Beach and Meadows

Vilaür – Sant Marti d’Empuries – Castelló d’Empuries – Vilaür – La Gola de Ter – Serra d’Aró – Vilaür

Beach & Meadows

February 12 – 19, March 5 – 12, March 19 – 16, April 16 – 23, May 7 – 14, September 17 – 24, October 15 – 22, October 29 – November 5

“Fantastic ride discovering the Catalan Coastline,… for beach lovers”

“8 days / 7 nights – 160km – 4/6 hours x 6 days riding”

Catalonia Horse Trails continues to offer a trail along the Catalan Coastline, riding through the fantastic landscape of Empordà and Costa Brava. The Beach and Meadows trail will allow you to discover the Costa Brava. It is a beautiful stretch of coast and this area has a rich medieval history, beautiful scenery and a great artistic heritage. It has been voted one of the “Best Destinations of the World 2012” by the National Geographic Traveller Magazine, and deservedly so. You will also discover a nature reserve, the Parc Natural dels Aiguamolls de l’Empordà. This park has been designated as both a Ramsar site and an important area for birds. The park is built on marshy land and shelters predominantly aquatic birds. More than 300 different species have been sighted here. You will also ride through the magnificent rivermouth “La Gola”, now a protected natural area, which will give you a view of the coastal vegetation and of the fauna along the Costa Brava. Beaches, sand, natural dunes, beautiful villages, castles and churches. Discover small medieval sites such as Peretallada and Torroella de Montgrí, and ride along two sandy beaches. Experience the most exciting gallop on the fringe of the sea. Beach and Meadows trail offers the perfect formula for a series of unique and unforgettable days on horseback.

DAY 1 WELCOME TO MASIA CAN GRAU

Arrival at Can Grau, a country house dedicated to rural tourism, located a few kilometres 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 ALONG THE TER RIVER

Today’s ride is promising. The entire route crosses a landscape that combines cultivated fields, which cut into the clearings of the poplar forest on the banks of the river Ter, with small scattered human settlements integrated into the scenery. We ride through mosaic fields, enjoying some excellent canters. For lunch we stop by the river in a grove, near the pretty village called Verges where a welcome drink awaits us and our horses. The second half of the day presents a peaceful ride on the path that takes us to Torroella de Montgrí, and then follows the river again until we reach the sea. The scenery is excellent along the natural areas of La Gola del Ter, La Platera or El Ter Vell, on this first beach of our trail. The river forms a lagoon on the Fonollera beach and fully enters the sea, in front of the Medes Islands. This is the mouth of the Ter river.

DAY 3 THE FIRST BEACH. MONTGRÍ

Our early start has us gently ascending along the Ter river, crossing it via Torroella, and continuing over the dunes and entering the Montgrí massif. The views are spectacular. After our picnic, we trot our horses to the beach. The landscape is impressive! We are in for a dream gallop tomorrow, on the very long beach of the bay of Roses. We spend the night in Sant Martí d’Empúries, in the old countryside hotel El Molí, 800 metres from the beach. We will visit this small town located above a Greek pier- Sant Martí d’Empúries is located near the famous ruins under the same name. It was the first Greek city on the Iberian Peninsula, an example of perfect harmony between sea and land, between the green and yellow of its meadows and orchards and the blue and gold of the extensive beaches, and the villages with all their history.

DAY 4 THE SECOND BEACH

We trot our horses for a kilometre down to the beach. The long curve of the bay of Roses stretches before us, kilometres of golden sand. We revel in some exhilarating canters and gallops on wet sand of 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. At lunchtime we arrive at Valveralla Lake, where we soak the horses’ legs to wash off the sea salt, and enjoy a satisfying picnic. In the afternoon we continue riding along a series of paths and forest tracks. Moment after moment we pass another beautiful town, castle, church, arches, tunnels, old wooden doors with wrought iron knockers: the beauty of the stone of the past. In the afternoon we arrive at Can Sort, an old farmhouse that was a pioneer in equestrian tourism.

DAY 5 OVER MEADOWS TO THE HIPPODROME

We will start from Can Sort but in the opposite direction compared to our first day. Northbound, we pass through the small town of Bàscara, famous for its racecourse, where anyone who wants to can go for a good gallop. We then make our way along trails and paths amidst forests and meadows, till we reach the hermitage of Sant Baldiri where we will have today’s picnic. After a short break, we make our descent to Vilamarí. At dusk we arrive back at Can Grau, the cradle farmhouse of Catalan equestrian tourism, from where we departed the first day.

DAY 6 MID-MOUNTAIN MEADOWS. ESPINAVESSA

Our destination for today is the Hotel la Masía La Palma, where Tona and Andrés are the perfect hosts. The house dates back to the 17th century and has been meticulously restored. The pool and lounge are at our disposal. There is also a spa and the possibility of another massage session for those who have taken a liking to it. In the restaurant they serve a traditional cuisine, based on local ingredients seasoned with family recipes, a relaxing end to the day.

DAY 7 HOMEWARD BOUND

After a good breakfast, we prepare our horses and leave for Vilert, crossing the Fluvià river via the channel and then through fields and forests. We will have a delicious picnic in the hermitage of Ollers, where we can also enjoy a short nap in the shade of a beech forest. We will continue our trail
through the town of Vilamarí and its dense forests, until we reach Can Grau again. There we can shower our horses, and have a swim in the garden pool before dinner.

DAY 8 ADIÓS AMIGOS

Breakfast and departure and we hope to see you again soon! (…or why not continue for another week trail up to the mountains?) Depending on the season of the year, this trail can be done in reverse.