Spain: Grand Tour, Southern Sun and City Breaks

Twelve nights in a circuit of Spain, marketed by the operator as the grandest of all its grand tours, with the overnight ferry from Plymouth at each end. Bikes can be rented or ridden out on the ferry.

The Picos de Europa come first, which is where most of the serious riding is: a limestone range rising to 2,600 metres within twenty miles of the sea, with sweeping mountain roads, dramatic passes, deep gorges and serene lakes between them.

Salamanca follows, reached by descending on the historic Camino de Santiago route, and the city gets a day off. It is UNESCO listed, holds two cathedrals built against one another, and the Plaza Mayor is among the finest squares in Europe. An optional rideout goes to a little-known motorcycle museum and the Sierra de Candelario.

Granada is next in Andalucia, with the Alhambra below the Sierra Nevada, the Nasrid palace complex that is among the most visited buildings on the continent. The route then runs north through the rolling countryside of central Spain and back into the Picos for a final mountain day before the ferry from Santander or Bilbao. The price is quoted per rider. Twelve nights covers the length of Spain without resorting to the motorway network, and the overnight ferry crossings at each end do the dull mileage while the rider sleeps. Two full days off in the middle of it, at Salamanca and Granada, also make this a tour that a non-riding partner could enjoy, which is not true of every itinerary in the operator’s range.