Self-Guided Walking Holiday Spain • Aragon Active

Trip Overview

Overview

Holiday Price
4 nights from €485 per person

“We were so impressed with the care put into planning routes for us, which catered perfectly to our interests, abilities and the weather conditions….we would come back in a heartbeat to this special part of the world.”
Jason & Dianne. Namibia.

Our Self Guided Walking Holiday Spain is based in the heart of the Spanish Pyrenees, in rural Aragon. This is one of Europe’s most unexplored and unspoilt regions.
Ideal for anyone with a love for nature and the great outdoors, this holiday is perfect if you like to explore on your own, at your own pace.
We provide the local knowledge, route cards, maps, weather forecasts, advice, driving directions and picnic lunches, leaving you free to enjoy the walking.

You will be staying at our exceptional, renovated farmhouse, close to two parks. The National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido, a UNESCO world heritage site, and the Natural Park of Sierra de Guara. The Natural Park of Posets-Maladeta, with it’s high concentration of 3km high peaks is also reachable.
The farmhouse itself is also within the Geopark of Sobrabre, a UNESCO site of particular geological importance. This location means we have a vast choice of walks all within easy reach.

The price is per person on a 7 night stay, it includes bed and breakfast, all refreshments, three evening meals at the farmhouse (three course with wine and coffee), daily picnics, route cards and maps. Shorter stays are welcome, minimum 4 nights, and are on a pro-rata basis. Flights and hire car are not included. See our Getting Here for more information on hire cars and flights.

We are Simon and Lucy, your hosts. We live here all year round and have done so for the last 11 years, so we know the best places to recommend!

Itinerary

Self Guided Walking Holiday Spain Itinerary

Of course, the fact you are staying with us, in our amazing farmhouse, means we are always on hand to offer advice, and answer any questions.

Our route cards for the walks include points of interest to look out for, both geological and cultural, as well as information on the flora and fauna. We will make the final decision on your walking route together, either the night before or over breakfast. This will be based on an up to the minute weather forecast, and how you are feeling on that particular day.
Our knowledge base and advice is not just limited to the walks. We recommend marvelous restaurants, some with spectacular views, cultural trips and sightseeing visits, giving you endless options for the holiday. You can even have a vulture spotting day or hire one of our mountain guides (speak to us at time of booking for prices).

Did you know the Ordesa National Park is a World Biosphere Reserve and a ‘Special Protection Area for Birds’? We have more than 1500 species of flowers, 171 species of birds, over 131 species of butterflies, of which 8 are endemic, and 32 different species of mammals.

The bullet point itinerary below gives an idea of just some of the possibilities.

Please note: this is strictly a no-smoking holiday.

DAY 1:

Arrival at Casa Allué, Albella.
Dinner and a chance to relax.

DAY 2:

Morning walk in the Ordesa National Park. (3-4 hours). Picnic lunch.
Afternoon and meal out in Ainsa.

Looking down the Ordesa valley in the Ordesa national Park on Aragon Active Self Guided Walking Holiday Spain

DAY 3:

Valley walk in the Ordesa National Park (3-5 hours). Picnic lunch.
Afternoon visit to Torla.
Dinner in Albella.

DAY 4 :

Easy day. Visit to a bodega .
Walk in the Sierra de Guara (2-3 hours). Picnic Lunch.
Evening meal out.

Visiting a bodega in the Somontano region of the Pyrenees on Aragon Active Self Guided Walking Holiday Spain

DAY 5:

Option to have a guided walk with our mountain guide. (5-6 hours).
Picnic lunch.
Dinner in Albella.

DAY 6:

Walk to an amazing canyon (4-6 hours). Picnic lunch.
Meal out.

A medieval bridge in the Ordesa National Park on Aragon Active Self Guided Walking Holiday Spain

DAY 7:

Option to go on a guided vulture watch.
Lunch at a mountain restaurant.

DAY 8:

A flexible timetable depending on departure times.

A lammergeir in flight on Aragon Active Self Guided Walking Holiday Spain

Accommodation

The base for our Self Guided Walking Holiday Spain is our 17^th century farmhouse, Casa Allué. It nestles on the hillside in the small farming hamlet of Albella, within the Pyrenees Geopark and close to the National Park of Ordesa and the Natural Park of Sierra de Guara.

The Farmhouse

We undertook a major restoration project to transform Casa Allué into both a family home and a “must stay” destination.

The transformation complete, we have created a home from home. The bedrooms are spacious with luxury en suite bathrooms and thermostatic rain showers. All have mountain views with plenty of natural light. Four have stone balconies, perfect for star gazing, as the night skies here are breathtaking.
Each room is named after the wildlife that surrounds the house.

View The Farmhouse

We love to cook and we prepare all your meals using only locally sourced, or our own organic produce. We can cater for all dietary requirements. The flavour is definitely Spanish, but often with a twist!
But it’s not just the accommodation and food that make our holidays stand out! See our section What Makes Us Different!
And for more information on our farmhouse, Casa Allué, visit our page Guest House Accommodation.

Getting Here

How to Get to Albella

When considering the options below why not add on a couple of nights to include a city break.

Flying to Zaragoza

Our nearest airport is Zaragoza. Ryan Air offer flights all year round from London Stansted.
Arrival time in Zaragoza is normally 16.40 and departure 17.05.

Flying to Barcelona (El Prat) & Madrid

Barcelona and Madrid are hubs for international flights from outside Europe. If you are arriving from the USA, Canada, Australia or another international destination these are the best options.

There are also flights from many UK airports. All the low cost airlines fly to both cities.

If you are looking for cheap flights try Momondo or Skyscanner.

Hire Cars
A hire car is a must on our Self Guided Walking Holiday Spain. All the major hire car companies have bases at the airports, Europcar, Avis, Hertz, and Goldcar. Auto Europe is a good starting point for booking a car.
From Zaragoza it is two hours to our base in the Pyrenees.

Travel Times By Car From Other Airports
Barcelona (El Prat) 3¼ hours / Zaragoza 2¼ hours / Pau 3¼ hours / Toulouse 4 hours / Bilbao 4½ hours / Reus 4 hours / Lourdes (Tarbes) 3½ hours / Pamplona 2¼ hours.

Ferries
Brittany Ferries have three routes from the UK direct to Spain: Portsmouth-Bilbao, Portsmouth-Santander and Plymouth-Santander.
The ferries are a great way to travel and have private cabins, restaurants, bars and viewing decks. All of the routes allow you to take your own car and crossings take around 24 hours.

Driving through France
A lot of our guests drive through France.

You need to allow about 15 hours driving from the northern ports. Breaking the journey with a stop-over in Limoges or Lyon area is recommended.

Taking the ferry one way and then meandering back through France over a few days is also an excellent option.

Reviews

Just Some of Our Reviews for this Holiday…

“Simon and Lucy went out or their way to make our holiday the best we have ever had. In the run up to the holiday they gave clear information, responded very quickly to queries and gave us great tips on which airport to fly and when would be a good time to come.

The house. This is at least as beautiful as shown on their website photos. Simon and Lucy have an eye for detail and everywhere was immaculately clean. Our room had lovely furnishings, a comfortable bed and modern high quality en suite. Lovely waterfall shower.

Meals – Get them to feed you! Their food is fantastic and the local wine that comes included with the meal is fantastic. The hamlet of Albella is tiny, 3 or 4 large old houses and probably about 10 mins drive up a windy road and we chose to eat at Casa Allué every evening

Service – Faultless! Nothing was to much problem. Every morning Simon and Lucy would look at the weather, check with us what we felt like doing and come up with suggestions.”

Gavin & Helen. Cambridge. Self Guided Walking Holiday August 2017

A dessert of poached pears in blackberrys as served on an Aragon Active Self Guided Walking Holiday Spain

“Lucy and Simon made our four day, self guided visit an unforgettable experience. Their deep knowledge of the region, history, culture, flora and fauna added greatly to our stay. They showed great care and concern in helping select hikes that would match our interests and abilities. And the food! Our meals were superlative and our boxed lunches were every bit as wonderful. Our stay at Casa Allué was definitely a highlight of our trip to Spain. I would love to return to take advantage of their special activity holidays. I can’t recommend Casa Allué highly enough. Five stars doesn’t do it justice.”

Debby & Art. Baltimore. Self Guided Walking Holiday May 2017

“We spent an incredible week doing self-guided day hikes from Casa Allué. We were so impressed with the care put into planning routes for us, which catered perfectly to our interests, abilities and the weather conditions.
The variety of stunning locations within easy reach of the house is ideal. It is a spectacular landscape with hikes ranging from easy strolls to challenging climbs. The village of Albella is charming, as are the hosts and their children.
Lucy planned a great week of hikes for us and ensured we never even had to pull out a map. Simon kept us well fed with delicious picnic lunches, on home-made bread, and three course feasts at the end of the day. Penny and Sofia made sure we got to know all the pets in the village. We felt very welcome and well cared for throughout our stay.
We would come back in a heartbeat to this special part of the world, made even better by the hospitality and attention to detail at Aragon Active.
Thanks Lucy and Simon!”

Jason & Dianne. Namibia. Self Guided Walking Holiday Spain September 2015

The ruins of Janovas near the Ordesa National Park on Aragon Active Self Guided Walking Holiday Spain

A self guided walker taking a photo in the Sierra de Guara on Aragon Active Self Guided Walking Holiday Spain

“We stayed at Casa Allué for three days and the stay exceeding our expectations in every way.
Simon and Lucy were the perfect hosts. They provided thorough driving directions tailored for our plans. They made lovely breakfasts and a wonderful dinner (yes, Simon happens to be a great chef as well!). They shared their local knowledge and Lucy took her time to make the perfect hiking plans for us, considering our skill level, weather and how to catch the best sunsets on the way.

Their farmhouse, Casa Allué, is beyond what photographs and descriptions can capture. Beautifully and respectfully restored (by themselves) and sitting on a small hill overlooking the valley’s green fields and grazing sheep and with mountains towering to all sides. The room was lovely, and we lacked absolutely nothing.
Simon, Lucy and their adorable daughters fill the place with love and makes you feel right at home.”

Rikke & Jesper. Denmark. Self Guided Walking Holiday Spain June 2015

A strong tower high on a mountain in the Spanish Pyrenees on Aragon Active Self Guided Walking Holiday Spain

Sunset at Casa Allué on Aragon Active Self Guided Walking Holiday Spain

We spent a week with Simon & Lucy in their beautiful house and they are so welcoming. We are in awe at the amount of effort and care they have put into the sympathetic restoration. Spotlessly clean and furnished carefully to suit the building but with modern bathrooms and fantastic views from every window.
Breakfast was perfect, particularly recommend the croissants!
Lucy was brilliant at providing walks to make the best of the weather. We did both walking and some sightseeing, there were plenty of choices for both.
We didn’t sample as much of Simon’s cooking as we probably should have; the two evening meals we did have were excellent, with good local wine. Their daughters are a delight and great fun.
A tranquil spot and a brilliant week’s holiday. An area little known to British people – why is that, it deserves more attention.

Martyn & Del. Banbury. Self Guided Walking Holiday Spain July 2015

Read more of the 148+ independent reviews we have on TripAdvisor