This trip would work great with ferry travel from southern England. You can travel between Bilbao or Santander and Portsmouth or between Santander and Plymouth.

There are usually two sailings a week in each direction and you spend two nights onboard from Portsmouth and one from Plymouth. On the way back it is one night on board irrespective of the route. In this instance, you can take your own car and we can remove the hire from the price of the trip.

You can also reach Bilbao by train from Paris, changing at Bayonne. In this way, you can travel all the way from London to Bilbao in the same day without flying. During the summer there are also night trains from Paris to Hendaye on the border with Spain.

The Picos de Europa is, in many ways, the perfect family holiday destination. Little known outside the country, this is an area where you will absolutely know that you are in Spain and have to use a bit of Spanish on the way.

It's an area of breathtaking natural beauty so, despite being not very far away, it feels like another world. That's also helped by the traditional lifestyles which persist in pockets of the mountains.

There are great fun activities to try out, from canyoning to mountain biking to canoeing to walking in the high mountains (helped along by a cable car).

There are lovely small hotels with character, friendly hosts and beautiful views.

We can tailor the trip to be as active as you like.

The itinerary described includes canyoning and canoeing, but we can also add in mountain biking, and guided hikes. These can all be adapted to suit your particular family depending on the age of the children and what activities you enjoy.

We also provide you with routes for a variety of self-guided hikes in each area, from half-day strolls to full-day hikes so you can choose to fill the remainder of your time as actively as you choose.

The accommodation on this journey is very comfortable though not fancy. We value places with a bit of character, a warm welcome, comfy beds and a great location - often with wide views. For families, we assume separate en-suite rooms for children and parents.

On the coast you stay in a self-catering aparthotel. This gives you complete freedom to spread out and prepare your own meals to your own schedule.

Please get in touch for full details.

We can run this trip any time from May through to October, although we do assume the best time for most families is July and August to tie in with school holidays. These are the warmest and driest months but as you are in the mountains it isn't too hot to enjoy the activities. You can expect temperatures in the mid-20s°C during the day on average.

Peak season is over the summer months when the Spanish also take their annual holidays.

Absolutely, this would be a great trip for an extended family or two families to travel together. It also works fine for different shaped families - one child, four children, single parents, all are possible.

We love driving in Spain because of the freedom it gives you. That could mean changing plans over breakfast, or simply pulling over at the side of the road to soak in a view you might otherwise have sailed straight past.

As the roads are generally quiet, smooth and scenic, it's designed to be a pleasurable part of the experience, rather than a price to pay for said freedom.

You can expect a family-sized vehicle, though we can’t guarantee specific make or model.

Some vehicles have sat nav built in, but we find the best way to navigate is simply to use Waze or Google Maps on your smartphone. These can both be used offline to avoid data charges and your phone can easily sync with your car's Bluetooth so that it talks to you through the radio. All in all, it's not really much different to navigating in a part of your own country you've not been to before.

Absolutely. This trip can be tailored to suit you so speak to us if you would like to include more activities or extend your stay to include other parts of Spain.