Doing the Continental: Spain from Cantabria – Catalunya
September 23 – October 5, 2006
This tour is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to drive your E-types as they were designed to be driven - you might think you already know Spain, but we hope to prove you wrong! Join us to explore some of this country’s hidden delights and dramatic scenery, with a strong emphasis on luxurious living, good food and wine.
This fabulous tour will travel through some of the area’s most awe-inspiring scenery, from the stunning natural park of Fuente De in the Picos to wonderful Rioja vineyards; from the beautiful coastline to Santander to the rugged climbs of the Pyrenees.
Not only can we offer stunning routes and scenery (a backdrop truly fitting for the stylish E), but we have also found some of the region’s most fantastic hotels, for example, the amazing Mas de Torrent and, in Haro, a four star hotel converted from a monastery. Even better, we will be visiting some of the area’s finest (and the Michelin Star man agrees with us) restaurants, not to mentioning sampling some of is liquid delights, with wine tastings and a visit to a Bodegas already planned.
We should also mention that culturally and artistically this area is a particular treat! You will have ample opportunity to gaze at Gaudi and dabble with Dali on your travels, which will include a visit to the famous museum in Figueras and a chance to view the visually stunning, not to mention down right weird, El Capicho de Gaudi (Gaudi’s whim).
We really think that this is a wonderful tour which samples the best of everything that Cantabria and Catalunya has to offer - all in the convivial company of other E-type enthusiasts.
A brief Itinerary for this magnificent trip is as follows, but please feel free to contact us if you require any further information:
Sunday 24th September- Travellers from the UK, y will catch the overnight Brittany Ferries boat from Plymouth, departing at 16:00 to Santander. Prior to dinner, we will host a welcome reception
- Continental participants will arrive in the afternoon for a 3 night stay and welcome dinner at Hotel Santemar, Santander, just a few hundred metres away from one of Spain’s most beautiful beaches.
Monday 25th September
- UK Participants arrive in Santander at approximately 11:30 and check into Hotel Santemar around midday.
- Lunch is at the Parador in Santilla del Mar. see www.turcantabria.com - a wonderfully preserved 15-18thC village near the famous Altamira Caves
- Optional afternoon run to the village of Comillas to view a most unusual building designed by Gaudi, or return to Santander, explore the beautiful seafront promenade or relax at the hotel
- Welcome cocktail and dinner in the Hotel
Tuesday 26th September
- Visit to the national park of Fuente De in the Picos de Europa – park the car and explore the dramatic landscape, taking the cable car up to the 1900m view point, weather permitting. Ideal opportunity for a picnic in the mountains.
- Free choice of dining in the hotel or try one of Santander's many excellent restaurants.
Wednesday 27th September
- Drive to Haro, travelling through the stunning scenery of the famous Rioja wine producing area of Spain.
- 1st Regularity run
- We take lunch in a typical restaurant, set in the main square of Briviesca
- Our base for the next two nights is the dramatic four-star hotel, Los Agustinos, www.aranzazu-hoteles.com in Haro, which was once a monastery.
- Welcome to Haro by the Mayor with a glass or two of Rioja
- Evening walk through the captivating old streets of Haro, for dinner in a local restaurant with plenty of Rioja
Thursday 28th September
- Full day excursion, including a visit to one of the oldest monasteries in Spain and a chance to sample the wines in some ‘Bodegas’ dotted around the dramatic scenic mix of hills and vineyards, all on well surfaced minor roads.
- There is a choice of restaurants for lunch or perhaps a picnic in Laguardia, the centre of the Rioja area.
- Dinner is in the cellars of a local winemaker. We are able to leave the cars parked safely overnight and walk back to the Hotel, so no need to worry about drinking and driving.
Friday 29th September
- After an exhilarating drive, with a few clues to collect along the way, we arrive at Hotel Huesca where we reside for one night. www.aparthotelhuesca.es Today’s route is the link-up between Cantabria and Catalunya. The drive takes us through parts of Navarra and Aragon.
- Tonight we dine in a private dining room in our hotel where the food will be prepared by a local Michelin star chef
- Dinner will be followed by a musical interlude of regional dancing & singing.
Saturday 30th September
- Driving north east from Huesca, we head off for Catalunya following river valleys and climbing up into the Pyrenees.
- Buffet lunch en route.
- Photo clues to find after tea at a splendid Parador hotel
- We will be staying for two nights in the Golf Hotel Fontanals www.ecohotels.com near Puigcerda. Here we hope to be joined for the weekend by other Jaguars from the Spanish clubs.
Sunday 1st October
- This is the halfway point of the rally and you will have a free day to relax in comfortable surroundings, play a round of golf or just explore this beautiful valley set at the eastern end of the Pyrenees near the border with France.
Monday 2nd October
- Journey towards the Mediterranean coast and our final destination of Mas de Torrent, where we will be staying for three nights. For more information visit: www.mastorrent.com
- 2nd Regularity run
- We will visit the medieval village of Besalu at lunchtime, parking in the main square for a photo call.
- A short run from there to the Relais & Chateau hotel Mas de Torrent, set in Tuscany-like surroundings with an outdoor swimming pool that should be warm enough to use. In 2004 when the XK Club arrived the pool was at 25 degrees!
Tuesday 3rd & Wednesday 4th October
- It is the 102nd anniversary of Salvador Dali’s birth and the Catalans are still celebrating in style! We will be visiting Dali's famous museum in Figueras. See www.costabrava.org for more info on the area and on Dali.
- The last two days of the tour involve very little driving to allow you time to relax and enjoy the fantastic setting of Mas de Torrent. However, there will be optional excursions for those who prefer to be active, and the choice of a cooking demonstration in the Hotel or a wine tasting in the largest wine emporium in Europe on the last day.
- On Tuesday night there will be a short evening regularity run to the beautiful coastal resort of Calella de Palafrugell where one of the Costa's most famous restaurants will open specially for the E type Club and serve local delicacies
- Wednesday evening will embrace our Gala prize-giving dinner with fine wines, fine food and fine dancing. (That last part is up to the entrants and their partners!)
- We have thrown in some other surprises, hoping to make this tour different to anything you might have done before, but if we told you about them, they wouldn’t be surprises!
Thursday 5thth October
- The Tour officially ends after breakfast at the 5 star hotel in Mas de Torrent. All UK participants bid farewell to their international compatriates.
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