This years Eagle tour, the Castilian Eagle, took us to Northern Spain for 6 days of exploring remote mountains, beautiful vineyard regions and bustling cities. Again this tour was put together by our tour partners Tour de Force, combining the best roads, unique hotels and top restaurants into one package.

The tour began in the city of Bilbao known for its contemporary architecture including the world famous Guggenheim Museum. After a welcome and trip briefing there was time for guests to explore the city before starting the drive to San Sebastián. The 130km drive took us through the Cantabrian Hills and along the stunning Basque coastline. The mountains fell away to small fishing villages and a superb view of the bay of Biscay. Dinner was at one of San Sebastian's best loved restaurants, hidden away in the hills and surrounded by vineyards.

After breakfast at the hotel we took a short drive to Chillida Leku, a unique open air sculpture museum and exhibition space created to show the works of Eduardo Chillida. We then started our journey to Rioja, our next overnight stop point. The twisting backroads followed the River Arakil before climbing up out of the valley through a series of hairpin bends. The mountain road offered an incredible viewpoint which made the perfect place for our picnic stop. We then took a short stop at the small mountain hamlet of Lapoblación before heading on larger roads into the vineyard hotspot of Rioja.

Our hotel for the night was the famous Marques de Riscal, a winery that pioneered the production of Rioja wine in the 19th century. In 2006 the spectacular hotel was added to the vineyard, designed by Frank O. Gehry, one of the worlds leading architects and designer of the Guggenheim. His style of sweeping titanium panels is truly unique and contrasts elegantly with the historical surroundings.

For day three we headed south, taking the scenic route through the Sierra de Cebollera national park, winding between the mountains and crystal clear streams. We then took a tunnel out of La Rioja and into Castile and León, working our way up to our lunch stop at the beautiful cobbled hilltop village of Medinaceli. Once fully refreshed we headed down through the valleys and entered the bustling streets of Madrid.

Day four was our rest day, guests had the opportunity to explore the heart of Madrid, or simply enjoy the hotel facilities including a spa and rooftop swimming pool.

There was also the option to take a guided architecture tour around the city centre, exploring the unique Madrid skyline.

Leaving the city buzz behind us, we ventured north and back to the calm of the mountains. We climbed up to the Puerto de Navacerrada ski resort and then up and over the top of the mountains and descended into the wide open plains below. We took a quick driving tour around the historic centre of Segovia before heading to our lunch stop just outside the town. After lunch it was a short stretch of motorway into the picturesque vineyard region of Ribera del Duero. Our hotel for the night was a beautiful restored 12th century monastery, Santa Maria de Retuerta. Guests enjoyed drinks in the courtyard followed by a meal in the chapel.

For the final driving day we also had the most ground to cover, following the national road for a 300km trip back to the coast. The route carries us past and abundance of sleepy villages and serene hilltop chapels before the landscape changes dramatically as we passed through the Montañas Palentina national park.

The last section of the journey into Santander follows the coast to our final hotel of the trip. The last dinner is a special one as we reflect on the week and give out our highly anticipated tour awards.