Lanzarote Winter Gravel Camp
29th Oct - 3rd November 2024
Looking for other dates? Check out our other Gravel Camp dates here.
Join us for a winter escape to the sunny Canary Islands!
Back for it’s third year, our Lanzarote Gravel Camp brings you 5 nights/5 days of incredible gravel riding, all set out of our brand new basecamp (with a pool!) in the heart of the island of Lanzarote.
From coastal gravel trails, to volcanic singletrack, to dreamy tarmac, this little island will surprise you with how much it can pack in. The riding is stunning, and whether you’re just finding your feet in gravel riding or looking to take on some epic full day rides, we’ll have an riding option for you.
There’ll be a couple of different routes to choose from each day, with a SITW ride leader out on each. One will be longer and a little faster paced, one shorter and with more of a party paced vibe. You can choose whether you want to ride with the group, solo, or with buddies, but either way we’ll make sure we share the best swim spots, and tapas and cerveza stops along the way.
A community spirit and supportive space to explore together will be at the heart of the camp. Regardless of your route choice, we’ll all be back together in the evenings for poolside hangs, communal dinners and to share stories of the day.
Each camp is limited to 20 spots, with a few o different sleeping options available to suit different budgets:
Private Room - Double Bed (sole occupancy) - £850 pp
Private Room - Double Bed (shared with partner/friend) - £695 pp
One bed in a shared Twin Room - £725 pp
One bed in a shared Quadruple Room - £625 pp
Secure with a £300 non-refundable deposit via ticket tailor. Full payment due 45 days before. Full booking T&C’s here. Trip minimum for this trip is 10 people. We’ll confirm as soon as this is met, please do not book your flights until then. Deposit is fully refundable up until the point of trip confirmation.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive to basecamp from 1pm and settle in. We’ll create time and space for re-building bikes, with support from our guide team if you need it, and time to relax by the pool in between. We’ll then head out on a short afternoon shakedown ride, at an all-group party-pace! Once back and freshened up, we’ll share communal dinner at basecamp, where we’ll get to know everyone and talk about the week.
Day 2 - 5: We’ll start the day with breakfast at basecamp, and chat about the two route options for the day. We’ll set a time for group ride departures over dinner the previous day, and hit the trails, spending most of the day out exploring! We’ll share the best local places to stop for snacks and lunch, and make the most of all swim opportunities we can!
Rides will return to basecamp by late afternoon, with time to relax and shower before dinner. We’ll eat most dinners together at basecamp or in the local village. One night you’ll be free to do whatever you choose - perhaps hop in a local taxi for evening by the sea??
Day 6 - Breakfast and goodbyes at basecamp. We can help you pack up your bikes and sort transport back to the airport or your next holiday destination. Pack up and depart by 10:00am.
Basecamp Location
We have an incredible new basecamp for this trip! We’re over the moon to have secured Finca Jose Manuel, on the outskirts of the village of San Bartolme, right in the middle of the island. With a bunch of different room options to suit different holiday needs and budgets, private bathrooms, and A POOL to hang out between rides, we think we’re elevating our gravel camp experience this year!
The finca has a kitchen, inside and outside communal areas, and a village with shops and cafes a 10 minute walk away. Being on the very outskirts of the village means we have access to incredible off-road riding and great views right on the doorstep.
The basecamp is about a 15 minute taxi ride from the airport, and about 10 minute walk from a bus stop with connections to the capital of Arriciefe.
What’s included?
Sisters in the Wild hosts and guides
Gravel camp will be hosted by two of our Sisters in the Wild guides and hosts, who’re local experts when it comes to Lanzarote’s best trails. With them, comes a wealth of experience of creating a supportive space for people to build community, skills and confidence in a fun and friendly atmosphere. Between them, they’ve spent weeks exploring the island of Lanzarote to come up with the best routes for a wide range of experiences and abilities.
Accommodation
Five nights accommodation in our beautiful Finca, with rooms arranged around a pool. Each room has a private bathroom, or a bathroom shared between max 3 people. We’re happy this year to be able to offer a range of rooms and occupancy options:
Private Room - Double Bed (sole occupancy) - £850 pp
Private Room - Double Bed (shared with partner/friend) - £695 pp
One bed in a shared Twin Room - £725 pp
One bed in a shared Quadruple Room - £625 pp
Food
Breakfast: A simple, filling breakfast everyday at basecamp
Dinners: Four dinners included. One dinner you’ll be free to do what you choose, and we can recommend some great local options, or a trip to the sea for dinner!
Lunch: Not included. We’ll make sure you know where you can pick up food on the ride.
Ride Routes and on-ride support
Each participant will be provided with a specially curated collection of routes and route briefings via Komoot, and a free map bundle to access/navigate them. Riders are free to ride the routes at their own pace or with a ride guide.
There will be an experienced ride guide out on each route, and riders are welcome to ride with them. If you choose this option, this will be at the group pace, which will be the slowest pace of the group. You are free to follow the routes independently at your own pace.
Ride guides will be there to help cheer-lead, navigate and troubleshoot issues. However, please consider the riding element of the camp is self-supported. Riders should be self sufficient to ride without the ride leader if needed. This means carry your own navigation device, basic tools, and equipment to resolve any issues encountered. There is no support vehicle on this ride. Should you encounter an issue, we will be on hand to help you troubleshoot and find the best solution, but you will be responsible for getting back to basecamp/bike shop if needed.
Access to our gear library
We have a library of navigation devices we can loan you for the weekend, included in the ticket price.
Key things not included:
Transport to/from basecamp at start and end
A bike, tools and spares to fix it
Lunches
Travel and public liability insurance
Type of riding
The two route options offered each day will both be mixed terrain, which includes a mix of all things! Expect some super smooth tarmac, well graded gravel tracks, some rougher trails sections of volcanic single track, with some loser gravel descents . The more challenging option for each day may involve more technical/steeper bits of riding, aimed at more experienced gravel/off-road riders. The shorter route will have less of this stuff, but there may still be short stretches of more technical riding (sandy trails, rocky tracks etc) that can be walked. We keep these in where we think they help get you to the best scenery!
We fully embrace walking parts of the route that feel a little out of your comfort zone! We can be straight with you about which route we think might suite you better. Where possible, we try to keep both of the days routes in the same area, and give all riders a chance to cross paths on the trails.
The island is hilly in places, and some of our rides will have decent elevation gains. There are many many short cut routes cross-crossing the island if you ever feel like you want to cut a route short. We’ll give you more info in our rider briefings
Example daily ride options:
Shorter option: 25 - 35 miles; 400 - 800 meters of elevation gain.
Longer option: 40 - 60 miles; 900 - 1500 meters of elevation gain
Experience/fitness required:
In order to make the most of the riding on offer, we’d suggest that you are comfortable riding 30+ miles in a day in reasonably hilly terrain (e.g. around 700m of elevation gain). There is no pressure to ride fast! Days are long, and you are free to start as early as you want. However, we feel like this is a good target to be able to enjoy the camp and the rides.
Some prior experience of riding offroad is recommended, but our shorter routes will be geared towards people with less experience riding off-road who are looking to build their experience and confidence. Feel free to drop us an email if you have any questions on this!
Bikes/Bike Hire
A suitable off-road bike is required for this trip, and is not included. We recommend wither a gravel bike with 38mm+ tyres or hardtail MTB which must be in a good state of repair (a pre-camp basic service is highly recommended to avoid encountering any surprises on the ride!). If travelling with your bikes, bike bags/boxes can be stored at basecamp.
You may prefer to hire a bike on Lanzarote. Rental is available at many places in Puerto del Carmen about 15kmfrom our basecamp, and we’ve contacted Evolution Bicyles who have offered delivery to our Finca. Get in touch with them asap to secure a bike - November is a busy time!
If hiring, for most fun and comfort on the off-road stuff, we recommend a “hardtail” mountain bike. I.e. one that has suspension just at the front.
FAQ
Payment
A spot can be secured via a 300 pound non-refundable deposit paid via Ticket Tailor. We’ll then ask for the remaining balance to be paid 45 days before the event. Cancellation between 45 days and 28 days, you’ll get 50% of your balance back. Cancellation within 28 days is non-refundable, but you can transfer your booking to another person should you find one. View the full l booking terms and conditions here
Flights
Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed the minimum trip number has been reached. Last year, the trips filled up in a week, so we expect to be able to let you know pretty soon!
Lanzarote Airport (ACE) is well served by budget airlines.
Group Size
We’ll have a max group size of 20, minimum group size of 10 to run.
Travelling with your bike
Check your airlines bike carriage policy. Most require a bike to be added as a speciifc piece of Sports Luggage, but often you get a higher weight allowance. Usually costs in the region of £40 - 50
Getting to basecamp
Taxi is the easiest option and should cost around 30 euro and take about 15 minutes. We’ll set an optional whatsapp group up for people to share travel plans. There are also bus stops in the village of San Bartolme which are connected to the airport via a transfer in Arreciffe. Google Maps travel planner is pretty reliable for planning bus journeys.
Dietary Requirements
For our meal at basecamp, we will try to accommodate dietary requirements shared at time of booking. Vegan, Veggie and Gluten Free will be fine. However due to the small food prep area, we may unfortunately struggle to accommodate serious allergies due to the risk of cross contamination. feel free to drop us an email with any questions.
Insurance
It is mandatory that you get personal travel/health insurance for this trip, that includes cycling on it’s policy. E.g. with Yellow Jersey
Storing bike boxes
Bike boxes/bags can be stored at basecamp during the trip.
Can I leave things at basecamp before/after the camp?
Unfortunately we won’t be able to store lugagge for you at basecamp after the trip, as the finca is a private rental.
Can I arrive late/leave early?
Yep! If you want to arrive later or duck out early, that’s fine. Our ride on day one will be very chilled, so don’t worry if you miss it, and if you want to catch an evening flight after our last day of riding, that’s cool. We won’t be able to offer any discount on the price unfortunately.
