Has anyone got any suggestions for a good place to go for a DIY MTB holiday in the Alps or Southern Spain? Ideally chalet type accommodation that’s bike friendly, and somewhere that we can pick up some good riding locally without a guide. Any suggestions welcome.

Baldy – we do provide guiding, but it’s up to whether you ride with us or not. Very happy to provide maps, route cards, etc.

Curious (genuinely) as to why you don’t want a guide though? Most of the best riding is un-marked (even in the big resorts in the Alps) and having a guide makes your life soooo much easier. Otherwise, you’ll spend half your trip pushing back up singletrack that looked promising but ended up at a cliff or in impenetrable foliage. I know, I’ve been there so you don’t have to!

Alps Mountain Bike Holidays – The White Room

5 of us drove over to the Zermatt valley last year, truely great riding – only saw 8 or 9 other MTBers all week.
It turned out very cheap, Details here although the £/euro will probably ad a bit to it.

Stevo – I know exactly what you mean about guiding. we did a trip a couple of years ago to Morzine, self guided, and I’m sure we didn’t get the best out of the area (we still had a great time, mind). Unfortunately, we’re trying to balance costs. having said that, I’ve just looked at your site and the prices look amazingly reasonable! We’re just looking for ideas to see what we may be able to do, and may find that the guided route is the one to take.

If I was going self guiding in Spain, I would certainly get one of these books.

Mind you, you would still need 2 cars for some of the best stuff is point to point rather than loop.

le parc naturel du qeyras.
Gite la fruitière.
IF you can read a map some amazing stuff on and off road.

Best

Juan

Lake Garda, couple of good bike parks in Austria

You defo don’t need guides in the right area and if you do a bit of research. Austria and the Dolomites are very good and generally overlooked by Brits, you will find that Germans don’t tend to do the package guided holiday thing (except Alpine crossing).

Don’t believe the owners of bike holiday companies :0) Give it a go!

Woodey – I know what your saying and I can’t speak for all areas. Certainly, I’m aware that the riding around places like Lake Garda is pretty well documented so plenty of good stuff to be found with a bit of research. Round here though, the best you could hope for would be to get the IGN maps out and start following the dotted lines. To my knowledge there isn’t a single guide book, route map, web site or anything else giving a decent description of the biking in the Tarentaise area. Believe me, I’ve looked!

I know what you mean, Italy generally is v.bad, the maps that do exist tend to have a certain artistic license!

Lake Garda / Dolomites is an exception due to it’s Germanic history

Hey Paul.Hope all is good.

Juan has a good point about Le Queyras, just the other side of Briancon. Not far form the Ecrins. Of course you’re absolutely more tha welcome to come and stay with us for as long as you want. 40km to east of Lyon, towards Geneva. Chamonix is 2 hours. Grenoble 1 hour.

Good riding at ours for a day or two. Good idea for a stop off on the way down? Or can pick up form airport (lyon, Geneva, grenoble, chambery) if needs be. Might even be able to drive you somewhere from the airport too. And who knows we or one of us might be able to escape with you too.

The Hautes Alpes region of the southern Alps has some great riding and 300 days of sunshine per year on average… take a look here for more info. Backcountry MTB in the Hautes Alpes

Any questions then drop me a mail (in profile)

Pete L

I took my bike out to Provence last year, and whilst the family schlepped by the pool, I just hopped on the bike and went exploring. OK, sometimes the trails petered out, and there were some roady climbs, but the stuff I discovered just minutes from the door more than made up for it. Anywhere in those Southern or Maritime Alps would be good, it’s stuffed to the brim with trails, and lots of Tourist offices will have routes marked.

PeteL= Pete of the Alps on UKC!

We’ve DIYed Morzine a few times. Cheap chalet direct from the owner through ‘chalet finder’ then drive down. You could do the same in most ski resorts but but not all have good maps and allow bikes.

pyrenees area round Prades, see the VTT site for the area, good maps good area, fly into perpigan and then up, friendly mtb club in the area, also see MTBR bike mag report on Olette area.

I also would consider the maritime alps, it was a real choice this year between there and Picos in Spain, partner won coz of the beaches

PeteL= Pete of the Alps on UKC!

Oui, ces’t vrai 🙂

or even “c’est vrai” 😳