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Camino de Santiago Cycle Tour - £1815.00

The Way of St James Cycle Tour

Join Deluxe Cycle Tours on one of the oldest and most important Christian pilgrimage routes in the world. From our starting point in León, with its gothic cathedral and Casa de los Botines designed by Gaudi, we make our way towards Galicia, the land of a thousand rivers. Follow the route trodden by Pilgrims since the 9th century as we make our way through Castillan plains, and gradually climbing the hilly landscape to the highest point of the tour, and the location of the Cruz de Ferro. Feel the sense of achievement as we arrive in Santiago de Compostela, believed resting place of St James, and whose remains were said to be buried on the site of what is now the city.

The landscape of Galicia is lush, mountainous and peppered with forests of pine and eucalyptus. In a temperate zone, known as España Verde (Green Spain), it has both coniferous and deciduous forest types and Spring and Autumn temperatures ideal for cycling

Sights and History of Your Camino de Santiago Cycling Vacation

The Camino de Santiago has its origins in pre-Christian times when, for a spiritual experience, people of the Celtic/Iberian tribes made their way from the interior to land's end on the Atlantic coast of Galicia. The Romans were also attracted to the region by the rich mining potential and occupied the Iberian peninsula from 200 B.C. They built infrastructure to assist in the mining of the area's gold and silver, including a road from Bordeaux in modern France to Astorga in northwest Spain. Some of the original road remains on today's Camino. When the apostles spread out across the known world to preach the Christian gospel, tradition has it that James the Greater came to Galicia. As one of the original apostles, Saint James was perceived as a very powerful saint, but on returning to Palestine he was beheaded by Herod and became the first apostolic martyr. A legend that has persisted for 2,000 years claims that his followers took his body back to Galicia, where it was buried inland.

Food and Wine of the Camino de Santiago Bike Tour

Passing through more than one region The Way of St James offers many gastronomic choices along the way. Starting in Castile-León visitors shouldn't miss a chance to try the roast lamb or typical local black pudding accompanied by a first-class wine from the Ribera del Duero region . Although well known for their sauces and peppers the Galicians also catch and eat a varied selection of fish, including gooseneck barnacles, oysters, scallops, mussels, clams, razor shell clams and heart clams to name a few.  Even the shells are used as fertilizer for the soil. Another popular dish in Galicia is octopus. Prepared 'a feira', the octopus is tenderised well and then cooked whole and cut into pieces and seasoned with olive oil, paprika and salt. Tarta de Santiago – St Jame's cake is named after the patron saint of Spain and is thought to have originally been brought to the region by a pilgrim. A rich, heavy cake made of ground almonds it's topped with powdered sugar and the sword of St. James or a cross

Ribera del Duero is a Spanish Denominación de Origen (DO) wine produced within the autonomous community of Castile and León, and was named wine region of the year 2012 by the prestigious Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Wines produced in the Ribera del Duero DO derive almost exclusively from red grapes. The only white variety grown is the Albillo, although this is mostly destined for local consumption. Also to be found on the tour is the virtually unheard of a decade ago Bierzo region, an area wine lovers dream of discovering. Hemmed in the mountains between Castilla y León and Galicia, the Mencía grape is the star here, where it occupies nearly two-thirds of the vineyards.