Catalonia Mountain To Sea Trail

Introduction
Catalonia Spain Riding through old villages, passing Romanesque churches. From the foothills of the Pyrenees to the undulating plains of the Empordà region, fringed by the long curve of the Bay of Roses... eight kilometers of beach!  You will experience the canter of our life along the white-water of the waves. As every hour passes, so does another beautiful village, castle, and church, including Castelló d’Empúries- a lively town with a majestic cathedral. Ride amidst the beautiful natural surroundings of the Alt Empordà. Discover small medieval villages such as Besalú, Crespià and Bàscara. Cross hills and fields of wheat, poppies and sunflowers. Discover forests full of wild herbs. Canter in coastal meadows and walk along small winding creeks. The Alt Empordà is full of culture, history and natural diversity.

Accomodation

Accommodations
This is a progressive ride so you will be staying in different locations throughout the tour.

• Can Grau www.masiacangrau.com
• Hotel El Molí de l’Escala www.molidelescala.com or Hotel RioMar www.hotelriomar.com
• Hotel El Racó de Castelló www.hostalelrecodecastello.com
• Can Massot www.canmassot.com
• Hotel La Palma www.masialapalma.com

This trip includes some wine with dinner.

Riding
To participate in this trip you must be a reasonably competent rider. You should be well balanced, comfortable and secure in the saddle and able to control a well-schooled horse outside at all paces. Riders are expected to be able to cope with a variety of different going and different types of terrain. All the rides are aimed at reasonably capable riders, who are also fairly fit and riding regularly, and participants are expected to ride regularly in the months before they go to ensure they can cope with the hours in the saddle. There are also places on the rides where you will need to dismount and lead your horse for a short way – if the ground gets rough or steep, and for a short time to warm the horses up and cool them down each day. Riders are expected to groom and tack up their own horse each day in preparation for rides. You’ll change accommodation every day, consult the routes description for locations.

Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome to Masai Can Grau
Arrival at Can Grau, a country house dedicated to rural tourism, located a few kilometers from the wild Medes Islands Nature Reserve. In the heart of nature, hidden from passers-by, with 30 years of experience in equestrian tourism. From here you will discover the Empordà region and its varied nature, which offers many possibilities for horseback riding.
Enjoy your time close to nature, the beach, and cities like Figueres and Girona. The ideal place for a horseback riding holiday, and an original way to discover the region. After enjoying a comforting dinner, we will go over the program of the week and taste one of the delicious local wines. We will talk about the characteristics of our Andalusian and Arabian crossbred horses, a combination of the best of each breed. We will have the opportunity for a one-to-one conversation designed to find every rider their perfect horse.

Day 2: The Journey Begins
After saddling up the horses we are ready to embark on our adventure. The horses are fresh and ready. We enjoy a series of long canters through the Alt Empordà pine forests. After every hour we pass another beautiful village, castle, church, arches, tunnels, old wooden doors with wrought iron knockers, the beauty of the stonework of the past. As the afternoon draws on one can sense the proximity to the coast. At last, we arrive at the Mediterranean: the beautiful gulf of Rosas stretches before us and our hotel for the night is close to the beach.

Day 3: Vamos A La Playa!
We trot our horses for a kilometer down to the beach. The long curve of the bay of Roses stretches before us, kilometers of golden sand. We revel in some exhilarating canters on the beach. We then head inland again along the Fluvià river, past a bird sanctuary where we can spot flocks of migrating birds. The terrain is flat with many rice plantations and peach, pear, and apple orchards. The pace today is lively and at lunchtime we will enjoy an amazing picnic. During the afternoon, you can explore Castelló d'Empúries and do some shopping. It is a lively cathedral town where one can enjoy some excellent tapas and cold drinks on one of the nice terraces. Possibility to visit the famous Dali-museum in Figueres.

Day 4: Boadella Lake
After an excellent breakfast, we saddle up again to continue our journey to the mountains. Today the ride is spectacular, once more a lively pace as we trot and canter out across the planes, and through fields, meadows, and Mediterranean woodland, rife with the scents of wild herbs and flowers. In the afternoon we ride alongside cork trees, olive groves and vineyards. Past the lake of Boadella, we will find our accommodation for tonight, a lovely farmhouse where we will enjoy excellent homemade cuisine made with local products.

Day 5: Empordà Wilderness
Today after saddling up the horses, we head for the most intact area on the trail, in terms of flora and wildlife: the wilderness of the Alt Garrotxa. During the morning we ride over rolling hills and through pine and oak forests. As we continue past the charming village of Terrades we are very likely to come across herds of sheep or wild boar. At dusk we arrive at our destination, Sant Martí Saserres, famous for its church, where we leave our horses to graze and rest. Today we are accompanied by car to the Hotel Masia La Palma in Espinavessa. It is a country house dedicated to rural tourism that retains its original charm and in which Tonia and Andres are the perfect hosts.

Day 6: Catalan Architecture and Besalú
We follow the north bank of the Fluvià river, enjoying the spectacular scenery with many different bird species. We cover a long distance in record time through sunflower fields, open meadows and forest. We stop in Besalú where we have a delicious picnic lunch by the river. Besalú, a mediaeval walled village and the ancient capital, is a jewel of Romanesque architecture set between two rivers. The squares, stone cut pillars and cool shady arched passageways are a wonder to behold. Not to mention the stained glass of its churches. We’ll have some time to wander around and absorb the unique atmosphere of this ancient mediaeval village with its characteristic bridge. We will sleep the night at the Hotel Masia La Palma, where we stayed the previous night. The house dates back to the seventeenth century and has been carefully restored. The swimming pool and the living room are all at our disposal and there is the possibility to enjoy a private Spa or a massage. In the restaurant they serve a traditional cuisine based on the finest local ingredients and some old family recipes.

Day 7: Homeward Bound
In the morning we leave from Vilert and head straight for the forest and hills around the village of Ollers, also known for its prominent church. There are some majestic farm houses in the area, built by the nobility in the XVIIth century. With amazing views of the Pyrenees behind us, we enter the historical village of Galliners with some fine examples of Catalan architecture. We travel through forests full of aromatic herbs and wild flowers and stop for a lovely picnic surrounded by rosemary bushes. After lunch we continue our journey into the Alt Empordà region and after some good canters we ease the pace until arriving at our final destination. Sit back, relax in the gardens or have a swim in the swimming pool, and let us finish the day with a comforting home cooked meal for dinner!

Day 8: Adios Amigos
Breakfast and departure. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

NOTE: The itinerary is subject to change in case of incidents due to climate change (high temperatures, birds’ migration, fire, dryness, etc.). Particularly with the beach ride: it is not possible to canter when there is too much wind.

Rates and Dates for Catalonia Mountain To Sea Trail

Dates Note:

Other Info
Meeting: Barcelona
Airport: Barcelona
Transfer: Barcelona

Climate:
                                                Girona area