Cycle Andalucia - Cadiz to Jerez

Our trip begins in the arrivals hall at Seville San Pablo Airport (SVQ) at 18.30. If you would like to join the complimentary airport transfer today, the latest time your flight can arrive is 18.00. We will travel together as a group (around one-and-a-half hours drive) to our hotel in Cádiz.

Cádiz is a beautiful Spanish city with 3,000 years of history and its plazas and old town are imbued with atmosphere and character. Founded by the Phoenicians and later the main gateway to the Americas, this historic port sits on a peninsula almost entirely surrounded by water and is a great introduction to this laid-back and sun-kissed corner of Andalucía. We recommend exploring the old quarters of the city and trying some fried fish with a glass of dry sherry. If you choose to arrive a day earlier then you may like to copy the locals and take a boat across the bay to visit the typical, white-washed village of Puerto de Santa Maria - home to some great seafood restaurants and the Osborne sherry house.

If your flight arrives into Seville earlier in the day, you may have time to wait ahead of our group transfer to Cadiz. A private transfer by taxi is possible, please enquire with us if interested. Alternatively it is possible to travel by public transport independently. Take airport bus to Enramadilla station in Seville (approx 30mins, 5 Euros), walk 3 minutes to Sevilla-San Bernardo Train Station. Train to Cadiz (approx 2hrs, 10-20 Euros). The hotel is a one kilometre walk from the train station. If you plan to make your own way to Cadiz please do inform us so that we are not waiting for you at the airport.

Ryanair do not accept bookings through Tour Operators, they may have direct return flights from London to Jerez which you could book directly yourself and you would need to make your own way to the hotel. A train runs directly from Jerez Airport and takes approx 45 minutes to reach cadiz. If you plan to make your own way to Cadiz please do inform us so that we are not waiting for you at the airport. Stay: Hotel de Francia y Paris (Comfortable)

After breakfast we depart Cádiz by local bus to Conil de la Frontera (1.5 hours). The coastal region here is called the Costa de la Luz and a number of towns once laid on the frontier between Christian and Muslim Spain which is reflected in their name. In Conil we will have time to adjust the bikes to get comfortable and ready for our first ride. Cycling in a southerly direction our route takes us via the coastal settlements of El Palmar and Zahora to the lighthouse of Trafalgar. Nelson led the British Navy into a famous victory against the combined French and Spanish fleets just off the coast here in 1805.

After a break for lunch at the beach of Los Caños de Mecca, we cycle up into the pine woods of the Natural Parque de la Breña, and the views open up as we ascend. The last part of the ride goes through farmlands and finally we reach our hotel for the next two nights in Vejer de la Frontera. In the afternoon we meet a local guide who will tell us more about the history of Vejer during a stroll through town, past the Roman walls, Visigoth hermitage and castle, combining both Moorish and Christian architecture.

Our total cycling distance today is approximately 33 kilometres (550 metres total accumulated ascent). Stay: Hotel Convento San Francisco (Comfortable) (B)

In the morning our cycle route leads back to the Breña nature reserve, then downhill to the coast. We go through the towns of Barbate and Zahara de los Atunes; two of four places in Spain (all in the Cadiz region) that still specialise in the 'Almadraba' - a 3000-year-old Phoenician technique for trapping Atlantic tuna fish as they pass into the Mediterranean for spawning (late April/early May for 6 to 8 weeks). A local specialty available year round is 'mojama' - salted and dried tuna loin. Our route then traverses vast rice paddy fields on the route back to Vejer. Most of today's route is easy going, largely flat with short ascents of max. 50 metres, until the 175 metre climb at the end.

Our total cycling distance today is approximately 60 kilometres (700 metres total accumulated ascent). Stay: Hotel Convento San Francisco (Comfortable) (B)

Today we leave Vejer behind as we cycle further inland to the hill top town of Medina Sidonia via Benalupe and the Barbate reservoir. Our route passes fighting bull fincas (estates) and open holm oak woods called dehesas and allow for some stunning views back to the coast. Medina Sidonia might be smaller than Vejer but it has a beautiful grand plaza, medieval Moorish architecture, narrow streets and a stunning viewpoint near the castle ruins on top of the hill. Even the bay of Cadiz can be seen from here on a clear day.

Our total cycling distance today is approximately 67 kilometres (950 metres total accumulated ascent). Stay: Hotel Tugasa Media Sidonia (Comfortable) (B)

After breakfast we leave Medina Sidonia and immediately descend to Paterna de Rivera. Our route continues along gravel roads past the Moorish Gigonza castle to San Jose del Valle, which dates back to Roman times. Cycling through orange and almond orchards we reach a small family-run vineyard that specialises in Jerez or sherry vinegar and Tierra Blanca white wines. We don't include wine tasting as there is some cycling to complete, not least the last steep hill at the end to reach the hotel in Arcos de la Frontera. Strategically located on a steep cliff, Arcos was one of the most important frontier towns in the region during the Reconquista.

Our total cycling distance today is approximately 54 kilometres (800 metres total accumulated ascent). Stay: Hotel Los Olivos (Comfortable) (B)

Our final and relatively easy cycle ride will take us from Arcos to Jerez passing vineyards, olive groves, ancient settlements and riverside towns with pretty, pastel-coloured houses. Approaching the beautiful, historic town of Jerez we follow cycle lanes through modern suburbs before reaching the old centre of town.

Jerez is the apex of the famous 'sherry triangle' and home to innumerable sherry bodegas and tabancos (bars selling sherry from the barrel poured by a skilled venenciador). Not the sweet cream variety that is known in Britain, the Spanish original fortified wine is dry and best served fresh and chilled - the perfect accompaniment to tapas. In the afternoon we will plan a visit to a renowned bodega to learn about and try different types of sherry. Later in the evening there should be the option to see a flamenco show and a meal to celebrate the end of the holiday and reflect on our completed cycle journey.

Our total cycling distance today is approximately 42 kilometres (440 metres total accumulated ascent). Stay: Hotel Itaca (Comfortable) (B)

The trip ends this morning at our hotel in Jerez after breakfast.

There are no activities planned today, so you are free to depart from at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you would like to receive a complimentary airport transfer today, you'll need to depart from Seville San Pablo Airport (SVQ), a drive of around an hour. (B)