WalkingWomen Wine Walk in Priorat, North East Spain 2023

SUMMARY

WalkingWomen Wine Walk in Spain May 2023

Dates: Sat May 6 to Sat May 13th

Guide: Lorraine Roberts

Walking Grade: 2 Goats walking between 3 to 4 hours a day with plenty of stops and chances to experience the local food and wine and meet local women producers.

Base: Two hotels right beside each other -The Priorat Aparthotel, Falset, Priorat Región, North-East Spain and the Lotus Hotel next door.

Arrivals : We will arrange pick up from Barcelona. Please arrive for a 3pm ish group transfer from Barcelona Airport. The journey is approx 2 hours to Falset. If you can not fit in with this time we can arrange pick ups at an additional cost to you.

Departures – arrange flights after 14.00. There will be a group transfer after breakfast at approx 10am

Price: £1,400 per person for this unique holiday which includes:

• Single occupancy,ensuite in double bed in newly renovated luxury ensuite accommodation
• All meals except for on 2 evenings where you have free time
• Premium wine and olive oil tours and tastings with local women producers
• Guide for the week – English speaking
• A guided tour of Tarragona
• Visit to the first Carthusian Monastery in Spain
• Group transfer from Reus to Falset leaving Reus approx. 15.30 and return for afternoon flights from Reus on Sat 13th leaving Falset 12 noon.

The cost of the holiday is £1,000 per person if you bring a friend and share a room 

Not included:

• Travel to Falset
• Two meals which your guide will recommend and book restaurants so the group can eat together if they choose
• Drinks

We can help organise any extensions to your holiday – perhaps a few days in Barcelona or on the beach in Sitges.

DETAILS

Our location for our WalkingWomen Wine Walk in Spain is Falset in the region of Priorat. There are many local wines to try as well as local products like goat’s cheese and olive oil. We focus on women producers. Falset is a lovely Spanish small town with cobbled streets, some shops and many little bars and cafes, set in the dramatic landscape of Priorat.

More and more women are becoming winemakers and this trip will give the opportunity to walk among the vines, to learn about what inspires these women and to taste their creations. The walking is beautiful amongst vineyards and rolling hills.

The nearest airport is Reus 30 minutes away. There are direct flights to Reus from Birmingham, London Stansted and Manchester, UK Airports. Marca-Falset is the closest train station. Flights are usually cheap if booked well in advance.

Barcelona Airport is about an hour and a half /2 hour drive from Falset, or approximately 3 hours by bus or bus and train. It is also possible to travel by train via Paris and Barcelona taking 27 hours + from London.

Our walks are graded 2 goats as they range from 8 – 14km, along footpaths and stoney tracks, up hills and along valleys. Some have steepish sections, not mountain walking, but can feel a little challenging. There is a maximum ascent in a day of 600m.
The walks give beautiful views across fields, vineyards, gorges and rivers to the mountains. This is definitely off the beaten track little known by walkers – we will not see many if any, other people.

The idea is to experience the local culture with lots of local wine tasting and eating Spanish food. On some days we will have a ‘menu del dia’ in a pretty Spanish village on our route. We will visit at least two bodegas and an olive press to see how the wine and olive oil is made and for some tasting.

In the evenings we will go out to eat together in a local restaurant where we can also try pica pica tapas!

We will add in visits to sites of significant cultural interest such as the archaeological site of the Escaladia Abby. One day we will take the train to Tarragona for a fascinating half-day tour including the amphitheatre and cathedral, with the afternoon free to explore the narrow streets and shops or to go to the beach and swim.

Our accommodation is a Boutique ‘aparthotel’ – rooms are ensuite with kitchen area, balconies or terraces. All rooms are double, and some have an additional bed and can therefore become a twin. It is a littler bit of luxury for relaxing in at the end of the day.
The Aparthotel and the Lotus hotel are on a quiet street in the old, medieval part of town.

May is a beautiful time to visit, it will be warm and we may find some rocky pools to swim in as we wander in this wonderful wine region.

Watch our video to get a sense of what to expect on our WalkingWomen Wine Walk in Spain

ITINERARY

Details Please note that the itinerary for our WalkingWomen Wine Walk in Spain may change depending on weather or availability of specific wine makers. Our guide will brief you each evening about the next day’s programme.

Day 1

Check-in is from 4 pm. Settle into rooms before meeting together with your guide at 6 pm for introductions and a welcome briefing. We have arranged an introductory wine tasting. Next, a wander around the town and have dinner together in a local restaurant at about 8 pm.

Day 2 –  approx 13km

Walk from the apartments in Falset to the hilltop village of Gratallops via Bellmunt for a Catalan Sunday lunch and an introduction to the wines of the region. The walking is mostly on well-signed tracks and paths with some incline. Return to Falset by taxi.

The evening to see more of Falset and enjoy some pica pica (tapas) and drinks (not included)

Day 3 – approx 8km.

A circular walk starting from the pretty village of Cabaces, with its narrow streets, we walk down through olive groves to join a zig-zag path which winds up about 200m to the rocky ridge of Serra dels Solans with stunning views across the Priorat region. We walk along this ridge and then take the track downhill towards la Bisbal de Falset. Returning via Sant Roc, a now disused hermitage, built under the red rocks of the area we arrive back in Cabaces where we can visit an olive oil mill, producing three types of oil from the different olives grown in the region.

Returning to Falset in the afternoon we will visit the Cooperative for a tour and tasting, including the town’s well-renowned vermouth. The Cooperative building was built by Cesar Martinell, a disciple of Gaudi.

Evening we will eat out together in Falset.

 Day 4 – 10.5km or 13.5km depending on the route

Today’s walk starts in Pobeleda, another pretty village about 30 mins from Falset. We will walk steadily uphill for about 400m, between vineyards and almond trees to reach a pine forest and then a short distance along the road to Morera de Montsant –where we will rest for a while with a cold beer or coffee. After this, we walk downhill through pine and olive groves for about 1 hour to reach the remains of the 12th-century monastery of Scala Dei in just over an hour. We will explore the ruins of the monastery, which are partly renovated and offer a fascinating glimpse into the monks’ lives.  A chance to rest over our packed lunches.

A further walk of 15 mins takes us into the village of Escaladei where we will have a wine tasting and tour of one of the premium Priorat wine producers. After this, we have the option of returning to Falset in a taxi or walking a further hour back to Poboleda to meet our taxi there.

Evening – eat out together in Falset

Day 5 – a day in Tarragona

By train from Falset, the station is about a 25 min walk along the road out of town. We start with a guided tour of the cathedral and the amphitheatre in the morning – about 3 hrs. Lunch will be a ‘menu del dia’ (menu of the day) together.

The afternoon is free time with the possibility of more sightseeing, shopping or even a visit to the town’s beach. We will return together on the train early evening, or if anyone wants to stay on for the evening in Tarragona, you can make your own way back. The evening is also free time, with drinks/tapas options in Falset (not included)

Day 6 – approx 12km

Today we will travel away from the Priorat region to the medieval town of Miravet, which sits on the River Ebro, an important strategic marker in the Spanish civil war. We will walk up to the castle and look around and then contour along the hill following the river with beautiful views across the orange groves before arriving in Benifalet which has several menu del dia lunch options.

Returning to Bellmunt by taxi we will go to Prior Terrae bodega for a tour and tasting of their lovely wine in the late afternoon

The evening is spent in Falset, with pica pica tapas and drinks (not included)

Day 7 –  approx 10km

For our final day we will go by taxi to Porrera, a village about 20 mins drive away and then walk back towards Falset through the Collet de la Sentui on the GR174 route, skirting the town and visiting another old hermitage before walking on to the little village of Marca where we will do a wine tour and tasting of wines at Dosterras.

This evening we will enjoy our last meal together in Falset and then go out for drinks and hopefully some local music.

 Day 8 – Saturday 13th May 

Departure day. There will be one transfer arranged to Reus airport after breakfast.