Vilafreser – Besalú – Vilaür – Gulf of Rosas – Vilafreser
Catalonia extreme
15 – 19 March, 12 – 16 April, 3 – 7 May, 4 – 8 June, 18 – 22 September, 16 – 20 October, 8 – 12 November
Catalonia Extreme
“For athletic type and highly experienced riders”
“5 days / 4 nights – 170km – 5/7 hours x 4 days riding”
From Wednesday night to Sunday afternoon. A long horse riding weekend through inner Costa Brava. Four complete days of riding and nature. For riders who want more than just tourism but not yet at competition level, we present this trail of 5-7 hours riding per day and an increased pace, and up to 50 km in one day adding up to a total of 170 km in 4 days. We ride along paths, plains and beaches of the Alt Empordà region, with prolonged canters, combined with nights in Besalú and Sant Pere Pescador, where we can enjoy some nightlife. Another novelty is that this trail takes place from Thursday to Sunday.
DAY 1 WELCOME TO MASIA CAN GRAU
You will arrive at the farmhouse at end of afternoon and you will meet Catalonia Horse Trails team. After dinner we will go over the week’s program. You will be told about the special characteristics of our Arabian and crossed Anglo Arabian trail horses, fit for “endurance”. You will be given an opportunity for a one-to-one conversation designed to find every rider their perfect horse. Then, you can enjoy a fantastic and cheerful dinner!
DAY 2 CAN GRAU TO SANT MARTI D'EMPURIES
We will start our trail going down to Baix Empordà. In spite of being a prosperous area, it still conserves the traditional rural and village way of life. The paths and tracks have not been asphalted nor has the countryside been fenced off so there is an unlimited combination of paths and bridleways to explore. Every hour we pass another beautiful village, castle, church, arches, tunnels, old wooden doors with wrought iron knockers. After passing the village of Sant Mori, we will have our daily picnic in a kermes oak forest. Then we will continue toward the Gulf of Roses to end up at our hotel in Sant Marti de Empuries which is situated right at the beach. Here a fabulous paëlla is waiting for you.
DAY 3 THE BEACH OF ROSES
Today is nice day in the saddle. The long beach ride awaits us, plenty of galloping and trotting before arriving to Sant Pere Pescador. We will have our lunch stop at the Valverella lake and later carry on towards Can Grau, our destination for today. After showering the horses we leave them in their paddocks for their well deserved rest.
DAY 4 TO BESALÚ, MEDIEVAL VILLAGE
After breakfast and preparing our horses, we leave can Grau through tracks surrounded by Mediterranean forest. The mountain creeks offer amazing views of prairies and meadows. We will then reach the Fluvià River and on our way we will find country cottages and churches. Then, we stop for our picnic in the gardens of an restaured antic Catalan farmhouse. In the afternoon we ride our horses through fields and olive trees, we pass the village of Crespia and head towards Besalú, a medieval walled village, the ancient capital, a jewel of Romanesque architecture, set between two rivers. Once in Besalú, we will spend the night at the nice Hotel La Martana.
DAY 5 BESALÚ - OLLERS – CAN GRAU
For our last day riding, we leave Besalú and its fantastic medieval bridge and where the squares, stone cut pillars and cool shady arched passageways are a wonder to be hold. The atmosphere of this ancient medieval village is unique with its spectacular bridge and Romanesque architecture. On different tracks than the day before, we will head towards the hermitage of Ollers where we have our picnic. Now it becomes a bit more hillie and passing through Sant Mer and Les Serres we arrive back at Can Grau. Farewells and goodbyes before leaving for the airport…. ¡Hasta pronto amigos!
