Winter Gravel Camp #2: 25 - 30th January 2023

Lanzarote, Canary Islands

Join us for a winter escape to the sunny Canary Islands!

We’re hosting our first overseas Gravel Camps - 5 nights/5 days of mixed terrain riding and bikepacking, all set out of our basecamp house in the heart of the island of Lanzarote. This is the second of two camps we’ll be running in January.

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 ride leader out on each.  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.  Regardless of your route choice, we’ll all be back together in the evenings for communal dinners and to share stories of the day.

On one of our rides, we’ll be heading out on an overnight adventure.  Carrying just the basics we need (not much more than PJs and a swimsuit!), we’ll be able to explore the further corners of the island.  No camping stuff needed though, we’ll be sleeping in beds tonight.

A community spirit and supportive space to explore together will be at the heart of the camp.  We’ll get cosy round the campfire in the evening, and share most breakfasts and dinners together back at basecamp, with some optional skills sessions and chats around the rides. 

Each camp is limited to 16 spots, with a couple of different sleeping options available.  Minimum of 8 required to run.

Cost: £595 (bed in twin room) or £495 (bed in dorm room).

Dates: Wednesday 25 - Monday 30th January, 2023

SOLD OUT

Full booking T&C’s here

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrive to basecamp from 2pm and settle in.  Short afternoon all-group ride at party-pace!  Communal dinner at  basecamp, where we’ll get to know everyone and talk about the week.

Day 2 - Breakfast at basecamp, and some puncture repair practice if you want it! Then there’ll be two loop ride options to choose from.  We’ll all be back at basecamp for dinner out in a local village via a moonlit night ride! Or feel free to stay and chill at basecamp.

Day 3 - Breakfast and packing at basecamp to head out for our overnight bikepacking trip! We’ll be island hopping, as we head down to catch the ferry to the neighboring island of Fuertaventura. Choose from two route options that will deliver us all to the same location for the night. Celebrate with dinner however you choose in the town we stay in (not included) and some fun local bars and cafes to keep the evening flowing.

Day 4 - Breakfast at your leisure, and an option for a more chilled morning by the beach or a morning ride on the island of Fuertaventura. Then we’ll all head back on the Ferry to Lanzarote and back to basecamp. Dinner together at basecamp (included) and a debrief on our bikepacking adventure!

Day 5 - Breakfast at basecamp, and then head out on one of out two final two loop ride options.  Or feel free to take a day to relax! Final dinner at basecamp together.

Day 6 - Breakfast at basecamp. Pack up and depart by 11am.

Basecamp Location

Our basecamp is located on Finca Tisalaya, a unique agro-turismo in the middle of the island, just outside of the Parque Natural de los Volcanes.  It’s a beautiful setting which will make you feel a world away from civilisation! The closest villages are Masdache and Tiagua, about 3 miles/15 min cycle away.  

Expect a rustic glamping-meets-hostel vibe. We’ll have a simple house with 4 twin rooms, and a very spacious shared room bunk room for 8. We’ll have a kitchen, inside common area and lots of outside space for eating, campfires, cooking, and relaxing between rides. On our doorstep we’ll have access to incredible off-road riding that feels like you’re on another planet.

It’s about a 20 minute taxi ride from the airport.

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’ve been running events all over the UK for the last 18 months. 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 sepnt weeks exploring the island of Lanzarote to come up with the best routes for a wide range of experiences and abilities.

They also know how to make the BEST ‘smores…..

Accommodation

Five nights simple accommodation included:

• Four night accommodation at basecamp in either twin rooms or shared dormitory style room (no bunk beds!).  

• One night accommodation in hostel/shared apartment type accommodation on our overnight ride.  Sofa beds possible here. There is no camping on this trip.

Food

• Breakfast: Four breakfast included on the mornings at basecamp. There are plenty of lovely cafes to pick up breakfast near our accommodation after our overnighter (not included)

• Dinners: Four dinners included. One dinner will be on you, when we’re out on our overnighter - a chance to explore the town!

• 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 pace of the slowest rider in the group. 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 you are responsible for getting to a bikeshop/basecamp, but we will be on hand to help you troubleshoot and find the best solution.

Access to our gear library

If you want to loan a GPS device for the weekend, or a bag for our overnighter, we’ve got you covered. . No camping stuff is needed for this trip.

Key things not included:

• A bike, tools and spares to fix it

• Lunches

• Transport to/from basecamp at start and end (i.e. flights and transfers to/from basecamp are not included).

• Travel/personal injury or liability insurance

• Ferry to Fuertaventura for our overnight ride (approx 20 euro each way)

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 - January 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.

Bikepacking Bags

A bag will be needed for the overnight trip to carry your stuff.  A small rucksack (around 15L) is fine, or you can bring your own bikepacking bags. We’ll have a few to loan out too.

FAQ

Straight talk - why is the price so much higher than other SITW events?

Doing stuff abroad raises the bar a bit for us. Travel for guides, extra insurances, a crashing exchange rate, and finding accommodation that gets out vibe means we have to reflect this in the cost. We’re hoping to be back with a larger scale event next winter, which means lower costs per head and more accessibility. We know not everyone will be able to make this one work. Don’t worry - our UK stuff will be back next year too.

Payment

A spot can be secured by paying a non-refundable deposit of £150. 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% 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

Lanzarote Airport (ACE) is well served by budget airlines, and there are lots of sub £50 flights kicking around at the moment!

Travelling with your bike

Check your airlines bike carraige policy. Most require a bike to be added as a speciifc piece of Sports Lugagge, 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 40 euro. We’ll set an optional whatsapp group up for people to share travel plans. There is a bus to Masdache from Arreciefe, but from there it is a 45 minute along a road (no pavement) to basecamp.

Dietary Requirements

For our meal at basecamp, we will try to accomodate 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 accomodate serious allergies due to the risk of cross contamination.

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,

Can I leave things at basecamp during our over-nighter?

Yes. We won’t be checking out of the place, so everything can be left until your return. No need to pack up.

Can I arrive late/leave early?

Yep! We know it’s a long one . So 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 a Sunday evening flight, that’s cool. We won’t be able to offer any discount on the price unfortunately.