We thoroughly enjoyed our 6-day unguided Panorama Trail. It was just my husband and I with no guide and, of course, our two fine horses who were reliable, fit and forward going. We've done lots of guided and unguided trails before and this one was no disappointment despite the fact we had lots of rain, limited views and several times arrived at our accommodation like drowned rats - but that's unlikely to happen to you. Instead it makes us want to return and do another trail in the much more likely good weather! The horses were good, as good as the ones in Crete (and I liked those). Yes, they had their quirks and you needed to be fully confident with general horsemanship, feeding, grooming and tacking up sometimes fidgety, restless horses, as there is of course no one around to help you. It took a few days to settle into the rhythm of how things worked, as it always does on these trails, but Rudi (the owner/head of the stables) was always at the end of the phone if in difficulty and he gave you a helpful briefing at the start of the trail and every evening. Both horses rode very well, always calm, confident and forward going. The route was superb and thanks to the GPS devices we never went more than a few yards wrong as we just followed the pre-loaded route. It was almost entirely off road on tracks that wound through valleys and mountains and felt as adventurous as the cross-Wales route we did a couple of times. No day was too long - maybe 5-6 hours riding plus 1.5 hours siesta at most, but some days have plenty of gates and some sections leading the horse on foot meaning you need a certain level of fitness to enjoy it. The accommodation was the best we have had on a trail riding holiday. I am not talking 5 stars but who wants that when you come in filthy and tired from a day in the mountains: instead we had lovely rural hotels, hostels and guest houses - characterful, good service, great food and lots of it, beautiful settings and always the horses were nearby in a small paddock with all the food left under a tarpaulin for us. We liked the varied geology (different but as varied as that we encountered in Romania): the red sand (slippery in the extreme when wet), the black volcanic ash, the slabs of stone (you need to lead across), the table top mountains (hair-raising drops and I am sure that, had we had the weather, astonishing views). The villages were beautiful to ride through, take lunch in, stay in overnight: Besalu (wonderful old bridge), Santa Pau (great restaurant), Sant Feliu (tapas in a beautiful square), Rupit (beautiful walk from where we tethered the horses across the gorge to the quaint old village) Tavertet (incredible cliff edge position). The final night in the farmhouse of their friends was special - what a building, so old and characterful. I think there are alternate routes, perhaps depending on the weather, so don't take the website too literally as you may not go everywhere and do everything, but the general spirit of the ride was captured accurately. Yes, we had a few 'moments' where you realise the ride is not 4 horseshoes for nothing, but that is largely because you have to sort yourself out when going unguided and it adds to the satisfaction. This was a well-organised trail by a professionally run outfit and I am glad they trust you with their horses. It also introduced me to Catalonia which was unexpectedly beautiful and good in all kinds of ways. We hope to be back.
Sally & Roger B.
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