RIDING HOLIDAYS SPAIN
“Ice House Trail”
3 days trail riding in Spain and two nights in the wonderfully atmospheric Monastery at Lluc
Day 1
Starting from the stable in Pollenca Bay at 9am, you will prepare your
horse for the journey and then ride by small finca roads along the riverbed to Pollenca town.There you will tie up your horse near the historic Roman Bridge whilst you have
coffee or a drink. Afterwards you will take the ancient pilgrim’s path –
the Cami Vell de Lluc – to the Monastery at Lluc 18 kilometres to the south west. Passing along gravel and earth tracks, through the river bed and ancient holm oak forests you will climb steadily towards the monastery. You will find charcoal burning platforms from the days when charcoal was an essential commodity on Mallorca – used to make lime in the mountains and as a cooking fuel. And also ice houses where compacted snow would have been stored after being carried down from the snow-capped mountains in winter to provide ice to the towns in summer. You will stop for lunch in the middle of the mountains and forest to enjoy a picnic. Arriving at the monastery in Lluc retains all of the sense of welcome and
of peacefulness, at the end of a journey traditionally associated with a
place of pilgrimage. You will take your horse to the lush field provided by the monastery, un-tack and feed them. You might fancy a drink in the bar now before finding your monastery cell. Simple and comfortable with private bathrooms – but be prepared to make your own bed!Best to do this before dinner and getting tired. An excellent typically Mallorquine menu awaits you in the Monastery restaurant.
Day 2
After breakfast the next day, groom your horse and tack up for the journey towards the peak of Galileu. Your guide will have organised a picnic lunch for you to carry with you. Your horse will now take you on an exhilarating journey up steep tracks to what feels like the top of the world. In fine weather you will see the most stunning views of the Mallorcan coast line.
You will break for lunch near an abandoned house and see an enormous
ice cave dug into the earth and lined with stone. Stop to explore and rest before riding back along the ice man (or Navar’s) route. They carried the ice in wooden containers and barrows over the same rough where you will ride.
Return by one of two routes your guide will let you choose. Either down a beautifully restored stone stairway (which is part of the recently completed Routa de Piedra en Sec) where you will need to dismount and walk as it is better for your horse; or alternatively across the same softer
ground that you crossed in the morning.The rare black vultures of Mallorca are often our company and it´s a special moment to have them flying above us.
You will return to the Monastery, taking your horses back to their green field, where you will be well into the routine of un-tacking and feeding them. On this second evening at Lluc we will enjoy dinner in the restaurant on the outer edge of the monastery site, where the food and service is very good.
Day 3
After breakfast the next day, groom your horse and tack up for the
downward journey home and notice the horses smarten their pace as
they return to their most familiar territory. At first you will take a different route through what looks like an enchanted wood, eventually returning to a familiar landscape and the shallower inclined of the Tramuntana.
Stopping again in Pollenca, you will enjoy an excellent Mallorcan lunch
such as paella with wine – served in a small bar frequented by local
people. Now the final ride back to the stables where you will complete
your third day’s riding at about 6pm.
