Cross Country – XC Mountain Biking in Spain

Cross Country XC Mountain Biking in Spain Today’s cross country XC mountain biking route,…We started the route in a high valley in the mountains behind my home,.. a 10 minute drive by car.  The first couple of kilometres were a gentle pedal and this was followed by the first major ascent of the day, a 4km gruelling climb up to the next plateau. The past couple of month this specific climb has become a bit of a personal demon for me,… a number of factors (new bike, trail running, lack of training, early mornings) have contributed to my struggle against the mountain, but not today! For the first time in months I conquered the climb in one go, and still felt good once I got to the top. A very good omen for the remainder of the day, given that there was some 70km, still to go. The next 6km of the route was a beautiful high mountain riding, undulating tracks through pine forests and orchards, and this brought us to the first village & coffee stop for the day. Refreshed and re-hydrated, we set off to cross the Valle de Albaida, 20km of good pedalling on off-road tracks, interspersed with…

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Gandia Golf Course – Oliva Nova Golf

Gandia Golf Course – Oliva Nova Golf More and more people are coming to this part of the Costa Blanca area to enjoy the beautiful scenery and take part in some sort of outdoor activity holiday, and one that should not be overlooked by anyone thinking of this part of Spain is the game of golf. When one thinks of golf in Spain, many are drawn to the south of the country but there are some beautiful courses in this part of the Valencia region as well. One such course is Oliva Nova Golf Resort, situated about 25 minutes’ drive from Gandia Casa Rural. It is located between the towns of Oliva and Denia, on the Costa Blanca. Enjoy a round of golf amongst wild dunes and Mediterranean beach environment. Designed and built by Seve Ballesteros, the Oliva Nova Golf Club course extends to around 50 hectares. It is a par 72 links course of 6,350 m with a slope of 120, the main characteristic of which is that 15 of its 18 holes include water obstacles. The only holes that have no water obstacles are numbers 2, 13 and 14. A technical course, with a gentle undulating terrain, easy…

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Bed and Breakfast in Spain

Bed and Breakfast in Spain We were happy to welcome Curt and Sandra who came to stay with us for two nights last weekend. They live in Wiltshire – although Curt is Swedish by birth – and the purpose of their trip was to visit relatives who live in this area, as well as other family members further south near Torrevieja. Their plan was to stay with us for a couple of nights and then to move on to visit their other relatives. Curt and Sandra arrived around 3.00pm on Saturday and had a welcome cup of tea in the garden before setting off to their uncle’s house about 15 minutes away. They had also said that they wanted to take advantage of our evening meal service on their first night with us; they had been on the move since 3.30am the previous day and were glad to know that, after their afternoon visit to the family, they would be able to return to us and relax, without having to think about finding a restaurant in unfamiliar surroundings. It is for this reason that they prefer to use Bed and Breakfast accommodation whenever they can on their travels, rather than…

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