Ruta del Vino

I just came back from the Ruta del Vino ride with José and Ula and some new friends ?

If you love a trail ride with delicious home cooked and local speciality restaurant food, wonderful wine tasting, surprise stops in village bars for a refreshing cold beer and tapas, beautiful landscapes (rivers,canyons,forests,vineyards,plateaux,castles,medieval villages and very little roads) and not afraid of some longer rides in the saddle (5+hrs)-rewarded with comfortable accommodation (great hotels) and a gin and tonic at the end of the day (spanish measures!)- then you cannot miss this Tour!

The horses are fantastic, very independent and responsive, which means you can ride with and where in the group you want (for me a PLUS point, because it adds a social aspect to be able to chat with other riders). If you don’t find your perfect match, they will do their best to find one that is.

There were some lovely spots for long canters (my favourite being up the path to an old castle and through the portillo!)

José is very relaxed with his horses and generous to his clients, unlike previous trail rides i have experienced, there were no big lectures on how to ride or strict rules to follow, something that indicates trust in his horses and also riders. If you have some spanish knowledge it can help with immersing yourself a bit more in the culture and conversation, but Ula was great at providing translations, any necessary information and happy to help with any questions with a smile and her positive energy.

I’m happy to see that there are plenty more trail rides to choose from! I’ll be back.

This ride is mostly across tracks and fields which present no difficulty. As you move through the more hilly areas, there are occasions when you will be going up and down precipitous slopes but as long as you trust your horse, this isn’t any problem at all.

Spanish (similar to Western) saddles and bridles so you will find the riding style different from English. This is explained and you easily get the hang of it. Once you do you will find it a lovely comfortable way of riding through the picturesque scenery and villages. Morning stops for a drink and snack is a common occurrence!

The majority of the fellow travellers we have met on his holidays have been riding with him for many years. Whilst Jose doesn’t speak English, as long as you have a little Spanish this isn’t a problem. Lots of his regular clients also speak English so we’ve never had any problems with any complicated communications. Jose gives so much in the way of “extras” he will offer trips to Fiestas, Bull Fights and all sorts. Most of the time when you offer to pay for such things he will refuse. The horses are brilliant and cater for all levels of riders. We’ll be back next year.