Sport and outdoor pursuits for Spanish holidays and living in Spain.
If you love the great outdoors, Spain is your perfect destination. Spanish holidays and the idea of living in Spain permanently would not be half as attractive without the country´s fantastic range of opportunities for active pursuits. So whether your passion is for golf on Spain´s famous greens, diving in Spain´s warm waters, or even simply watching some top-class Spanish football, just get out there and get active.
Watersports: from windsurfing to diving in Spain´s warm waters
The climate and some 4,000km of coastline makes Spain perfect for most watersports. Spanish holidays would not be complete without some swimming and water skiing at one of the seaside resorts but there are also many facilities inland. Sailors living in Spain are well catered for. White water rafting and canoeing enthusiasts should head for the rapids and well-equipped specialist centres of northern Spain while windsurfers could head for the lakes of Castilla and Extremadura as an alternative to Tarifa, on the Straits of Gibralter, which plays host to the world windsurfing championships.
Diving in Spain is big business, thanks to the relative calm of the Meditteranean. But the sport is not confined to the mainland. Majorca and Tenerife are also major centres for diving in Spain.
Snowboarding and skiing in Spain
Skiiing in Spain is cheap and both the facilities and conditions are surprisingly good. The official season runs from December to May and throughout most of this time it is possible to ski under a warm sun and blue sky. The most accessible resorts are in the Sierra Nevada, south of Granada, and the Catalonian Pyrenees where there is a good choice of resorts including Spain´s largest, Baquiera Beret. There are also smaller resorts north of Madrid catering to day-skiers living in Spain´s capital.
Living in Spain or on your holidays? Get walking
If traditional Spanish holidays are your thing, you may be surprised to discover that Spain is not all beaches! If you missed the tour-bus to the airport or decided to start living in Spain permanently, you would soon discover the country is also a trekker´s paradise with spectacular landscapes, especially in the north, just perfect for stretching the legs and going exploring. High mountains and tight gorges, wild racing rivers and gentle green valleys…. This is the Green Spain of Asturias, Cantabria, Galicia and Pais Vasco. Simply wonderful walking terrain.
There are also gentle walking and hiking trails that take in marshes, wetlands and isolated dunes in other parts of the country so no matter where you are living in Spain or spending your Spanish holidays, you should be able to find a great walk nearby.
On holiday or living in Spain, get on your bike!
As Europe´s second most mountainous country, Spain has become a magnet for the serious cyclist. For some, Spanish holidays consist of riding from France all the way to Gibralter. And back again! For those rather less keen to take on the highest peaks, the good news is that Spain is big enough to accommodate all levels of cycling ability. In fact, Spain is a great place to cycle for the very same reason it is a great place to walk: varied terrain. Depending on where you are living in Spain or spending your vacation, you can find every type of riding experience from cycling around the whitewashed villages inland of the main seaside resorts to setting out across the desert landscape of Almeria.
Golf in Spain
Spain is probably the most popular golfing destinations in Europe. The country was practically made for the sport, with its wonderful climate that allows its world class greens to remain open all year. Golf in Spain also means stunning locations. Among these are the greens tucked into the foothills of the Pyrenees in Catalonia.
But the home of golf in Spain is Andalucia, which is so tailor made for Spanish holidays for golfers that it has become known as Costa del Golf. The region has about 60 courses, and more than half of these are in the Costa del Sol. Not surprisingly, many investors have bought property in or near golf courses and some golf mad Brits are now living in Spain permanently.
