Lot Valley, April 2009

Emma Thompson, Far and Ride

I took a cheap and easy flight with Ryanair from London Stansted to Rodez and the transfer to the gite took 45 minutes.  On arrival in the evening I walked into a relaxed atmosphere to find people talking around the roaring wood burner.  Amongst the guests there were two sisters, Vanessa and Jayne on their sixth visit and one of Far and Ride’s good friends on her second visit to the Lot Valley, following her first visit at Christmas time.

I was handed a glass of wine and sat down at the large wooden dining table for an introductory chat, whilst eating some snacks which consisted of some seriously tasty homemade pate, fresh bread, Toulouse sausage, homemade quiche and a selection of cheeses. After the travelling, chatting, food and drink it was time to retire to my suitably comfortable bedroom. All rooms are en-suite, they provide towels, offer large mirrors and hairdryers (important for some!!).  The furniture throughout the gite is traditional in its French style with an air of shabby chic in the bedrooms.

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Sierra Nevada, September 2008
Lucy M.

As we were flying into Granada, we decided to arrive on a Friday and spend Saturday and Sunday visiting the Alhambra and other areas of this beautiful city.  This is well worth doing, particularly as Manolo (who owns and runs the riding school) will pick you up from your hotel.

On arriving at the cave hotel we were delighted by our accommodation.  We had a sitting room, small kitchen, shower room and bedroom.  Part of this accommodation was dug into the hillside, so you sleep in a cave and the whole ‘cottage’ retains a perfect temperature whether hot or cool outside.  When you are not riding there is a small pool where you can swim and sunbathe whilst enjoying the lovely views – we had the pool all to ourselves when we were there!  The food at the hotel is excellent – good traditional Spanish food with lots of local dishes.

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Today, we are happy to bring you three new riding destinations, including rides in two countries we’ve previously not offered. The rides in Italy, Tunisia and Serbia all bring something new to and different to our selection and we are excited to be offering them.

Enjoy stunning scenery of this wild uncontaminated coast line of the Calabrian Coast in the South-East of Italy. The daily rides are based from an ancient rambling farm house. The farm is a family run establishment who produce their own wine, cheese, meat, preserves and extra virgin olive oil for the guests. A great place for families, couples, groups or singles and being only 300 metres from the 42 km of protected Mediterranean coastline also makes it ideal for those non riding partners.

For more information see the Calabrian Coast page.

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Following on from our popular competition giving away a holiday for the launch of Katie Price’s Perfect Ponies book, we have now teamed up again.

Far and Ride are giving away a KP Equestrian Polo top worth £25 each to 5 lucky winners in our completely free competition.

The closing date is 1st June 2009.

To enter just go to the KP Equestrian competition page.

Our very own Emma Thompson has written a review of the Lipica Stud Farm she visited late last year. The article was published in the February 09 issue of NagMag; available from all good Tack Stores and Feed Merchants in the South East.

The article discusses Emma taking classical dressage lessons on the famous Lipizzaner horses, and includes her meeting with Favory Canissa XXII as he was being prepared to be presented to Queen Elizabeth II a week later.

To read Emma’s article you can download an online snippet of the magazine here: Lipica Stud Review (1.3MB PDF).

Far and Ride are organising an escorted trip for the Calamani Mountains trail from theTransylvania Adventures ride, Romania 13 – 21 June. Far and Ride’s Emma will ride alongside you during the week long point to point trail.

This is a fantastic opportunity for single travellers to join an organised adventure to an unspoilt country, rich in history and culture.  It is suitable for intermediate riders and above. 

We are also pleased to offer a 10% discount off all of the Transylvania programmes (singles or small groups) and an further 5% discount for groups of six persons or more on bookings confirmed before the 31 March 2009.

If you are interested in joining this ride, 13 – 21 June, then please contact us.

The Lot Valley, December 2008
Tabatha

I decided I wanted to do something different for Christmas and always wanted to ride a horse, so I decided to roll both into one and gave Lot Valley a try.  As a complete beginner, I managed to squeeze in two riding lessons from a conventional riding school before my trip. The overall goal of my trip was to gain experience riding and grooming and to be comfortable around horses.  Derek met me and a couple of other guests at the airport in Toulouse (the closest airport in Rodez is closed during the winter). There was a very pleasant and scenic two hour drive from the airport to Asprieres.  Entering the Lot Valley region from the highway was beautiful, there were several small villages along the way and varied levels of terrain with beautiful scenery all around.  Asprieres is a beautiful old village.

The gîte was relaxing, warm, welcoming and well decorated.  The living area is large and airy with a large dining table; the kitchen is large and always fully stocked.  There’s a pool (not for winter use though).  Each bedroom was a good size, cute and quirky with an en-suite.  Across the road is the first of several fields with horses, so it was a pleasure to open the window every morning to be greeted by one or some of the many horses there.

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We are pleased to announce we have recently added two new rides to our complement:

Australia

Far and Ride are now offering a fabulous trail ride in Australia, where excellent tuition can also be provided. They can cater for all ages, abilities and for non riders. This ride will take you to the pristine beaches of Australia.  Maybe you fancy a ride in the bush, where you will find no traffic, just kangaroos, cows, 6,000 acres and a barbie in the middle of nowhere. Following your day in the saddle, they can arrange a massage, sauna, spa, swim, facial, pedicure or aromatherapy. 

The ride is owned and managed Alex and his qualified staff, including Operations Manager, Geoff Moore. Alex is an Olympian in Modern Pentathlon, which comprises of running, swimming, fencing, shooting and show jumping;  representing Australia at 3 Olympic games. He competed in Los Angeles (84), Seoul (88) and Barcelona (92).

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Stationary programme, Farmhouse Tuscany Ride, June 2008
Julia H.

I visited the Farmhouse Tuscany in June 2008.  This was my first holiday on my own and I decided to make it an activity holiday and chose horse riding.  I’d looked at various venues but kept coming back to Tuscany and to Franco’s Farm in particular.

Everything about the place appealed to me and I was not disappointed, in fact this is one of the best holidays I have ever experienced.  From the location, the horses, the food and especially the people – everything was just wonderful.

The farmhouse is 1,000 years old and has lots of character.  From the outset the welcome you receive from Raimonda, Franco and the rest of the “gang” is warm, open and friendly and they do their best to make you feel at home.

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We are delighted to announce a new destination in southern Turkey, the Taurus Ranch Hotel ride. Turkey, with its diverse landscape from valleys to mountains makes for a unique horse riding destination. A rapidly modernising country with one foot in Europe and one in the Middle East, the people have an unrivalled reputation for hospitality and the cuisine is to die for.

This superb destination, ideal for horse riders of all kinds from honeymooners to families, is located on one of the most beautiful coasts of Turkey. Offering excellent hotel facilities plus the whole range of riding experience, the Taurus Hotel Ranch is situated 50km from Antalya and 2.5km from the local beach. The ranch lies among pine forests facing the spectacular volcanic Twin Peaks and a huge range of activities is available for all.

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