Thinking about going to the Canary Islands for the first time for a week or so, either in May-June or September-October.

Which island would you recommend for biking (with bike hire, days out cross-country / pootling / road etc, essentially everything except extreme downhill), surfing and hiking? We’re looking for somewhere more rural rather than massively built-up and touristy – we don’t have kids so that’s not a factor. Recommendations much appreciated! We could take our own bikes if necessary.

Or if you think there’s somewhere else in Europe / short-haul that would be better please advise!

Gran Canaria has a company called Free Motion who do very good tours and rentals.

Riding there is great and the interior of the island is very beautiful

Look just north and go to Madeira, went last October and would thoroughly recommend it.

I’ve ridden both Tenerife and Lanzarote.

Darran at Lavatrax Tenerife was good although it’s more descending than XC but he might do some XC days too.

For more XC get in touch with Gavin at Evolution bikes, Lanzarote.

Both of them good guys and they also hire out bikes. so you can also do your own thing.

Just realised I wrote cross-country instead of XC, am I still allowed to post here?

Thanks for comments so far.

I’ve just had a week in Las Palmas, very cheap and full of pre-Columbian history I didn’t know anything about. Can’t comment on the cycling but think you’d have a good time on any of those islands. On a personal level, I was very glad to have hired a flat (via AirBnB) in the old part of town in the city rather than being in a ‘resort’ or in the sticks where your options are severely limited.

I went to Fuerteventura a few years ago and took my own bike. I was there in March/April and it was around 25-28 degrees already then. The riding was OK (I was right at the south end of the island) but the volcanic rocks are very sharp and cut my legs to ribbons when I came off. A friend of mine went to La Gomera with his DH bike and came back raving about the place, although the DH trails all started way up in the mountains so they needed a taxi uplift to get them there each day.

If you do take your own bike bare in mind that the bus shuttles will fleece you for money to take your bike even if it’s boxed up. I think it was 50e each way in my case which I was absolutely incensed about as it was two times more expensive than the airlin fee.