Parador de Puebla de Sanabria is located just 12 km from the lake and makes a great base from which to explore this area and from here you can also travel easily to the Parador de Verin, which is located in the neighbouring province of Galicia.

Paradores1 Memorable Hiking and Biking Holidays in Spain

Parador de Puebla de Sanabria facade

Catalonia

Catalonia is a wonderful region of Spain for anyone interested in outdoor sports. The Vall d’Aran valley is a beautiful area of the Pyrenees and offers some wonderful winter sports and hiking and biking routes. The Parador de Vielha overlooks the valley and offers a great base for all kinds of mountainous exploration. Close by is the Parador de Arties (also in the valley) which is another great mountain hotel.

Paradores2 Memorable Hiking and Biking Holidays in Spain

In the jacuzzi at Parador de Vielha

Guest post kindly provided by Escapio.

Posted by Hike Bike Travel | Filed Under Europe, Guest Post, Hiking, backpacking, walking | 2 Comments 

Review & Contest: Iconic Guides – Audio Guides to the Past

September 29, 2010

A few months ago I received a very polite email addressed to me, Leigh; instead of the more typical Hi there I frequently receive. So right off the bat I was impressed with Dr. Benedict Davies. And then I listened to one of his Iconic Guides and I was amazed by the quality of the information. Here’s the story behind the audio guides.

Dr. Davies holds a PhD in Egyptology and has studied Greek history at an advanced level. Add penning a number of academic books and articles to his credentials and you can appreciate that he has the pedigree to present material on ancient monuments and archaeological sites. 

khufu pyramid Review & Contest: Iconic Guides Audio Guides to the Past

Khufu

Dr. Davies has recently launched Iconic Guides; an internet business which produces and sells audio guides to sites of historic interest in Egypt, Greece and Japan.  These audio guides are intensely researched using current academic source material. They are aimed at cost conscious, independent travelers who are curious about the sites they visit. The audio guides are meant to complement rather than compete with guidebooks. Priced at £2.99 ($Cdn4.85) per guide, they barely set you back more than a Grande latte. Bundles of guides are even more cost effective. For example the Pyramids of Egypt retail for £9.99 ($Cdn16.25) and for that you get five guides covering roughly 75 minutes of audio time. 

Egypt Review & Contest: Iconic Guides Audio Guides to the Pastgreece guide Review & Contest: Iconic Guides Audio Guides to the Pastjapan guie Review & Contest: Iconic Guides Audio Guides to the Past 

 

 

Benedict describes the iconic guides as follows:

Each guide is packed with absorbing and in-depth commentaries that delve deeply into the cultural, artistic and architectural heritage of these ancient civilizations. 

It’s reasonably straight forward to buy a guide though the language on the website is a tad confusing. Essentially after registering on site and paying through Paypal you receive a link which is active for 72 hours. With that link you can download the guides (which can take several minutes because of their size) onto your MP3 player. Most guides are 20 -24 minutes in length. The printable PDF file with the site plan is included with the download.  Each site plan has numbered locations that correspond to audio files. Then as you wander through the ancient sites you can listen at the numbered locations to the extremely soothing and well spoken Della, the professional voiceover artist. 

The Voice Behind the Guides 

Dr. Davies initially attempted to produce the guides himself. Early on he decided his voice lacked the professionalism he was seeking so off he went on the hunt for a voiceover artist. Through advertising on Voices and listening to 60 auditions he found Della Phillips. She is the gentle voice behind all the guides. She doesn’t miss a beat, her pronunciation is impeccable and she’s very easy to understand. That in itself is another reason for buying a guide for your trip. Think of how many tours you’ve had where you could barely hear let alone understand the human guide. The only criticism is that you aren’t entertained by an audio guide in the same way you might be by a live guide.

Djoser pyramid Review & Contest: Iconic Guides Audio Guides to the Past

Djoser Pyramid, Egypt

Producing an Iconic Guide 

Each guide requires at least a week to research. Then a script is written, edited over a few days and forwarded to Della for the voiceover portion. That in turn is matched with the site drawings in both 2D and 3D format – another aspect of producing the guides that Dr. Davies has mastered.  Then all the information is collated for download onto the computer and voila – the birth of another iconic guide. 

Future Iconic Guides 

Dr. Davies isn’t planning to relax anytime soon. More guides are in the works to cover ancient destinations in Italy, Turkey, Mexico and China. He is also trying to recruit fellow academics in other fields to write guides. His ultimate wish is for Iconic Guides to become the GO TO site for audio guides to the ancient world. 

From my experience listening to the Palace of Knossos guide I can attest to the professionalism of the product. The PDF file containing the site plan is also well laid with numbered locations corresponding to audio files. Dr. Davies is the consummate professional and a perfectionist. He is to be commended for producing these great quality audio guides.

CONTEST

Would you like to win a set of Pyramid Audio Guides?

To be eligible to win a set of Iconic Guides (approximate retail value is $Cdn25) that includes all the pyramid sites Dr. Davies currently has please leave a comment on this blog – telling me why you’d like the guides.  A random draw will take place on October 15th.

pyramid1 Review & Contest: Iconic Guides Audio Guides to the Past

Dashur Pyramid, Egypt

The following pyramids are included in the prize: 

Saqqara, Meidum, Dashur, Giza (Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, plus Sphinx) and the pyramids of Unas and Teti at Saqqara (including the pyramid texts) – all of which are well within striking distance of Cairo.

Posted by Hike Bike Travel | Filed Under Books and Book Reviews, Miscellaneous travel tips | 22 Comments 

Death Valley – The Hottest, Driest & Lowest Nat’l Park in the US

September 28, 2010

Death Valley National Park is a land of extremes. It’s the hottest, driest and lowest US National Park. But it’s for exactly these reasons that’s its worth a visit.

Death Valley holds the record in the Western hemisphere for the hottest reliably reported temperature – 134F (56.7C) at Furnace Creek in July of 1913. One cause is low elevation but the valley is enclosed by mountains which prevent the hot air from escaping. Obviously the height of the summer is not the best time to visit the lower elevations.

Death Valley receives less than two inches of rain per year.

Death Valley Nov 2007 020 Death Valley The Hottest, Driest & Lowest Natl Park in the US

Dried and cracked floor of Death Valley

The lowest point in the National Park and in fact in North America is Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level. You can hike the 5 miles across the basin (though not recommended in the summer) and check out the salt crystals.

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Badwater Basin - the lowest point in North America

Activities in Death Valley National Park

  • Walk the sand dunes near Stovepipe Wells at sunset
Gustaves pictures 117 Death Valley The Hottest, Driest & Lowest Natl Park in the US

Sand Dunes near Stovepipe Wells at sunset (photo credit:Gustave Pellerin)

  • Hike Mosaic Canyon, a 4 mile round trip hike up a marble walled canyon
Death Valley Nov 2007 001 Death Valley The Hottest, Driest & Lowest Natl Park in the US

Mosaic Canyon in Death Valley National Park

  • Walk the Salt Creek Interpretive Trail and look for pupfish in late winter and early spring
  • Drive to Dante’s View past Zabriske Point and admire the views across Death Valley
  • Take the Artist’s Loop drive and marvel at the colourful mountains
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Mountains seen on the Artists Drive in Death Valley National Park

  • Be adventurous and head off through colourful badlands, past old borax mines and through canyon narrows on the Gower Gulch Loop out of Golden Canyon. Some route finding required but a VERY cool hike.
Death Valley Nov 2007 050 Death Valley The Hottest, Driest & Lowest Natl Park in the US

Mountains on the Gower Gulch Loop

  • Climb the highest peak in the park, Telescope Peak (11,049 feet) on a strenuous 14 mile hike
  • Try some off-road driving on the more than 1000 miles of road through the park
  • Hundreds of miles of mountain bike trails and roads are begging to be explored
  • Visit in March and April to catch the spring migration of birds when hundreds of species are observed
  • Backpack through canyon bottoms, desert washes and alluvial fans to experience solitude and incredible night skies

Getting to Death Valley National Park

Death Valley is located in the Mojave Desert, east of the Sierra Mountains in eastern California, close to the Nevada border. In fact in roughly 2 ½ hours you can reach Death Valley from the Las Vegas airport or alternatively it’s about a five hour drive from Bakersfield.

Where to Stay in Death Valley National Park

  • There are nine campgrounds through the park which are available on a first come first served basis except for the Furnace Creek Campground which can be reserved from October through April. Some campgrounds are closed in the summer.
  • Stovepipe Wells offers a motel that’s comfortable but it’s on the basic side. On site is a restaurant.
  • Furnace Creek Resort offers more upscale accommodations along with an 18 hole golf course, four restaurants and a saloon.
  • Panamint Springs Resort is located near the west entrance of Death Valley National Park.  They offer a motel, campground and RV Park along with a restaurant and bar.

Outside of the park but still nearby are motels in Lone Pine, Independence, Beatty and Death Valley Junction.

Death Valley suprises. It’s definitely worth a visit.

Gustaves pictures 119 Death Valley The Hottest, Driest & Lowest Natl Park in the US

Sand dunes of Death Valley (photo credit: Gustave Pellerin)

Leigh McAdam

www.hikebiketravel.com

Posted by Hike Bike Travel | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Hiking, backpacking, walking, United States | 14 Comments 

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Palm Springs, a desert resort city of 40,000 plus people, is located 100 miles east of Los Angeles and 130 miles northeast of San Diego. It is one of nine cities that make up the Coachella Valley with mountains surrounding it on all sides.

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