Where to go on vacation: Sports and recreation in Europe

From year to year untapped territories on the map remains less and less, and the question of where to go on vacation is becoming increasingly difficult. Someone finds "his place" and starts to go there year after year, and someone tries to check in all cities of the world. But there is another way to diversify the holidays - to learn not directions, but types of activity. Instead of changing countries and lying in a chaise lounge everywhere, you can find out the same France or Spain from the new side: running along the slopes, doing yoga on the beach or cutting through the surf.

Individual sport tours in Malta

The name of the course "Unknown Gozo" is not too deceiving: the second largest island of the Maltese archipelago traditionally remains in the shadow of Malta itself. Its area is only three and a half times inferior to the main island, and the people there live a thousand times less, and there are only 12 hotels (in one of them, five-star, they just offer to live). However, it is worth taking advantage of the fact that the island has a greater inclination to agritourism and other agricultural traditions, so we would choose to live on farms or apartments, which the tour organizers also offer. Unlike most of the "sports and recreation camps", where everything is subject to a strict daily routine, here, on the contrary, variability is welcomed: each tour is collected separately for you. For example, a weekly stay in a villa and three days of various activities together with renting a car will cost 1049 pounds per person, but you can add options at will and even strain muscles every day. From the types of active leisure there is kayaking, diving, hiking, bicycles, mountaineering and even descending a rope from the rocks - all this is surrounded by truly spectacular nature and Mediterranean beaches.

Intensive sport camp in the English province

Because of its harsh weather, the United Kingdom is not the most popular destination for summer holidays, and for good reason. Firstly, there are beach resorts like Brighton or Torbay with an expressive coastline, secondly, the first is located one hour from London, the second is located in three. And finally, about the same place, in Kent and Sussex counties, a fitness camp for girls with a little scary name “Soldier Jane” operates all year round. Unlike the movie of the same name, sexism and discrimination, you should not be afraid here, but you will have to be disciplined. As in most camps, the package includes both training, and accommodation and meals, which are emphasized here, because without a healthy diet, all loads can only harm. To begin with, you will have to give up caffeine, fast carbohydrates and alcohol: the daily diet contains exactly 1200 calories. At the same time, the dishes look not at all Spartan - there is yogurt with fresh blueberries, baked potatoes with chili, and chicken and Parma ham rolls. A day at the camp starts at 5:30 am and ends at 8 pm. Between them - general training, boxing, running, traditionally the female form of basketball - netball - and even a course of self-defense. And so every day.

Kayaking on the islands of the Adriatic

Croatia is often seen as a budget alternative to Italy - as far as nature and architecture is concerned, it’s really at the level. But prices are traditionally lower than in Western Europe, even though lately they have been striving for them. In any case, it is worth going here, especially if you have a desire to swim between the islands, and there are no forces or means to organize a sailing trip yet. The Croatian Adventure Agency offers, for example, a six-day kayak swim in the region of Dalmatia - between the popular islands of Brac, Hvar and a group of Paklinski islands, located a hundred meters from Hvar. The price includes all equipment, transfers on the ferries between the large islands and the mainland, breakfasts and dinners with traditional and homemade products (if you are not ready to give up on dinners, then there are supermarkets and restaurants at all stops) plus overnight stays in private apartments and even free mobile. phone with a local sim card. In total, it is necessary to cover about 127 kilometers in sections of 19-34 kilometers per day. However, if you realize that you are tired and not ready to row for two days in a row, you can cross between a couple of points: you will be taken to a minivan.

Five Star Fitness in Ibiza

A luxury option for those to whom health is more expensive than money, and high-class conditions are also important. In describing the programs and ideologies of this fitness camp in Ibiza, there are inevitable “detox”, “feng shui”, “retreat” and “relaxation” that can scare away people who are seriously concerned with a healthy and athletic lifestyle. However, this is rather a marketing trick in order to explain to potential participants why they need a camp on the basis of a five-star design hotel, awarded with a TripAdvisor certificate for consistently rave reviews. However, center trainers will not give you a descent. There are several programs designed for small groups of 12 people: from fitness to yoga, and even with a diet and a set of exercises, selected individually according to the results of the DNA test. The approximate schedule of the day on the program "Optimal Fitness" is as follows: getting up at 8 am, breakfast, an hour of training on a stationary bike in the pool (yes, in our editorial office, not everyone knew what it was, but it sounds and looks cool), yoga or cardio on the roof, lunch, boxing on the beach or rowing on the board standing, then strength training, hiking and dinner. They feed here, by the way, in a restaurant with two Michelin stars and the menu of authorship of the famous Spaniard Sergi Arola. After that, you can go to the Clarins Spa or go to a luxurious bed in your luxurious room and chop off like a ferret.

Hiking on the pilgrim route in Galicia

The famous "Way of St. James", marked by UNESCO, runs through northern Spain and leads to the city of Santiago de Compostela, where the tomb of the apostle is located. Pilgrims walk on it from about the 10th century, only in the Middle Ages - for indulgence from the church, and now - for a certificate, which is not necessarily attached to the religious load. In the end, it is just nice to hang it on the wall next to the sports trophies. The most common route starts in the city of Sarria, located in a valley on the banks of the river of the same name. Its passage takes about a week, 15-20 kilometers per day. Confident in their abilities can also choose the extended, nine-day route from the mountain village of O-Sebreiro, where people lived in the picturesque stone huts of Palacio even before the middle of the XX century, therefore this place is often compared to the Hobbit settlement. In addition, there is an alternative route - the path of the same length can be done from the south, from Portugal, and in this case, you can hook on a few days on the Atlantic coast. If, on the contrary, you doubt that you will be able to keep up the pace of the group, the tour organizers are ready to develop an individual itinerary and tell you how to really calculate your strength. Unlike pilgrims of the past centuries, you should not worry about comfort either: you don’t even have to carry a backpack - all the luggage of participants is carried separately by car from one stop to another. The pastorality of the entire journey is supported by overnight stays on old farms or in small 2 and 3 star hotels.

Longboard and surfing on spanish coast

In 2010, Madrid Longboard lovers united in the women's club Longboard Girls Crew: the girls held their own competitions, filmed great videos and tried their best to put more girls on the board. The next step was the friendship with the famous Spanish surf camp ArtSurfCamp, the benefit of the passion for surfing and longboard often goes hand in hand. As a result, the summer sports camp LGC was born, where everyone, indiscriminately, is taught to ride a longboard - both women and men, of any age and of any preparation. Everything happens on the basis of ArtSurfCamp, on the famous surfer beach of Razo in Galicia, with an amazing coastal strip of almost white sand. Exercising and then actively dissecting on the board is also where - there are a lot of desert roads in the district, including on an incline. The minimum cost includes training (additional classes of surfing or longboard - for a fee) and equipment rental, as well as accommodation in a class hostel, which is right there on the beach. Paying 250 euros per week, you can get full board. The rooms in the hostel are designed for 4 or 6 people, so it's better to go, of course, as a group, but it’s obviously also easy to make new friends here.

Triathlon in the French Alps

You should not think that mountain resorts function only in winter and are devoted exclusively to skiing and snowboarding. In fact, the mountains in summer look no less impressive, and the choice of classes there is even wider - both passive and active. You can just sit for days on the balcony and watch the mountain river flowing under the window, you can walk or run along mountain paths, the bike goes into action too. The D-Squad sports camp was created for those who love diversity: it is dedicated to triathlon, that is, swimming and cycling and running are waiting for you here. True, the name immediately warns that this camp is not for wimps - the organizers say that triathletes of any level will be happy here, but good sports training is still necessary. The camp is located in the town of Morzine in the French Alps - between Mont Blanc and Lake Geneva. All live a week in one chalet for seven rooms (altogether there are 18 people in a shift) and train side by side with world-class and Olympic-level athletes who also have a base here. If you wish, you can enroll in the Triathlon de Machilly Marathon, which will be held on July 5th. It includes a swim for 750 meters, a race for 5 km and a 21-kilometer bicycle race.

Mountaineering and yoga in Portugal

Usually they go to Portugal for surfing and yoga, but you can make a variety of sports routine and try your hand at climbing. In the south-west of the country, just 30 kilometers from Lisbon, there is Karma Surf Retreat, where the lessons of conquering the cliffs alternate with relaxing yoga classes. Depending on the level of training of participants and the weather outside the window, climbing classes take place on the Cascais coast overlooking the Atlantic Ocean or in the mountains of Sintra and last for three hours. A typical day starts here at 8 am with a yoga lesson and breakfast (healthy food, organic, everything), continues with training in the mountains, and the mandatory afternoon afternoon yoga program closes to relieve the stress of the day. All the remaining time, you can safely wallow in your room under the air conditioner, by the pool with a book, roast on the beach (five minutes from the villa) or, if you have enough strength, switch to another sport. You can choose from surfing, golf, horse riding and mountain biking - all this, of course, for a fee. At the same time, the doors of Karma Surf Retreat are open from February to November and in the off-season the cost of a weekly stay with workouts is 200 euros lower.

Bicycle Camp in the Italian region of Veneto

Italians are known for their obsession with cycling, and this camp is for those who not only share a passion for cycling, but can also afford to spend more than $ 2,000 on a weekly training course. For the sake of justice we will make a reservation: in addition to accommodation, meals and classes, fees for participation in the race, a special license (also insurance) and a guaranteed place in the team are included. The training camp itself is located in the municipality of Castelkukko in the Veneto region, where cycling races are held more often than anywhere else in Italy. The terrain with mountains in the north, hills in the east and west and plains in the south allows you to train in different conditions, the lessons themselves last from three to five hours depending on the level of training of the group. By the way, you can come to the camp both in proud loneliness and with a group of friends. They promise to settle in a quiet family hotel, where they will be fed with homemade breakfasts, lunches, dinners and gelato, and entertain them with a collective view of cycling on TV. If you do not want to sit in front of the TV, you can go in for agritourism - in Veneto there are all conditions for this.

Active Fitness Week in Crete

Spending a week in the mountain village of the 17th century in the western part of Crete is already an excellent plan. Now imagine that this will be supplemented with proper nutrition using local organic products, selected by certified nutritionists, and a course of outdoor exercise, made especially for you by experienced trainers. The high cost of the voucher is justified at least by the fact that an individual approach is applied to the participants of the intensive. Before the start of classes, instruct each of them, identify the level of physical fitness, and make up a private exercise plan. In addition, participants are expected 2-3 group workouts per day - from hiking and running in the mountains to power workouts on the beach, separate classes for the development of flexibility and stretching, as well as workshops on nutrition. Speaking of nutrition, in addition to the obvious Greek olives and oils, they promise vegetables and fruits grown on local slopes, as well as cheeses made from goat's milk, which graze literally outside your window. Intensive organizer - the British company Wildfitness - organizes such fitness holidays since 2001. If for some reason you do not want to go to Crete, you can go to train on the same program in Andalusia, on the British Isle of Wight, or at all on Zanzibar.

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Watch the video: European Vacation (May 2024).