Portugal by Horse:Horse Riding,MTB,Hiking or just Relaxing in Portugal,Holidays

Horse riding ,mountain biking and hiking or just relaxing in the Beira Alta. Beautiful nature in the region of Coimbra. Between the ´Serra da Estrela´ the highest point of Portugal Continental, the Caramulo mountains and the "Serra do Açor". Roman ruins, rock formations, Dolmen, rivers and small waterfalls, the atmosphere of the Portuguese countryside, sheep, goats, the friendly people...and the most beautiful sites.

You name it : Horse riding, renting a mountainbike, enjoying a massage, hiking ?A course Natural horsemanship? On Quinta Da Alegria we have many possibilities.

Imagine: The horses or mountainbikes, an open fire ,
a romantic guesthouse, pure well water...relaxing...stars...dazzling nature.

All the trails you can enjoy on horseback, mountainbike or on foot...we have 4 horses available with guide, 6 mountainbikes(VIPER)you can rent or you can bring your own MTB.

The horse riding guide speaks English, French, Portuguese and Flemish(Dutch).
The kayak and rockclimbing adventures are English and Portugues spoken.The courses Naturalhorsemanship are in English.

The region

All activities will occur in the Beira Alta zone, situated in northern Portugal in the neighborhood of Coimbra and the Serra da Estrela, the highest point of Portugal continental (2000 m) and the Caramulo mountains.

Here you can spend some unforgettable moments on horse back, with your mountainbike or hiking .
Enjoying all the beautiful sights from valleys and rivers like :Rio Mondego(the biggest in Portugal originating river), Rio dos cavalos (with it's Roman bridges), Rio Seia (with it's water turtles and otters)and many more little streams. In Summer they give refreshement to the body's of horse and rider , in winter they are spectacular eye catchers with mystical misty scenery.

Our little village Midões has some history. This you can see from the buildings .
The palace, the church, the houses of the portuguese nobility, the celtic graves.

Many of the walks are following the trail that João Brandão took to escape from his prosecuters. This Portuguese Robin Hood lived in the 19th century and fought for the rights of the poor. Only 130 years ago there was terror and poverty in this region.

Also the Romans left big marks of their culture. The buildings are obvious and once in a while we cross roman roads and bridges. There used to be a real hippodrome in Midões.

At the distance of 80 km there is europes oldest university city Coimbra with it's impressive library and beautiful churches, the ruins and archeological treasures from Conimbriga. The traditional fishing at Praia de Mira. Sunbathing in Little or big coastal areas such as Tocha, Figueira da Foz or Aveiro. The woods and convent of Buçaco at a distance of 50 km, wine cellars in Santar Viseu. At less than 20 km you can visit different Dolmen and celtic graves, roman bridges. Lots of typical markets where you can taste the portuguese food and enjoy the local ambience. Castles,cathedrals, Museums, taste portwine in one of
Portugals most beautiful citys, Porto .

On horseback we will see : Beautiful rock sculptures, valleys and us forests, roman bridges, little rivers, authentic villages, shepherds with their herds, etc...

The kayak and rock climbing events take place in the valley of the mondego River and are organized by Rock and River .

The guided walking tours take you into the beautiful mountains "Serra Da Estrella" or the "Serra do Caramulo" they are organized by Leen Van Melle.

This means, the participants will have unforgettable days of nothing but dazzling nature, lots of cultural information, relaxing body and mind on a trip to never forget.

The formulas

We only organize star formulas: the nights are spent in the guest house "Alegria" or in the "Wibbel Wobbel" guesthouse on our farm, the horse riding is organized by Portugal by horse, the mountainbikes you can rent at our farmQuinta da Alegria .

The walking tours through the Serra Da Estrella are organized by Leen Van Melle
contact:00351 238 601326 leenvanmelle@yahoo.com

Our farm has a beautiful guest house "Alegria" with space for groups of up to 6 people. It has its own bathing pool, kitchen, bathroom and terrace. It is situated 1 km from the beautiful historical village of Midões. Midões has a church, palace and spectacular old houses of the Portuguese nobility. The village has its own supermarkets,
bank, gasoline station ,restaurants and several bars. Lets not forget the beautiful views of the mountains.

Guesthouse"Wibble Wobble "with space for up to 14 people, is beautifully situated in the valley of Quinta da Alegria where the sun merrily tickles the surroundings in winter and in summer, encircled by magnificent cork oaks(which are typical from this region) with a dazzling view to the west...The house is integrated in nature, the finishing touch has been done in fine granite and lime so it has a more rustic and natural emanation.

The Wibble apartmentis a very spacious apartment with it's own typical atmosphere...we chose blue and green tints in this apartment, there- fore it has a sober and cool ambience.

There is the blue "surf room"which also can be rented seperately with only a bathroom.In the morning you have the sun peeping in and oceans of peace.

In the "Chubby room" we chose for soft green colours...the warm wooden floors and rustic walls give a peaceful glow. The bathroom is, as in guest house Alegria, in a very original style.

The terrace underneath the cork oaks cools the bodies down in summer, the big window in the lounge let's you enjoy the winter sun, even when it is really cold outside. There is a woodstove so even in winter you can enjoy a beautiful holiday on our farm.

"Wibble", with 2 bedrooms (each with a double bed),bathroom, kitchen, loung with view into the valley and possibility for 2 more people to sleep, also has the possibility to have an extra bedroom with double bed and fire place. Like this you can stay with 8 people in this apartment.

The"Wobble"apartment is the biggest apartment with lots of living space. Here we chose for more earthy colors like yellow, red, pink and lot's of wooden floors...like this we create a unique atmosphere of warmth and cosiness,
in winter this even has an extra accent with the woodburner that leaves you enjoying the spectacle of the dancing flames...
Here you don't need television...

In the living-room is standing a pool table which you can also use as table. There is a dining-room which reminds you of a cave and a very spacious kitchen with view into the valley so doing dishes becomes pleasure.

The bathroom is large and also original in pink tints with a beautiful view in the valley while you are having a shower.

There is a closed mezanine with arabic influences in pink colors, here the sun greets you in the morning . this apartment sleeps 2-3 persons in this lovely place.

In the open bridge-room,which gives pathway to the terrace, you can read a book on the sofa or with some magic turn the sofa into a big double bed or 2 single beds. The red bedroom with it's double bed and fire place is of course the most pretty room.

If this is not enough we have a very big roofed in terrace with this apartment, it has a spectacular view into the valley,like this also in winter or autumn when it is raining you can still be outside because of the soft temperatures we have here in Portugal.

"Wobble" has 1 bedroom with double bed and open fire ,a mezanine with space for 2-3 people and a sleeping couch for more 2 people in the open bridge room. A spacious living-room with pool table,kitchen, bathroom,dining-room and
big private terrace.

There is an INTEC bathing pool to share with the guests staying in the wibble wobble house.