Preliminary day-by-day program
Note. During Easter and from 19 Juny to first week of September it is not allowed to ride on the beach.
DAY 1 WELCOME TO CATALONIA
In the evening you arrive in the country cottage, situated deep in the heart of the Empordá countryside. The country cottage, name is « Masia » in Catalan language, is located in the Empordá region in the middle of nature, hidden from busy people and curious. It is a more than two hundred years antic Catalan farmhouse converted into a rural guest house for tourism and horseback activities. After a homemade cooked dinner we will explain the program of the week and we will talk about the characteristics of our crossed horses of Spanish and Arabic, the best of each breed. You also will have the opportunity of an individualized one-to-one conversation designed to find the ideal horse for each rider.
DAY 2 CERVIÀ DE TER
After a good breakfast, we prepare our horses with the help and recommendations of the guide. Today the route will take us to some beautiful poplars and beech forests, next to the Ter river. It is quite followed by fields and forests, crossing the village of Medinyà below its castle where you can see views of the region of Girona to the Gavarres mountains. After a delicious picnic next to the river, we have a pleasant return to Can Grau alternating small paths with immense meadows and dense and varied forests. During the journey we cross the village of Cervià de Ter where we can go around the Castle. Upon arrival, we can enjoy some relaxing moments in the gardens of Can Grau, or in the company of the horses that graze in the meadows of the farm. For dinner, Anne has prepared an excellent homemade meal in the Catalan style.
DAY 3 SANT MARTÍ D’EMPURIES
After a copious breakfast, we prepare our horses direction to the beach, which we have been looking forward to since the first day. The beach ride will be early tomorrow, and we have a long day in the saddle today. The horses will spend night closer by the seafront and we will return by car to the country cottage this afternoon. We descend gently along paths surrounded by meadows, passing through Saus, Ventalló and Palau Borrell, to have our daily picnic next to the private Castle of la Garriga, in Sant Feliu de la Garriga. After lunch, we pass through Viladamat and Albons, alternating trot and some canter. It seems that our horses are smelling the sea breeze. We leave behind Mas Vilanera and its old mill, very close to the town of L'Escala, to reach Sant Martí d’Empúries. This beautiful village is located at the end of the beach where we can apreciate the Old Greek dock, from the 6th century BC, and where, a few meters away, we will leave our horses in paddocks enabled for this purpose.
DAY 4 THE BEACH
We get up early for breakfast, and then move to where we left the horses yesterday afternoon. We trot our horses along a stream for a few minutes until we reach the sea, at the beginning of the bay of Roses. We will continue galloping up the beach, stopping from time to time to enter the sea, until we almost wet our feet. After a long eight kilometres of golden sand and sparkling sea, we return inland, through fields of fruit and rice fields, towards Vilaür. We continue riding, now, between forests and silent streams and stop for picnic next to the lake of Valveralla, which allows us to relax horses and riders. We return to the mountain ridge to reach Can Sort, where we will leave the horses tonight to return home by car.
DAY 5 VILAÜR – GALLINERS
After breakfast, we prepare our horses and leave Can Sort along the paths of the dense Mediterranean forest, following the mountainous ridge, with spectacular views over the harmonious chain of fields and meadows. We arrive at the river Fluvià, next to the town of Báscara and its famous racecourse, where we will test ourselves at a gallop. Then, we continue between olive groves and cereal fields, we pass farmhouses and churches, and finally another gallop on wide roads through the oak and cork oak forest, which takes us to Galliners, where we will have our picnic. We finally arrive at Can Grau passing through the small town of Vilamarí. Once our horses showered and in the meadow, we will enjoy an amazing moment together with a glass of cava to celebrate our pleasant experience in these lands in the company of horses.
DAY 6 ADIÓS AMIGOA
Breakfast and departure… Thanks for your visit! We hope to see you again soon!
OPTIONAL DAY - RAVÒS DEL TERRI
Today our destination is the village of Ravós del Terri with its beautiful castle very well preserved. We cross the "Serra" through fields and forests where you can enjoy nice views of the northern region of Girona, to the mountains of the Pyrenees, with its snow capping. After the picnic, we will return to our farm along a smooth path lined with farmland and farmhouses, the typical countryside of Catalonia. Upon arrival, we can enjoy some relaxing moments in the garden, or in the company of the horses who will take a well-deserved rest in the meadows of the farm.
OPTIONAL DAY - GAÜSES
After a good breakfast, we prepare our horses. Today the destination will be the beautiful hermitage of Gaüses. Leaving the farm heading north, we pass through the Can Maret stream and enjoy a nice canter on the plains to finally reach the village of Gaüses. On the hill and with an excellent view of the bay of Roses, we will have our daily picnic next to the hermitage, ancient vestige of the historic Roman Catholic Spain. Back, following the river Ter, we will return to the farm, where the pool and a good dinner based on local products are waiting for us.
NOTE: The itineraries described are one of the many possibilities offered by the Empordà territory. The organization reserves the right to modify them based on meteorology and other factors of interest. The mini trail to the beach could be canceled in case of bad weather and/or Spanish holiday dates.
