Introduction:

This is weeklong horse riding holidays with 6 days in the saddle and wonderful local cuisine. We will be mainly riding through the mountainous areas with beautiful views and open spaces of Picos de Europa National Park, having home cooked lunches in the nature and staying in cozy rural hotels. The landscape is dominated by rocky mountains, extensive alpine pastures and Atlantic beech forests. There are also many mountain streams and post-glacial lakes. The last day will be riding alongside the Atlantic coast, passing villages and entering small empty beaches. We will also visit a place where cider is produced – Llagar, and if you fancy cheese factory, maybe even a cave where cheese matures.

​

Detailed itinerary:

1. Pick up from Oviedo airport ( pick up at 5pm) or Bilbao (pick up 4pm)
Transfer to Cangas de Onis, a village that from eight century stood Christianity in times of Moorish invasion on the Iberian peninsula.
Dinner and overnight at Hotel Cental or similar hotel.

​

2. Viego - Oseja de Sajambre (7h)
Today we start early as it is our longest day of all. Transfer from picturesque Cangas de Onis to Viego where we will meet the horses and start our trail. In the morning we will ride 20 km starting from the 730m above the sea level and will climb through beautiful forest to our picnic lunch at open meadow reaching 1500m after 3h ride. After lunch and rest, we will ride another 4h ride, 19 km and descend to 920m to the picturesque village of Oseja de Sajambre, the heart of the Picos de Europa Park where we stay for the night.
Dinner and overnight at the La Cuna de Sella or similar

​

3. Oseja de Sajambre - Posada de Valdeon (7,5h)
Today we will ride 4h in the morning, through the limestone mountains of the Cantabrian Massif and through the beech and oak forest we will climb to 1763m. We will have to lead horses down the steep path for about 300m and then ride down to Panderuedas for lunch. After lunch we will ride 3,5h through green and quiet forest on descent to the village of Posada de Valdeon (960m) where we will stay for the night. It is advisable to wear trekking boots today.
Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Begońa or similar.

​

4. Posada de Valdeon – Espinama (6h)
In the morning we only ride11km of comfortable and picturesque ascent to Pandetrave mountain pass. That will be 2,5 hours,  setting off from the height of 926m we will stop on the alpine meadow to have a lovely hot picnic lunch.  After lunch, we will ride 3h, 15 km of most scenic route leading over the villages and forests to the village of Espinama (1000m), where we will stay for the night.
Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Remońa or similar.

​

5. Espinama – Sotres (3,5h)
Today, before the ride we will visit nearby beautiful village of Potes where you can find unique souvenirs and admire local stone/wood architecture. After the lunch we will ride 14 km through the glacial scenery right on top of the central moraine, formed by the forces of two glaciers pressing against each other in the late Pleistocene. We will leave from a height of 900m to reach 1668m and down to 1030m where village of Sotres is located.
Dinner and overnight at the Penia Castil Sotres hotel or similar.

​

6. Sotres – Tielve (3h)
Let's say goodbye to the mountains and the National Park Picos de Europa, with a short 9km ride to the village of Tielve where the horses will be loaded to the truck and we will take 50 minutes’ drive to Póo de Llanes where you can enjoy the beach and let the horses have a little rest before the beach canters. If we are lucky we may witness very special natural spectacle on the edge of ocean and land. Bufones - natural water fountains reminiscent of geysers throw water up in the air at the high tide and unsteady ocean.
Dinner and overnight at Villa Miramar or similar.

​

7. Póo - playa de Torimbia (3,5h)
Today we will spend our time on relaxed wandering at the Atlantic coastal paths, passing through villages and visiting small picturesque beaches. After 3,5h ride we bid farewell to horses at San Antolin beach and visit so called "Llagar" a place where delicious cider is produced. After trying different kinds of cider, we will drive half an hour to Oviedo, the capital of Asturias to visit the UNESCO monuments and taste the night life.
Dinner and overnight in Oviedo, in the City Express Hotel Covadonga or similar.

​

8. Farewell and transfer to the airport.
After breakfast, we will set off for airport.

​

PS. IF FLYING FROM MADRID

The transfer to Madrid takes about 6 hours, therefore, book afternoon flights after 4 pm. In the case of an earlier flight, you will have to travel to the airport on your own.