Pilgrimage to Guadalupe

7 Days | From £1360pp

Spain ( Best airport: Madrid)

This trail in the Extremadura region of Spain takes you through spectacular scenery and picturesque mountain villages, from the ‘Dehesa’ near Trujillo to the Villuercas UNESCO geopark. Ride fit and responsive Hispano-Arab horses over 5 days, enjoy long lunches in the countryside and sample the best of Spanish cuisine.

The Riding

Guadalupe is an historic town of cobbled streets, traditional houses and monuments of great value, like the Royal Monastery, built in the 14th century. This trail is a fantastic cultural experience with excellent food and accommodation.

The pace of this ride is dependent on the terrain, with trots and good canters where possible. You will cover on average 25-35 km per day through changing landscape. There is one section on day 3 where you may be required to dismount and walk downhill for approximately 20 minutes.

Level of Riding and Fitness

Intermediate to experienced riders, which means that you should be comfortable to walk, trot and canter in a group in open spaces and your seat should be independent from your hands. On the rides you will be riding for between four to seven hours a day so it is important to be as riding fit as possible. The weight limit is 90kg.

Guides and Group Size

You will be guided by Emilio, an English-speaking guide who, with 30 years of riding experience knows each stone of every path, and will give you interesting facts along the route.

The group size is 4-10 riders. The trail can be confirmed for 2 and 3 riders for a small group supplement.

Any questions?

The Horses

You will be expertly matched by Emilio to one of his excellent Hispano-Arab horses. Born at home, very much loved and extremely well looked after, these horses love their job and make for very easy, relaxed riding. All horses are fitted with English tack, with a silicon seat saver and saddle bags supplied for small personal items. A support vehicle will transport your luggage and will be available at your lunch breaks.

Accommodation and Dining

The accommodation varies from charming rural Inns to a delightful 4* hotel in Trujillo town. All rooms have private bathrooms and are very clean and comfortable.

Single rooms are possible on request for a single supplement.

The food is another highlight of this trip; your hosts will delight you with tapas-breaks during the trail with serrano ham, manchego cheese, olives, nuts, etc. Lunchtime is a relaxing and social affair with delicious home cooked Spanish dishes such as paella, tortilla española, iberian pork bbq, salads, and soft cheese very typical of the Extremadura region.

After your day of riding, your dinner will be served at your guesthouse and you will have a choice of different dishes and courses from local Spanish recipes.

Dietary requirements can be catered for with advance notice.

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Gallery

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrival at Madrid Airport and transfer to your hotel in Trujillo. Trujillo is an historic town with a mix of cultures, where Roman remains still exist. At the top of the town there is a spectacular castle founded in the 10th century by Arabs, and in the main square there are many beautiful palaces built by Spanish Conquistadors during the 16th-century. After you have settled in there will be a welcome dinner where you will learn about the ride and region on the map.

Day 2 After breakfast there will be a short transfer to meet the horses. Emilio will have carefully matched you to one of his excellent steeds, and you can spend the first day getting acquainted as you ride through the “Dehesa”, the cultural landscape exclusive of southern and central Spain. Dehesa is an anthropogenic system that provides not only a variety of foods, but also wildlife habitat for endangered species such as the Iberian lynx and the Spanish Imperial eagle. After lunch there will be a short afternoon in the saddle through flat terrain to Madroñera, where you will spend the night in a rural hotel. 5 hours riding.

Day 3 Departure after breakfast, where you will begin by following the cattle trail to Zorita. Beautiful riding in the morning with opportunities for good canters through the Dehesa where livestock can be seen everywhere; cattle, sheep, goats and iberic pigs. Lovely picnic in the countryside followed by riding in the afternoon to Zorita. Dinner and night at a rural Inn. 5 hours riding.

Day 4 Departure after breakfast following the greenway, an old railway built in the 20s that due to the Spanish Civil War was never finished. You can enjoy the view over the impressive Villuercas Mountains landscape, a UNESCO geopark. Dinner and night at a rural hotel in the countryside. 5 hours riding.

Day 5 After breakfast, you will ride through the vineyards in Cañamero, an area famous in Spain for good wines and olives groves. Here the landscape changes to the beauty of the Villuercas mountains, where you can see Ruecas river canyons. You will again follow the greenway to your overnight stop. Dinner and night at a rural hotel. 5 hours riding.

Day 6 Your last day in the saddle is a short day from Cañamero to Guadalupe, following the Cañada Real. Enjoy the view over the impressive Villuercas landscape and observe vultures, eagles, azure-winged magpies, red-billed choughs, shrikes and ravens. Villuercas has been declared a Geopark (UNESCO, 2011) because of its cultural and natural Heritage and, of course, the great geological value of its relief, with a lot of interesting and visible geological elements. Comfortable lunch in the countryside and time to say a fond farewell to your horse. In the evening there will be a visit to Guadalupe town and the Monastery. Dinner and overnight accommodation at the Guadalupe Monastery Hotel. The Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Guadalupe is at a location of great beauty, overlooking a valley surrounded by high mountains. The town of Guadalupe, built around the Monastery, offers in its buildings a unique style with traditional architecture. 4 hours riding.

Day 7 After breakfast, departure from Guadalupe at 10 am, to arrive at Madrid airport at approximately 12pm