[Closed] Pyrenees recommendations-family and biking holiday

I'm a fan of luchon. Good riding with easy access from the lift. Not a massive area (unless you do a lot of climbing and exploring) but enough for a couple of days. There is a spa, not sure about a family pool but the lac d'Or is awesome for a wild swim. It's a big enough town for a few good eateries and there are other mountain activities.

Luchon has a great outdoor pool, it's only about €3 for a day ticket. There's also good tennis courts and crazy golf. If you're kids are 12, then they are just old enough to use the thermes. In addition to the riding in Luchon, there is also Val D'Aran on the Spanish side which has some enduro trails. I also stumbled on some VTT trails further down the valley from Luchon, near St.Beat which i need to investigate!

There’s a fab little town called ‘Loudevielle’ about 20miles west of Luchon which is fab for families. We’ve camped there several times. Great pool/water slide complex, posh spa, pump track, climbing, it’s a great little oasis. We were camping, but there are little cabins available in the campsite too.

It’s a fab little place

Surely Ainsa has to be on the agenda? There's plenty of accomodation around and so much riding it's not true.

Might be worth PMing STW member spekkie as he lives in the area?

Absolutely awesome guys. Just to throw a spanner in the works eldest daughter broke her arm at Antur 'Stiniog yesterday so unsure on whats happening! We will go at some time so will be looking into these.
Thanks again

I can certainly recommend Ainsa and the Zona Zero trails. It's beautiful here and there's plenty good accommodation, bike hire, uplifts, kayaking etc.

I live and guide here so maybe I'm biased......

Let me know if there's anything I can help with.

K and I have spent a fair bit of time on both sides of the border through the Pyrenees. I'd say the Spanish side is warmer, drier, and has more varied and spectacular scenery. Also better food and better value for money. Very hot at the height of summer

The Basque coast area is spectacular as well and cooler when it's hot in the mountains.

Doug at Basque MTB is the one to speak to if you want guiding.

I've taken the same Santander ferry twice now and travelled around the Basque coast with my young family in the camper.

The first trip in '16 we stayed in Potes in the Picos. We stayed in a lovely little campsite (Laviorna) 15 mins walk out of town. It had its own little shop and restaurant serving decent food and a pool. Highly recommend as a base for exploring. I'd definitely go back there.
You could probably arrange a ride in the area if you contacted trans-picoseuropa. We slowly moved up the Basque coast and then the French coast before returning home on the ferry from Le Harve.

The second trip last year I intended to take the bike but didn't. Slightly regret that but this is life. I didn't want my quest for riding to get in the way of the family holiday and carrying bike and kit along with 3 weeks for potentially 2 rides didn't seem worth it.

We started on the coast in another cracking campsite with an amazing beach (Playa Joyel) about 45 mins from Santander. This site was much larger with playgrounds, pools, supermarket, restaurant, etc. It was very popular with the Spanish. We were there off season as my daughter hadn't started school then. We had the site and beach practically to ourselves in the week but lots of Spanish families started arriving on the Friday and the campsite came alive for the weekend. Again, somewhere I'd definitely return. We travelled around the coast again, travelled inland to Haro, intended to cross the Pyrenees into France but the weather took a turn for the worse so we headed back to the coast.

I made enquiries with Doug @ BasqueMTB regarding riding in the area and the Pyrenees. Specifically Ainsa. He didn't recommend Ainsa at that time of year (June) due to potentially how hot it might be. He certainly doesn't run trips there at that time of year.
So if you're still keen I'd recommend dropping Doug an email to see what suggestions he has for riding on the Spanish side. He was very helpful and knowledgeable as you'd expect. The riding on the Basque coast looks fantastic which is the option I was recommended.

Its taken some time but I'll eventually ride there next year as I've booked with Doug on the Winter Enduro hol in Ainsa.

I hope your daughter heals up in time.

Hey guys and thanks for the mentions. Definitely by late June we are starting to see very hot days in Ainsa. It’s south and catches the sun / heat. Some of the other valleys are cooler. We have been guiding there for almost ten years and have set up our trips to get what we think are the best conditions in the various areas we use during the best months. It you love the heat it might be different.

Drop me a mail if you want. It depends so much on what you want and what time of year. Happy to pass on some free advice. Don’t panic if I’m slow to reply, we have a very busy week and I’m straight off to the Pyrenees after as some of the local trail builders want to show me some new things. It’s a hard job but someone has to do it 🙂

OP, take the lead from KingofBiscuits and at least 3 days based in Potes.
Gaze longingly at "The Cross" before finding an OS map and getting yourself up there. One of the best descents you will ever find. Then get dropped to Espinama (23km road climb) before getting the cable car up to the mountain and exploring your way around. You may even feel brave and head over to (iirc) Sotres before descending Treviso back into the gorge road. Nothing is too hard to find and its all very worthwhile. The roads are superb too and traffic is almost non existent
Tons for family to do and one of the most unknown areas you will ever ride, despite being Euro and easy access.