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A wonderful opportunity to experience and photograph the spectacular and rugged mountains of the Serrania de Ronda, home to some of Spain’s most notorious bandoleros. You will enjoy expansive views from the mountains down to the sea and across to Africa; ancient forests and mountain streams; white villages; a variety of scenery whilst the horses take the strain of the historic paths and tracks that we shall follow.
There will be no more boring travel slide shows that your friends will shy away from.
The skills that we teach you will allow you to develop the art of creating compelling photographic narratives of your adventures from now on.
- an exhibiting international fine art photographer, will beguile you with
her creative knowledge and passion for the medium. She is an accomplished horsewoman in her own right.
- owner/operator of Ride Andalucia (Gaucin) our guide and
expert horsewoman for the week, has been involved with horses all her life and is
highly knowledgeable about the area. She will regale you with information and stories
of the places we visit.
- photographer and accomplished chef, will help with technical issues.
He will guide you better to understand your cameras and how to to use them to their full potential. Additionally, he will delight your tastebuds by creating delectable dishes using local produce.
During the course of the 4 days of riding we will be stopping to take advantage of all
the opportunities offered by these varied and beautiful landscapes; from wide panoramas of mountains to the sea and valley vistas of cork and chestnut forests. You may take intimate portraits of trees and streams and studies of ruins and water mills.
Our objective will be to learn how to document and create a story of our trip/adventure.
It is not the quantity of photographs that we take but the quality. We enjoy the places we encounter through seeing and feeling, so using that seeing and feeling we will create lasting imagery in our photographs.
For our lunches we will rendezvous in photogenic locations with Alberto who will provide tasty picnics. In the evenings we will enjoy a long relaxing dinner back at our base
in Jimena de la Frontera, where we will discuss the events of the day and review our photographs.
Transfer from Gibraltar.
Arrive at Jimena de la Frontera to stay in an atmospheric Casa Señorial with your own private bedroom and en suite bathroom. You will enjoy Introductory drinks and a welcome dinner with your guides/tutors/hosts Sue, Alberto and Karen.
After breakfast we take a short drive to our horses where we will start the first leg of
our adventure from the Cortijo La Almuna at the base of Gaucin. We will ride through ancient forests and along the smugglers' trail, a narrow path that leads us to the famous white village of Gaucin, the balcony of the Sierras, looking south to the Mediterranean
and Africa. We leave our horses at the bottom of the village to go up to enjoy a lunch of tapas in a friendly local bar .
After lunch those that wish may take the opportunity to photograph the beautiful village of Gaucin with Sue, or polish up on their camera skills with Alberto.
(Full day ride)
We make an early start to take advantage of those photo opportunities awaiting us.
We leave the expansive vistas behind and travel down into the wilder valley of the Genal, through oak forests, past a “Calera” where white cal paint was made, and chestnut groves. We arrive at the valley floor and enjoy a picnic next to the River Genal, lined with poplars and oleanders, where kingfishers are often seen.
After lunch we resume our trek along a country lane with views of the narrow gorge below. We cross the river to arrive at a fine example of a watermill. We join a spectacular path that offers impressive views as we make our way to to the picturesque white village of Benalauria, our destination for the day.
(Full day ride)
We ride up through the narrow streets of Benalauria, often meeting villagers heading out on their donkeys to work the land. Wild cherry trees line the route and in summer fig trees are laden with fruit. We pass a little factory that makes delicacies from chestnuts harvested locally and ride on to the crags above. Astony track takes us up to a saddle in the mountains with a birds eye view of the valley we are leaving.
Winding down a twisting trail we pass small meadows and pastures with ‘Encina’ oak trees, then continue down through increasingly fertile farmland to emerge in the little settlement of Siete Pilas, which means seven drinking troughs It was an important crossroads for the ancient drove roads where livetock were moved. We shall enjoy our picnic surrounded by an amphitheatre of mountains to photograph. From here we ride back along the cork cutters' track to the village of Gaucin.
(Half day ride)
Joining the horses back in Gaucin we descend the old road to Gibraltar which takes the same route as the village ‘Romeria’. This is the day when the local saint is carried by the whole village once a year to a sacred spot. The saint is of course flanked by Andalucian horsemen with their girls riding pillion wearing their bright 'flamenco' dresses.
Down on the river the water sparkles, and the water birds and turtles enjoy the freshness of the green sandy banks of the Genal. Then, turning uphill once again, we climb back onto a high ridge trail with fabulous views in every direction that leads us back to La Almuna in time for lunch.
Today we will review all the images we have taken, explore some of the software and finesse how we tell a photographic story. We will bring together all the elements that we have learnt during the week to create an exciting narrative of the 4 days' ride through the Sierra.
For our final evening together Alberto will prepare another gourmet dinner to excite your taste buds.
Breakfast and transfers to Gibraltar airport.
* must be reasonably fit and able to control a well trained horse at walk and trot in open country. 4WD transfers for non riders.
www.rideandalucia.com
For information and booking enquiries please phone (+34 6366 48170) or email us
To view images of the accommodation click here. |
