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You book a place
Pick a scheduled week and book with Spice Escapes, our exclusive booking partner (ATOL 9046 protected). Come alone or with someone; there is never a forced single supplement.
43.2400° N · 4.3600° W — Saja-Besaya National Reserve · Cantabria
Your basecamp
in Green Spain.
The exclusive Cantabrian hub of Spice Escapes: a stone casona in the Saja-Besaya reserve where every meal is cooked for you and the bar is free. Come on your own and join a group holiday — hosted and escorted, no forced single supplement — for beach rides, mountain walks and wild surf.
12° in the valley right now · green rain
Next hosted week · Spanish Drawing and Painting Break with Tuition · 25 Apr – 2 May 2027 →12 bedroomsup to 24 guestsopen all yearall meals · free bar
Hosted by RobATOL 9046 protectedSpice Escapes · group holidays for 40+ yearsField notes
- Santander airport1 h
- Bilbao airport1 h 30
- Beaches / coast~40 min
- Picos de Europa~1 h
- Santillana del Mar~35 min
- Golf (Pedreña · Santa Marina)~1 h
How it works
A hosted week, step by step.
We collect you
Fly to Santander and we pick you up — the house runs two vans and transfers are included. An hour later you are in the valley.
You settle in
An 18th-century stone casona, 12 bedrooms, and Rob at home with Chispa the dog. Breakfast and a home-cooked dinner every day, vegetables from the kitchen garden.
Your week unfolds
Walks in the reserve, surf on the coast, horses, yoga or painting — a plan every day and no obligation to join it. Arrive alone; leave with people.
Seven ways to fill the week.
This is a hosted, fully catered house, not a self-catered rental you come home hungry to: your host is on site throughout your stay, with breakfast, a light lunch and a home-cooked dinner served every day, and the wine cellar, local beer and spirits open all day, self-serve, on the house. What you do with the hours in between — out there, not indoors — is the whole reason to come.
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01 · On horseback
No scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next horse riding weekMeanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
Riding holidays: beach, valley and mountain
Local guides · beach & forest · all levels
Canter along the sand at dawn and ride the Saja-Besaya trails in the afternoon. The kind of day a group talks about for years.
Read the guideNo scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next horse riding weekMeanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
02 · On footNext hosted week, with Spice EscapesCantabrian Walking Week · 9–16 May 2027
Walking: ancient forest to the Picos
From the front door · coast & mountain · Picos de Europa 1 h
Ancient oakwoods, coastal paths shared with wild horses, and ridgelines under circling griffon vultures. Routes for walking clubs and serious hikers alike.
Read the guideNext hosted week, with Spice EscapesCantabrian Walking Week · 9–16 May 2027 
03 · In the waterNo scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next surf weekMeanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
Surf on the wild Cantabrian coast
Wild beaches · ~40 min · schools and hire
Some of the best waves in northern Spain, for first-timers and experienced surfers. Wide golden beaches, turquoise water, hardly anyone on them.
Read the guideNo scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next surf weekMeanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
04 · On wheelsNo scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next cycling weekMeanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
Road cycling and MTB through the reserve
Legendary climbs · forest tracks · ride from the house
Pedal straight out of the gate into the protected forest, or take on the climbs that made Spanish cycling history. Secure bike storage at the house.
No scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next cycling weekMeanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
05 · WellbeingNo scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next yoga & wellbeing weekMeanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
Yoga and retreats by the river Saja
Equipped yoga room · beach yoga · real silence
An indoor yoga room, forest and valley in every window. The setting our hosted yoga weeks are built around — join one as an individual.
Read the guideNo scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next yoga & wellbeing weekMeanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
06 · With historyNo scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next culture weekMeanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
Santillana, Comillas and Altamira
Medieval towns · Gaudí · cave art · 35-45 min away
One of Spain's densest culture clusters is half an hour away: medieval Santillana del Mar, the Altamira cave, and Gaudí's El Capricho by the sea in Comillas.
Read the guideNo scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next culture weekMeanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
07 · FishingNo scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next fishing weekMeanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
Fishing
River Saja · on the grounds · Cantabrian coast ~40 min
The river Saja is a short walk from the door; sea fishing on the Cantabrian coast within the hour.
No scheduled week for this yetJoin the waitlist for the next fishing weekMeanwhile: see where Spice Escapes are going next →
The areaThis is not postcard Spain.
This is not postcard Spain.
This is Green Spain.
Cantabria is real forest, serious mountains and a wild coast of turquoise water. It rains, and that is why everything is green. The Cabuérniga valley and the Saja-Besaya reserve are among the most unspoilt corners of the north — and Agara sits right in the middle.
Griffon vultures over the ridgelines, thousand-year-old oakwoods, stone villages, and the sea under an hour away.
The valley this week
Live forecast for Fresneda de Cabuérniga. This is Green Spain: the rain is why it’s green.
- Todayrain19° / 11°
- Wedcloudy17° / 8°
- Thucloudy19° / 8°
- Fricloudy18° / 11°
- Satmisty15° / 8°
- Sunmisty16° / 8°
- Moncloudy15° / 8°
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Join a week that's already planned.
Fancy a bit of adventure, some new friends and the north of Spain without organising a thing? Join a scheduled group week at Casa Agara as an individual — hosted, every meal cooked for you, with vegetables from our own garden. We bring the house and the region; you bring the appetite for it.
Hosted weeks have run here since 2023, priced per person; groups can enquire too.
Spanish Drawing and Painting Break with Tuition
25 Apr – 2 May 2027
We head to Northern Spain and your chance 'brush' up on your art skills. This trip includes tuition as well as the usual Agara hospitality.
Cantabrian Walking Week
9–16 May 2027
We head to Cantabria in Northern Spain and your chance get your boots on and explore the area. This trip includes walks with our walking hosts Jen and Jim as well as the usual Agara hospitality.
Read, Relax & Restore: A Week in Spain's Green North
6–13 Jun 2027
Escape to the beautiful landscapes of Cantabria for a relaxing week dedicated to the simple pleasures of reading and discovery. Settle into comfortable surroundings with plenty of time to lose yourself in a good book, then step outside to explore charming villages, dramatic coastal scenery and peaceful walking trails. Blending quiet moments with gentle exploration, this is the perfect holiday to unwind, recharge and experience the authentic character of one of northern Spain's most captivating regions.
Leaving soon
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4 Dec 2026 – 7 Dec 2026 · 3 nights
SHosted by Sally Wiltshire· 16 going
Full details & booking →
New Year in Puglia with WingsItaly
28 Dec 2026 – 2 Jan 2027 · 5 nights
CHosted by Claire & Andrea· 27 going
Full details & booking →See all weeks
Our exclusive booking partner
Casa Agara is the exclusive Cantabrian hub of Spice Escapes — every week hosted & escorted · ATOL 9046
Your hosts, not a helpdesk
Meet the Spice Escapes hosts.
The Spice Escapes hosts — the team behind every hosted, escorted week, including the holidays at Casa Agara, Spice’s exclusive Cantabrian hub.
Come on your own, or bring your group.
Join a scheduled hosted week as an individual, or bring the club you lead. Either way every meal is cooked for you (breakfast, a light lunch and a home-cooked dinner, with vegetables from our own garden) and the bar is free. No forced single supplement: twin-share at no extra charge, or an optional room of your own.
Pick a scheduled hosted week
Walking, cycling, riding, yoga, surf and more: real dates, real availability, priced per person. Every week is booked through Spice Escapes, our exclusive booking partner (ATOL 9046).
Bring your walking, cycling, riding or yoga group
Tell Rob what your group loves doing and roughly when. We host and cook, the valley does the rest: big walks, quiet mountain roads, trails and beach rides, morning practice in the open hall.
See what else Spice Escapes runs
Our exclusive booking partner hosts trips all year for people travelling on their own: city breaks, cruises, ski weeks and more, all ATOL-protected. If this valley or these dates aren’t right, they almost certainly run something that is.
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A hosted homeA home where you're welcomed —
A home where you're welcomed —
every day of your stay.
Every meal cooked, doors open: you're welcomed in person every day, with breakfast, a light lunch and a home-cooked dinner — vegetables from the garden — and someone who knows every trail, tide and village in the valley. Rob, on site; and Chispa, the house dog, always up for a walk in the valley.
Hosted weeks have run here since 2023.
Before you askWhat people
What people
really ask us.
Where exactly is Casa Agara?
In Fresneda, in the Cabuérniga valley of Cantabria, northern Spain, inside the Saja-Besaya National Reserve on the river Saja. One hour from Santander airport, ninety minutes from Bilbao.
Can I come on my own?
On your own is how most people come. Every week here is a scheduled, hosted week that you join as an individual, so you arrive alone and eat at one long table with the same people all week. Couples and pairs of friends join the same weeks, and that mix is part of why it works.
Is there a single supplement to come alone?
There is no forced single supplement. Twin-share is offered at no extra charge, so coming on your own costs the same per person as coming with someone. If you would rather have a room to yourself, that is available as an option and priced as one.
What meals are included?
Every meal. Breakfast, a light lunch and a home-cooked dinner, every day, with vegetables from the kitchen garden. The light lunch is taken at the house, or carried with you as a picnic if the day is a walk or a ride. And the bar is free: house wine, beer and spirits are poured all day, on the house. This is not half board, and the only lunch you pay for is one you choose to eat in a restaurant instead. The middle of the day is still yours, for walking, the coast or a village. You just do not have to feed yourself in it.
How do I book a week?
Every week is booked through Spice Escapes, our exclusive booking partner. They are ATOL 9046 protected and handle the payment, the paperwork and any question about your booking. Choose a week from the scheduled trips and a deposit holds your place.
Enquire
Ask about a place.
Tell us which week caught your eye — or what kind of week you are after — and we reply with dates, prices and honest advice. Usually the same day.
Barrio Abajo, 3 · Fresneda · Cabuérniga · Cantabria