“El Cid” Trail

Arrival at Madrid Airport and transfer to the first night’s hotel in Covarrubias. Here we enjoy a fine dinner and have the chance to learn a little about the history of El Cid, a medival Castillian hero in the fight against the Moorish occupation of 10th century Spain. On this horse riding holiday, we follow in his footsteps and the dramatic events of those times, visiting the monastries and villages he did 1000 years ago.

We start our adventure.  Leaving beautiful Covarrubias, one of the first areas to be reconquered from the Moors in the late ninth century and the bithplace of the Castillian language, for a ride to the Ura Valley, a small canyon that crosses the river Mataviejas. This circular ride returns us once again to Covarrubias where we enjoy another wonderful supper in this historic village before retiring for the night.

We continue on along El Cid’s banishment route, crossing the Arlanza river near Covarrubias. Then we take the road to Retuerta and later to Contreras, also know as the “town of the one hundred fountains”.
Finally we reach Santo Domingo de Silos, a well known Village due to its Romanic Monastery of the XI century, one of the most beautiful in all Spain.  Dinner and lodging in Hotel Coronas II or similar.

SANTO DOMINGO DE SILOS – NAVAS DEL PINAR
We leave Santo Domingo de Silos traversing Alto de Peñacoba , Marmolar and Tierra de Pinares (land of pines). Then we get to Navas del Pinar at the entrance of Parque Natural del Cañón del Río Lobos. We walk surrounded by pine groves and cross deserted mountain towns where all the inhabitants have left for the cities. Dinner and lodging in Casa Rural La Fuente or similar.

Today we ride through the spectacular Parque Natural del Cañón de Río Lobos, protected land and a sanctuary for birds. This is a 16 km canyon, made by Río Lobos that runs through the provinces of Burgos and Soria, surrounded by steep cliffs on both sides, lush vegetation underfoot and ancient trees and poplars. There are also many caves and wells. At the end of this canyon we emerge in Casarejo, in the province of Soria. Dinner and lodging in Hotel Manrique de Lara or similar.

We leave Cañón del Río lobos, riding through the pinewoods of Pino Valsain and get to Canicosa de la Sierra and Quintanar de la Sierra in the Province of Burgos. Here we will visit craved into rock and very imaginative medieval cementary:  Necrópolis de Revenga. You can also admire rocks marked with dinosaurs  tracks. Dinner and lodging in Posada las Mayas or Casa Ramón or similar.

We leave these beautiful mountain towns and begin our last day riding through pine woods in our way to the source of river Arlanza. After a lunch here we return at last to Covarrubias where the adventure began. Dinner and lodging in Hotel Nuevo Arlanza or Hotel Doña Sancha or similar.