Beach & Mountain Trail

Introduction
Catalonia Spain

Accomodation

You will stay at charming hotels selected for their character and comfort as well as for their delicious cuisine. The home base is at a lovely restored country stone house/lodge/farm. As the lodge is situated on the top of a hill, you can enjoy wonderful vistas of the surrounding countryside.
The farm draws drinking water from its own well, while electricity is generated by a solar power system and a generator.  Catalonia produces an extraordinary variety of foodstuffs for you to enjoy: wild mushrooms and game from the Pyrenees, the trinity of olives, grapes and wheat from the hilly heartland, all manner of fruits, vegetables, and nuts from the irrigated lowlands, rice and fish from the river deltas, and a great variety of fish and shellfish from Catalonia’s 500 km of coastline. 

This trip includes and can accommodate special dietary requests.

Riding
Dunes, plains, cliffs, beach gallop, medieval villages, rice fields, rolling hills, forests, local fish dishes, Mediterranean countryside. Long canters. Active.

Itinerary

DAY1:  ARRIVAL
Pick up from the airport in Barcelona at 6:30 PM. After a 1.5 hr drive north you will be driven up a winding track to the riding center, an 11th century farmhouse perched high up on a ridge overlooking the Pyrenees. Here you will meet the family, the guide and the team.
At dinner the guide will go over the week’s program, you will be told about the special characteristics of our specialized Andalusian trail horses. After dinner you will be given an introduction to the weeks program with an opportunity for a one-on-one conversation designed to find every rider their perfect horse.
Finally you will discover how to play the ´Champagne Rules’- anyone found guilty of holding up the ride at any point having to buy a bottle of local cava for the group that evening, making for lively dinners!

Day 2:   THE JOURNEY BEGINS
Today after saddling the horses we are ready to leave, a 230km week ahead. The horses are fresh and ready for the adventure. During the morning we ride through the mountain valleys and the views are superb with the Pyrenees in the distance to the north and the coast to the south. A long day ride of 40 km´s. By midday we pass by Besalu, a Medieval walled village and the ancient capital of the region. We are leaving the mountains. When we reach the river Fluvia, the pace accelerates and between gallops and strong forward trots we are covering a lot of ground. We travel through sunflower fields and forests, where we may surprise a herd of wild boar! At dusk we arrive at our destination, Vilert, where we leave our horses to graze and rest. We will be driven back to the center for another amazing meal with our popular house wine.

Day 3:  COASTAL BOUND 
The day begins with a good hearty breakfast and we will go back to our horses to get them ready for another full riding day. Today we follow the river Fluvia, Catalonia´s largest river, down to the coast. There are big stands of plane trees along the river. We pass Bascara, one of the first Roman settlements with gallops along side the race course. From the hillside castle of Calabuig we can see the sea on a clear day. The horses can smell the beach today. We keep up a steady pace, we are coastal bound. Our destination is in Sant Pere Pescador: a little hotel in a stately town house, it is a jewel of Catalan décor in this lively fishing village. Juan and Maria, the owners, will await us with gorgeous fish dishes and a warm welcome to the Mediterranean, the Costa Brava (the wild coast). Tonight is special; we can go out and have a cocktail in this happy and lively village. 

Day 4:  SUN, SEA, SAND AND SURF Today we make an early start. Ahead of us miles of sand and surf, not a soul, the splash of the waves, the Mediterranean sunrise, the dull thud of the hoofs on the sand, and the horses love to cool their legs in the sea. What an experience!
Now we head out parallel to the coast, across the planes, the going is good, here you feel how fit the horses really are. Onwards to the cliffs of Toroella with the Castle high on a hill always in the background, the views out to the sea are spectacular. We continue into the immense dunes and pine forests. We can have a picnic on the cliffs looking out to sea. We ride on to the old Roman town of Toroellla de Montgri to cross the bridge of the river Ter. With good gallops alongside the river we set exotic migrating birds to flight. Here we stay in a petit grand hotel, not far from the beach. Near enough to enjoy a pre-dinner swim followed by some excellent fish dishes. This is a fitting end to a lovely day. 

Day 5:  MEDIEVAL EMPURDAN DALI COUNTRY
Today we go Medieval! The morning begins on the coast and we turn inland across the rice fields of Pals and on into the village, a classic medieval settlement on top of a hill surrounded by fertile agricultural land. The wealth of the area is reflected in the style of the architecture- the churches, the manor houses are all beautiful buildings of sculptured stone. This paradise was first inhabited by the ancient Iberians then the Romans. Today the riding is interesting and varied. It is easy to understand why the Romans chose to settle here. Enjoy a day of great gallops and trots, through fascinating stone villages with quaint cafes on the village squares. It all comes to a glorious end as we reach the Catalan farmhouse hotel and enjoy the hospitality of Juanna and Jordi. Here we are next to the castle of Pubol, Salvador Dali´s present to Gala. Once more the Catalan cuisine and the local wines are wonderful. 

Day 6:  EL CAMINO REAL 
After a big country breakfast we saddle up and continue. Today we are following an old drovers track, a “camino real”, a royal route used to lead the livestock towards the mountains for the summer. We travel through fields and forests full of aromatic herbs and wild flowers. We are covering a big distance today and you will be proud of your horses resilience and continuous enthusiasm. The support vehicle is a welcome sight with another delicious picnic awaiting us under some shady trees. After a short but sweet siesta we ride on. The local villages are interesting, in the centres there are often small castles of the medieval feudal Barons who governed the local population. In the evening we arrive in the rural area of Plà de l'Estany. We stay in our hotel Ca ´Armengol, an 18th century farmhouse situated in the middle of hills and fields with some amazing views.  

Day 7:  HOMEWARD BOUND
Today we head back to the mountains. During the morning the going is lively following the river Ter, immense stands of plane trees, meadows, fields of sunflowers. After a welcome picnic lunch in the afternoon, we ride back into the mountains, past lakes and marshes, land of legends and giant fish. Once more the views are imperious and we can see the route that we have just ridden: six days of trail, adventure and companionship. An unforgettable experience!
Our base is a welcome sight as we arrive in the evening.
A glass or two of Cava on the terrace overlooking the mountains followed by a delicious meal is a perfect end to a marvellous journey. 

Day 8:  ADIOS AMIGOS
Breakfast and departure and we hope to see each other again soon!

Rates and Dates for Beach & Mountain Trail

Dates Note:

Other Info
Meeting: San Jaume de Llierca
Airport: Barcelona / Girona
Transfer: Barcelona airport 6:30 PM Girona 7:30 PM

Climate:

 The climate of Catalonia is typically Mediterranean, with many hours of sunshine, mild in winter and warm in summer. The Pyrenees and the neighbouring areas have a high-altitude climate, with minimum temperatures below 0ºC, annual rainfall above 1000 mm and abundant snow during the winter. Along the coast, the climate is mild and temperate with temperatures increasing from north to south, while the rain behaves the opposite way. The hinterland, far from the sea, has a continental Mediterranean climate, with cold winters and very hot days.

Please pack your luggage in one or two soft bags rather than a cumbersome suitcase.

Laundry facilities and internet access are available at the mountain lodge.  

 Winter (additional to list below):

- Rubber boots

- Sturdy shell for wind and rain

- Warm sweater