Sierra de la Demanda

Introduction
Central Spain Spain

A trip for nature lovers, the horse enthusiast, the gourmet who enjoys tasting the flavor of a new country, or for the curious traveler ready to experience the lifestyle and traditions of a different people! The Sierra de la Demanda Ride is a perfect extension to the El Cid - Arlanza Valley Ride.
This adventure ride crosses a mountain range that rises up to an elevation of 4,900 ft! Ride through extensive woodland, past lakes and lagoons formed long ago during the Ice Age. The area is rich in history with many remnants of dinosaurs life and fossil trees. You will visit the greatest concentration of necropolis and high-medieval hermitages in Europe. After riding in a wide arc, you will reach the town of Burgos with its famous cathedral. The countryside, where the royal cattle drive trails are still in use, is ideal for forward going riding, allowing for the riders to enjoy some canters and shorts gallops. On your last day you reach Covarrubias, where the first week's trail started, closing the full circle of the "El Cid" Discovery Ride.

Accomodation

Riding

Itinerary

Day 1: Transfer from Madrid to Quintanar de la Sierra. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Casa Ramón.

Day 2: We ride uphill on steep paths, winding through the dense pine forest until we reach Neila. Visit one of the most spectacular lakes of glacial origin - the Laguna Negra. These 10,000 year-old lakes are an impressive example of the formation of landscape by ice and erosion. In Neila you find beautiful houses and a bridge from the Roman times.

Day 3: Today we descend, again through vast pine and oak forests, until we reach Monterrubio de la Demanda. We stop for an extensive picnic on the way. Initially declared to be a Nature Reserve, the Sierra de la Demanda is a real biogeographical mix - a kind of island with humid and Euro-Siberian climate in a predominantly dry Mediterranean world- where extensive gall oak groves, shady beech groves and real forests of Scotch pine cover the majority of the territory. The forest is full of red deer and with some luck you can also spot a wolf, wild boar, otter, badger or one of the small desmans of the area. Birds are also very well represented in this mountain region including the European honey-buzzard. Upon arrival in Monterrubio, you can observe the parochial church that represents one of the oldest works of Romanesque in the region.

Day 4: Today we follow the 'Green Route' through valleys and trenches towards Barbadillo de Herreros. We cross the tunnel of the Ferrerias and ride towards Pineda and pass the port of the Manquillo. This 'Green Route' partly follows the old railroad tacks, abandoned since the fifties, that linked the Sierra de la Demanda with the Altos Hornos of the Basque country, and served for the transport of minerals.

Day 5: Closer to Arlanzon, the landscape changes and becomes flatter with cultivated fields. Visit the prehistoric site of the Sierra de Atapuerca, which was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2000. The archaeological treasures were discovered when the mining railroad was constructed. They played an important role in understanding the human evolution and have determined a new human species that lived 800,000 years ago. Dinner and overnight.

Day 6: We ride towards Burgos and the San Pedro Cardeña monastery - a place of great history which is connected with the life of El Cid. You can visit the town with its famous cathedral, or just relax before dinner.

Day 7: Monastery of San Pedro Cardeña - Covarrubias
We leave the monastery behind and passing through an impressive high-road we ride across the Castilian deserts towards the Las Mamblas mountain range until we reach Covarrubias. There we say goodbye to our horses. We have is time to visit the fortified medieval town with its historic buildings and ancient church. We then meet for a farewell dinner in a famous restaurant of Covarrubias.

Day 8: Transfer to Madrid after breakfast.

Rates and Dates for Sierra de la Demanda

Dates Note:

Other Info
Meeting: Covarrubias or Quintanar
Airport: Madrid
Transfer: Madrid

Climate:

The overall climate of Castillia is similar to Southern California: hot in the summer, pleasant and moderate in the spring and fall, and fairly cool in the winter. Rain is possible anytime, but rare in summer. The main rainy season is from the end of October to the beginning of May.

Rain gear suitable for riding should be carried along, particularly during the months from November through April
A belt pack in which to carry your camera and other small valuables during the ride is handy.
Attire is strictly informal throughout, though if you are planning to visit other cities on your own later you may wish to bring a jacket and tie. Regular film can be obtained locally, but special sizes may not be available-bring plenty. It is a good idea to bring your own soap, since not all hotels supply it.
Also, please bring comfortable walking boots as you have to walk with the horses downhill on a rocky surface on the second day for at least one hour.