| |
Daily
Itinerary
Welcome
to Los Alamos. Its our aim to give you the holiday of a lifetime
and as such we have planned some fantastic rides for you to
enjoy. Its difficult to put together an exact itinerary, as
sometimes nature intervenes. However, below is a typical weeks
riding holiday, each day is interesting and varied, with an
average 4.5 hours riding at all paces. Your guides will ensure
a mixture of relaxing and exhilarating rides for you to enjoy.
When not
riding there are lovely walks all around the villa and there
are some of the best unspoilt beaches in Spain where you can
soak up the sun or swim in the sea. The villa has secluded
terraces and private swimming pool where you can sit and relax
with a book and a cold drink. Close to Los Canos de Meca are
the towns of Barbate and the ancient hill top town of Vejer.
Time permitting we can take you to either place, where you
can take in the shops and bars and in Vejer’s case the
stunning views over the countryside. |
| |
Sunday
- Day 1
We
recommend that you fly to Gibraltar as it is the nearest airport,
however we do pick up from Malaga & Jerez. Most flights
to Gibraltar arrive around mid day. We will be there to meet
you, escort you to your transport, and begin the trip down
the coast to Los Alamos. From Gib we take an 80 minute drive
over the mountains between the busy port of Algeciras and
the old pirate town of Tarifa, the most southerly tip of Spain.
Here we are just 7 miles from the stunning Rif mountains towering
up from the coast of Morocco, you almost feel you can swim
across, its so close. The rest of the journey takes you along
the Atlantic coast to the villa Los Alamos near the village
of Los Caños de Meca, your accommodation for the week.
When you arrive you will have time to freshen up before we
meet for a Spanish style lunch and have the opportunity to
get to know each other. After lunch we take you to our corrals
and introduce you to the horses for the first time. Dinner
is usually served at around 9.00pm. |
| |
|
| |
| Monday - Day 2
Your
breakfast is self service, and is a choice of toast, cereals
with teas, coffee and fruit juices, or if you prefer we’re.
At 10 am you will make your way down the lane to where the
horses are kept, you will be introduced to your horse and
at 10.30am we will head off deeper into the forest for your
first ride. Today is a fairly quiet ride giving rider and
horse the opportunity to get to know each other. We wind along
old drovers tracks still used to move sheep and cattle between
farms, then turn into the Las Brenas Nature Park, a 5000 hectare
protected forest which is characterised by beautiful woods
of umbrella pines with rosemary, blackthorn and palms. The
forest offers cool shade even on the hottest days, which can
be a blessing sometimes. The trails through the forest are
an absolute joy to ride through. The pine trees are well spaced,
the turf firm underhoof and long uninterrupted paths allow
us to canter along at a brisk pace. After a couple of hours
we will break in the forest for lunch, then continue riding
arriving back at Los Alamos around 3pm. The rest of the afternoon
is for you to relax before we meet for dinner around 9pm.
|
| |
|
| |
Tuesday - Day 3
This
will be your first visit to the beach with your horse,
so pop on your suncream and goggles. We will ride through
the edge of the forest down to Cape Trafalgar and along
‘Playa de las Almas’ (the beach of the souls,
so called since the battle of Trafalgar washed its dead
upon the shores here in 1806), tide permitting, you will
have your first taste of a beach cantor or gallop. At
this historic place with its old lighthouse you can see
as far as Morocco. With smiles and sand on our faces arriving
at the other end we will head off back to the forest and
wind our way to the small village of San Ambrosio, where
we will stop and have lunch in a local bar. We will then
ride around the edge of the forest passing cattle farms
and a Hermitage first built 700 AD, arriving back at Los
Alamos approx 3.30pm.
Once
again the rest of the afternoon is for you to siesta,
just relax by the pool or take a stroll to the beach,
before we meet up in the evening for dinner at around
9.00pm.
|
| |
|
| |
Wednesday - Day 4
We
head off into the forest along sandy trails over to the
Moorish look out tower “El Tajo”, which stand
some 100 metres above sea level and is one of the beacons
belonging to the military architecture of the 16th and
17th century which offers fantastic cliff views of Africa.
As you are more confident with your horse this ride incorporates
some fun wiggly canters and an exhilarating fire-break
gallop. To day we will enjoy a picnic lunch out before
arriving back at Los Alamos at approx 3.30pm.
|
| |
|
| |
Thursday - Day 5
Today
the horses have a rest day and we drive to Jerez to visit
the “Escuela de Arte Ecuestre” (The Royal
School of Equestrian Art), where you will have the pleasure
of experiencing one of the finest displays of horse showmanship
anywhere in the world. It’s truly breathtaking.
After the show we will have lunch in a local Tapas Bar
in Jerez. You will also get the opportunity to visit a
large well stocked tack shop, and time permitting take
in some sherry tasting. We return late afternoon to Los
Alamos where you can reflect on the day’s delights.
|
| |
Friday - Day 6
This ride takes you through
the forest towards the port of Barbate, the sandy tracks
are perfect for long windy cantors, we drop down onto the
old Roman cliff road where you will have stunning views
of Barbate and the coast of Africa. The Barbary pirates
who crossed the seas from North Africa plundered this coastline
for centuries for its tuna and other riches, to combat this
a series of watchtowers were built and remain almost in
tact, which you can see from the Roman road. Heading back
through the forest we will lunch at a small bar before heading
for home and taking a small diversion for a gallop through
the eucalyptus trees.
|
| |
|
| |
| Saturday - Day 7
Oh
no, this is the last days riding! But one you’ll never
forget. We set off early down to the beach of Cape Trafalgar
where tide permitting you will have the opportunity for long
cantors or gallops; we ride along the coastal path to the
next beach of El Palmar for more fun. Leaving the beach with
even more sand and bigger smiles on your faces we cross through
the agricultural land along sandy tracks and drovers trails
enjoying the views over the wide open landscape through sunflower,
sugar beet and barley fields. The drover’s trails have
been used by Spanish and Moorish horsemen and cattlemen for
hundreds of years and are still used to this day. The tracks
are wide and sandy giving us opportunities for your last cantors.
We will be having lunch outside San Ambrosio giving everyone
a chance stop to have a well earned rest before carrying on
home through the forest, where we bring an end to your unforgettable
weeks riding. After saying your sad but fond farewells (until
next time) to your horse we return to Los Alamos. We will
meet for our farewell dinner at approx 9.00pm, where by now
new friends have been made and new experiences can be reminisced
over a glass or two of Rioja.
|
| |
|
| |
| Cheers,
to great friends and great memories
Sunday - Day 8
After breakfast
we say our goodbyes, always sad but until we meet again, you
will be driven back to Gibraltar to catch your flight home.
|
|
Saludos!
|
| |
|
