Cycle Spain's Costa Verde

If a leisurely cycling holiday by beautiful and unspoiled coastlines with plenty of good quality accommodation sounds like the perfect holiday, then Spain's Costa Verde is the place to head.

The Costa Verde is separated from the rest of the country by the Picos de Europa mountain range.

One of the cycling holidays on offer in the region follows a route that explores the area to the west of Cape Penas, where the landscape opens out as you head towards Galicia.

The seven-night tour takes in the wild and remote part of the Asturias region, which has attractive pastures and meadows of grazing animals typical of the timeless agricultural traditions in this part of the world.

Day one of the tour starts at Cudillero, a charming port with a great fishing legacy where colourful houses tumble down terraces towards the small cove, and where the catch is still brought into the tiny port each evening for auction.

There you will stay at the two-star Casona del Pio, which was the port’s salting house.

The stylishly converted comfortable hotel has 11 rooms (which all feature a hydro-massage bath).

The hotel has freshest of the day's local catch, and the menu includes sopa de marisco (seafood soup), bogavante (lobster), pixin amariscado (monk fish with a seafood sauce) or pitu caleya, as well as a typical Asturian dish of free-range chicken.

On day two you can wander Cudillero’s cobbled streets and stepped alleyways before setting out on a coastal route. Alternatively, you can take the local train to Muros de Nalon then take a 28km ride back via the coast, admiring the colonial architecture of Somado along the way.

Day three features a 39km cycle on an abandoned road that passes through hamlets and villages bordered by pretty woodland, from Villademoros.

You will stay at the three-star Torre de Villademoros, a family-run hotel with a pleasantly relaxed atmosphere. Built next to a medieval tower, it has extensive gardens and lovely views of the surrounding countryside.

Next on the tour is a 23 km ride taking in the lighthouse at Cape Busto, another beautiful beach – La Playa de Cueva – and finishing at the bustling, picturesque fishing village of Luarca, once home to returning emigres from South America who built majestic colonial houses along the seafront.

At Luarca, you will stay at Villa la Argentina, a two-star hotel that is a typical example of the colonial-style houses in the region.

Also on the itinerary are rides that visit the estuary of the River Navia, the pretty cove at Viavélez, the wild cape of Atalaya and the beautiful beach of Peñarroya on the outskirts of Figueras.

For more information see www.inntravel.co.uk XXX