Coto de Donana Ride
OK gang - get set for the Donana (that's Donana, not Donana like Banana!) The Bronco Babes make a gallop across Spain.
A ride on sandy trails around the nature reserve of the Goto Donana, the largest and most interesting nature reserve in Europe. Starting in the southwest of Seville you ride along the pilgrim routes towards El Rocio, the international town of horses. The surroundings of Donana National Park offer pine forests and cork oak, dunes, marshland and hunting grounds.
It's true there are odd umbrella looking pines, cork oak, dunes, marshland, endless sand and scrub - all replete with human trash strewn underneath. Don't forget the indigenous dirt bikers that won't slow down for anything.
Day 1 - Arrival in Seville, dinner and overnight in a local hotel.
Arrival at the Seville train station or airport is about as close to Seville as you 'II get. Meet your driver, who doesn 't speak English, then be whisked PAST Seville to some industrial outpost on the edge of town. Bleak hardly begins to describe the atmosphere. The hotel is clean and comfortable —just don'tplan to look out of the windows or go out the front door. But, resourceful troopers that we are, there's always fun to be had. Grab a couple cervesas, a deck of card, M&Msfor chips and poker in the courtyard fills the afternoon. Keep cheat sheets handy for reference on which hand is a winner. Oh yeah — is it a Spanish thing for the deck to have no 8s? Finally, remember it's socialist poker — the person with the most M&Ms must share with the rest or us!
Dinner -you 'II learn quickly that dinner in Spain is brutal and not for the faint of intestine. Oceans of squid, mountains of meat and endless flan - all at 10pm. This is where you will meet your guide, cook and housemates for the week. In our case we got Juan and Anka. OK, you might think that choosing a ride in Spain you 'd get a Spanish guide who could give you the low down on Spanish culture and the area where you are staying. You 'd be wrong. We got a German girl who's only doing this job to take a break from her real life in Germany. (Bad break up with a boyfriend? — who knows) She speaks some Spanish and some English, but translation is still ify. Not to criticize because her linguistic skills are far superior to any of ours — it 'sjust not what was expected. Then there's Juan who is Anka's helper/cook/boyfriend/handyman. He is a Spaniard from Cadiz who speaks no English and will be living with us as well for the week. When we meet Anka is exhausted. She and Juan haven't had a day off all summer. Her affect is not one of "Hey, glad you 're here. This week is going to be great. ", but "Let's get on with this ". She asks each of us about ourselves and the type of riding we do normally. Most give the same answer — we don't -want any loco horses to ride. Speed is fine, but no bucking or rearing. She looks at us like we 're loco. Obviously she wasn 't in Ireland with us. Hit the sack after dinner — there's nothing else to do.
Day 2 - Transfer to the "Pueblo del Rio" where the horses are waiting near the finca of the famous bull fighter Angel Peralta.
You 're driven to a country crossroad where Juan pulls off the road onto the burm. We look at each other and are told our horses are here. Here? They 're in the large box truck (lorry) also on the side of the road. They 're unloaded — assigned to us and we begin grooming and tacking up. By the way no mention of Angel Peralta or even a greeting from the German owners of the ranch who delivered the horses.
You follow the tracks of "Hermandad de Sevilla" when she starts her yearly pilgrimage to Rocio. The "Camino al Rocio y a la Paloma Blanca" is world-renowned and the largest pilgrimage on horseback and carriage with participation from people all over the world.
Pilgrimage to and for what you might ask So did we - over and over. Even we Catholics remain baffled. Don't expect Anka to explain - she doesn't get it either. In the shadows of the wide pine forests you reach Villamanrique, a small village that serves as a stopover and is also the home for our horses for the night. After a late lunch you ride to your home for the next nights in Rocio. "El Rocio" is a small village surrounded by pine forests and wetlands in the "Parque Donana". No paved roads, just wide sandy streets.
Home for the horses is somewhere different each night, but all have similar features - raggedy barbed wire fences, old bed frames for gates and obstacles like old appliances or car parts strewn throughout. The horses seem none the worse for wear, but we 're appalled — soft Americans 1 guess.
Then there 's our home for the week. Rocio is quaint. It 's like riding into a cowboy town. We still don 't quite get that this is a very Spanish type of resort area. There is street after street of vacation homes. Kind of like condos in Myrtle Beach. Families buy these houses for their vacation get-away or to rent to tourists. There are very few permanent residents. When we arrive it is almost desolate as the high tourist season has passed. We quickly figure out that Flamenco is really big here as every other shop seems to sell the outfits. Not sure what kind of house we thought we 'd have, but this is definitely rustic. Sort-ofa medium grade hunting camp meets bunkhouse. We 're assigned our cots and begin wondering - Did anyone envision this? Am I a baby for wishing there was a bathroom closer to my cot? By the way, just who is this Virgin of El Rocio who is on every piece ofchatske available? What did she do? Is she "the " virgin? These and other burning questions hold our attention for the week
Day 3 - You ride across wide sandy trails to the "Palacio del Rey". Long canters under the pines before a last stop to re-supply the saddle bags, because the supply vehicle can not follow you today. The first highlight of the ride is you enter the Rocio, passing the large church and through the village to a copa with horses. At sunrise you may wander over to the Marimas to view its rare species of birds.
is the day we rode around the outskirts and through Rocio. On this ride we could view the lovely garbage infested farming patches that surround the town. Quite depressing. The most fun of this day was "making a gallop " through town and drinking cervesa at a horse sized outside bar.
Day 4 - Enjoy different types of forests, travel dunes, dry regions and marshland, as well as see a variety of animal species. The native reserve is completely closed an nobody is allowed to enter here, the only area you can visit is "Camino al Rocio". You have the opportunity to see this wonder of nature on an escorted tour with Land Rovers. The park keeper will show you the best places where animals can be observed: Flamingos, lynx, and hundreds of birds.
You have the opportunity is operative phrase -for an extra 20e each. The best view on this trip is the park keeper — hot Spaniard in his natural habitat. If you go ask for Gonzo (Giafalma).
In the afternoon you saddle your horse for Vuelta al pueblo ( a round through the village) and the surrounding area.
Did that the day before. This afternoon we move the horses closer to the beach. Wide sandy trails among the umbrella pines. Fortunately there 's not too much garbage along this trail. We end up at a "ghost town " where the horses spend the night. Here we meet a "capullo " (crazy person?) who lives alone among the abandoned houses. No ghosts, just the ravages ofunemplyment.
In the evening your dinner is at the Atlantic shore with fresh fish specialties. Actually the shore is down the street and dinner is pork chops.
Day 5 - On your way to "Cabezudos" you cross the route of "Rocio chico". The village is well-known because of semi wild horses living in the area.
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