RIOJA BY BIKE: AT A GLANCE

Bike hire You can arrange to hire a bike and have it delivered to your accommodation by La Rioja Bike Tours ( www.lariojabiketours. com), which also has local staff on hand should you have any technical issues throughout your trip. A hybrid bike will be perfect for this route and costs about €17 (£15) per day; if you need a boost, e-bikes are available for about €29 (£25) per day.

Bag transfer You have the option to add panniers to carry your luggage, but cycling luggage-free is a much more pleasant option. You can send your bags ahead by arranging a taxi transfer with your accommodation each night, at a cost of roughly € 20-€ 30 (£ 17-£26) per day.

Fitness A reasonable level of fitness is good, as is familiarity with riding longer distances on a bike. Overall, the daily distances are manageable, and even with frequent stops, you should arrive each day with time to visit the local attractions.

Terrain Much of the journey will be on hard-packed gravel paths through endless vineyards, quiet country roads and the occasional lightly cobbled street.

Getting there From Bilbao airport, it’s a 90-minute bus journey to Logroño, or you can travel by train (two and a half hours).