Portugal New Forest Lodge
The New Forest Lodge offers a varied and exciting programme of horse riding and carriage driving lessons and activities that will not only improve your horse riding skills but also enable you to experience Portugese life and take in the spectacular scenery. Rich in natural beauty, culture, heritage and history and within a short drive of some of the Algarve's most beautiful historical cities, taking a horse riding and carriage driving holiday course in Portugal will ensure you make the most of your holiday. 3 night budget breaks, 7 nights inclusive ride/drive holidays and combination riding/driving with cookery classes are offered. Also beginner/novice courses available. Accommodation is is lovingly restored farm buildings and offers simple, rustic comfort and a friendly, intimate base for your riding or driving adventure.
The New Forest Lodge has been lovingly restored to maintain its original rustic charm, this historic family Farm, with its Moorish ruins, blends perfectly with its calm and isolated location. The farm buildings are perched some 250m above the sparkling Atlantic ocean, enjoying uninterrupted views over the distant Algarvian coastline. The farm provides a perfect location to enjoy riding, carriage driving and superb traditional Portugese country cooking. Set on the edge of the Costa Vincentina national park the Lodge is an ideal base from which to explore. The park covers over a 100km of coastline from the Cape St Vincent in the south to Sines in the North. The beaches are lapped by the warm gulfstream currents and we enjoy the sunniest climate of mainland Europe. Choose from the following:
- A 7 night holiday with carriage driving or riding course.
- Combined riding/driving with country cooking courses (7 night and 3 night trips).
- A Free range holiday with unlimited riding
- Short budget breaks of 3 nights driving or riding
See below for full details and itinerary for all of the above:
Drive or Ride holiday, 7 nights. Suitable for both absolute beginners and experienced riders.
Day 1 – Arrival at the Farm
- An arrival dinner of local cuisine and wine will be served by your hosts in the evening
Day 2 – Horse Riding or Carriage driving Lessons
- Enjoy a leisurely breakfast on our terrace overlooking the Atlantic whilst you prepare for your first day of horse riding or carriage driving
- After breakfast you will be introduced to the horses and your guides who will accompany confident riders on their first trail. Beginners will stay in the training area and soon hopefully soon make enough progress to venture out into the park with their guide.- After a light lunch at the stables, You will have the afternoon free and may wish to visit one of the local beaches or a nearby village or secret swimming lake.
- You have the evening free to sample some of the local cuisine in one of the Lagos´s restaurants, or you can choose to stay at the farm and enjoy a relaxing dinner with us.
Day 3 & 4– Horse Riding/carriage driving Trek
- After your breakfast you will go to the stables to begin your second day of riding or driving
- Today you will be spent enjoying the wonderful countryside, vilages and possibly beaches of the national park and taking in the stunning views with your horse, instructor and fellow riders
- We wil stop on route to enjoy a picninc eaten al fresco at the beach or by a hidden country spring
- Once again, you have the evening free to visit the town or relax and dine at the Farm
Day 5 – Rest day explore some of the wonderful local beaches or the pretty country market villages.
Day 6 – Ride to the local beach or one of our many beautiful hidden lakes and enjoy a picnic beside the water, perhaps a swim if the weather is suitable.
Day 7 – BBQ ride, ride or drive out to the village of San Joao, take a cool glass of local wine and afterwards a bbq in the popular woodlands of the Mata National.
Day 8 – Departure Day
- After a relaxing breakfast guests are asked to check-out of their rooms ready for departure.You may however wish to have an early morning ride or drive if your flight schedules permit. We hope you will take home with you new horse riding or carriage driving skills and an understanding of country life that you will remember for ever and come back and visit us soon.
Combined riding/driving with country cooking course. Available for 3 nights or 7 nights.
3 nights trip:
· Day 1 Arrival at the Farm
You may check-in to the Farm anytime after 3pm on the day you choose to arrive
An arrival dinner of local cuisine and wine will be served by your hosts in the evening
· Day 2 - horse riding or carriage driving lessons for beginners. Experienced riders can ride out with a guide. After lunch you will learn the skills and idiosynchracies of cooking in a traditional brick built domed oven and wood buring range, in this time you will learn to mix, knead and bake bread and prepare a Portugese game pot dish.
· All cooking materials, apron and ingredients
· The dinner you’ve learned to cook during your lesson and a selection of local wines with your meal.
· Day 3 – A whole day’s trekking, length and terrain depending on your level of ability
The itinerary for the 7 nights trip:
· Day 1 Arrival at the Farm
You may check-in to the Farm anytime after 3pm on the day you choose to arrive
An arrival dinner of local cuisine and wine will be served by your hosts in the evening
· Day 2 - horse riding or carriage driving lessons for beginners. Experienced riders can ride out with a guide. After lunch you will learn the skills and idiosynchracies of cooking in a traditional brick built domed oven and wood buring range, in this time you will learn to mix, knead and bake bread and prepare a Portugese game pot dish.
· All cooking materials, apron and ingredients
· The dinner you’ve learned to cook during your lesson and a selection of local wines with your meal.
· Day 3 – A whole day’s trekking, length and terain depending on your level of ability
· Day 4 – Your choice in the morning to ride or visit a local market. The afternoon spent learning country kitchen skills preparing dinner which you will enjoy with other guests that night.
· Day 5 – Rest day for exploring the local beaches or country market towns
· Day 6 – Beach or lake ride/drive with picnic (weather dependant)
· Day 7 – Morning in the kitchen preparing the lunch bbq. Afternoon either riding or driving back to the farm or assiting the chef preparing the nights dinner which you will enjoy.
Free Range riding holidays:
Unlimited riding with half board accommodation. We offer holidays without strict rules and timetables. There is always time for relaxing; breakfast is at your convenience and within reason you can ride when you want. We often ride all day without meeting another person, but the wildlife more than compensates for our isolation and Lagos, a popular cosmopolitan tourist town is only 20 minutes away.
Make a new friend on holiday, with unlimited access you can really get to know your horse. If you wish help with the feeding, grooming and mucking out and of course enjoy riding or driving out on one of our well-sprung carriages. You can start off on our own farm trails, before venturing out into the vast National Park that surrounds us. You will be accommodated in our historic stone built farmhouse.You will sleep in either in the main bunk house, sleeping up to four or one of the two family rooms with en-suite shower rooms, a double and single bed and cot space. You will eat with the family in the hall of the old stone barn. Breakfasts at the Lodge tend to be quite casual and is a help yourself buffet, especially if the cook is going out riding that day. Lunch, our mid day meal, is usually either a picnic on route or if we are near the stables or a suitable fire pit, something grilled over a wood fire and washed down with our excellent local wine. Dinner is not included, except for our all inclusive holiday programs, but most nights our farm kitchen is serving one or two local specialties and you can add in the dinner (£18) when you like. There are also many excellent places to eat locally to suite all tastes and pockets.
Short trip budget break - 3 nights - driving or riding
Included in the price
· Day 2 - horse riding or carriage driving lessons for beginners. Experienced riders can ride out with a guide.
·
· Day 3 – A whole day’s trekking, length and terain depending on your level of ability
·
· All horse riding equipment (please bring suitable clothing for riding)
·
· Accommodation in a twin/double room at the Farm for 3 nights / 4 days
·
· You can check in anytime after 3pm on day 1 and check-out is by noon on day 4
·
· Breakfast each morning and a light stable lunch or picnic on day 2 & 3
·
· A 3 course Dinner with wine is available at £18 per person,
·
Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival at the Farm
- You may check-in to the Farm anytime after 3pm on the day you choose to arrive
- An arrival dinner of local cuisine and wine will be served by your hosts in the evening
Day 2 – Horse Riding Lessons
- Enjoy a leisurely breakfast on our terrace overlooking the Atlantic whilst you prepare for your first day of horse riding or carriage driving
- After breakfast you will be introduced to the horses and your guides who will accompany confident riders on their first trail. Beginners will stay in the training area and soon hopefully soon make enough progress to venture out into the park with their guide.
- After a light lunch at the stables, You will have the afternoon free and may wish to visit one of the local beaches or a nearby village or secret swimming lake.
- You have the evening free to sample some of the local cuisine in one of the Lagos´s restaurants, or you can choose to stay at the farm and enjoy a relaxing dinner with us.
Day 3 – Horse Riding/carriage driving Trek
- After your breakfast you will go to the stables to begin your second day of riding or driving
- Today you will be spent enjoying the wonderful countryside, vilages and possibly beaches of the national park and taking in the stunning views with your horse, instructor and fellow riders
- We wil stop on route to enjoy a picninc eaten al fresco at the beach or by a hidden country spring
- Once again, you have the evening free to visit the town or relax and dine at the Farm
Day 4 – Departure Day
- After a relaxing breakfast guests are asked to check-out of their rooms ready for departure.You may however wish to have an early morning ride or drive if your flight schedules permit. We hope you will take home with you new horse riding or carriage driving skills and an understanding of country life that you will remember for ever and come back and visit us soon.
The Cookery School:
The country cooking school is principally about having fun. It offers an insight into the almost forgotten art of cooking in brick built wood ovens and ranges. The farm's kitchens date back many centuries. Our workshop leader, Frances, was head chef for more than 20 years at the Quinta da Horta, often-televised for Channel 4’s “The Good Life in Portugal” series and previously of the Michelin rated Beeton Track restaurant Portsmouth, UK. You may join a one day workshop at the school or combine your Country Cookery Course with a riding, carriage driving or wild life trail walking holiday. Ask us for a quote for any combination of activities.
After a relaxed start with coffee and nibbles you will be kitted out with your own “Country Cooking” apron and then perhaps it’s off to one of the local fish markets or tiny quays to select the best of the days catch. Practice your skills on a brushwood grill and use some of the endless selection of fresh herbs you may select along with fresh salad produce. Here you will get to bake your own bread. Traditional country recipes are used, with many wild herbs and funghi gathered from the surrounding forest as well as the generous harvests from the farm's own organic kitchen gardens which draw their waters from a well dating back to the Moorish occupation.
Prices are based on two sharing a room on bed and breakfast basis. Dinner can be added for £18 per night. Single supplement £65
Drive or Ride holiday:
7 night course with accommodation and breakfast: £450 per person. Suitable for absolute beginners and experienced riders.
A 3 course Dinner with wine is available at £18 per person.
Course start days:· This course starts on any day and extra days may be included cost pro rata.
Free Range riding holidays:
£60 per person per day for unlimited riding or driving, Half board accommodation, under 5 free, Comfortable farmhouse rooms, Services of the groom/guides, Frequent guided trails, Group lessons in the training arena, Free collection from Lagos station.
Short breaks of 3 nights:
Horse Riding and carriage driving short breaks can arrive on any day you choose. You will stay in the Farm for 7 nights (so if you arrive on Monday afternoon for example, you leave the following monday morning) you can of course book extra days.
Combined riding/driving, country cooking courses:
Available for 3 nights : £277 per person
All horse riding equipment (please bring suitable clothing for riding)
· Accommodation in a twin/double room at the Farm for 3 nights / 4 days,
· You can check in anytime after 3pm on day 1 and check-out is by noon on day 4
· Breakfast each morning and a light stable lunch or picnic on day 2 & 3
· A 3 course Dinner with wine is available at £18 per person extra.
Available for 7 nights: £579 per person
· Breakfast each morning and a light stable lunch or picnic on day 2 & 3
· 3 evening meals (2 of which you will have helped prepare)
· A 3 course Dinner with wine is available at 20 Euros per person,
· This course starts on any day and extra days may be included cost pro rata
Short Budget Break for riding or driving:
From £269 per person for 3 nights
Suitable for absolute beginners and experienced riders/drivers.
Holidays can generally be of any duration and start on any day (except where specified).
Make a reservation / enquiry.
These prices are guidelines only. Please contact us for an exact quote since prices will vary depending on the season, the amount of riding you wish to do and whether you are travelling alone or with a group. To calculate the equivalent cost of your holiday in another currency, please visit XE.com's Universal Currency Converter.
Getting there:
Fly to Faro with Easyjet from LGW , Luton or Stansted. The cheapest option from Faro Airport is to take the shuttle to Lagos which can be prebooked online https://www.resorthoppa.com We can arrange free collection from Lagos train or bus station. or we can organise direct Faro airport transfers at £105 per car return fare.
NFL is 2km off the N120 which is served by the regular Lagos - Aljezur bus. Car hire is also relatively cheap and easy to organise in Portugal.
Suitability
- we welcome beginners and will teach you the basics of either riding or carriage driving within the safety and comfort of our training school. For intermediate and experienced riders/drivers our groom guides will be happy to show you a challenging and interesting trail appropriate for your experience
- Your hosts at the Farm are British/Portugese so can assist you in English or Portugese if required, at the horse stables lessons are held in English and Portugese.
What will I learn?
- If you have arrived as a beginner we hope you will leave with a sincere love and understanding of horses.
- our teaching methods are gentle and sympathetic and we hope that we have pointed you to an understanding of natural horsemanship.
- Experienced riders will of course have enjoyed the freedom of our endless traffic free trails and will have learnt to appreciate the intelligence and stamina of our locally bred Lucitano cross horses.
- If you have concentrated on carriage driving we hope to introduce you to a new sport which you will continue to enjoy for years to come
Check in: You can check in anytime after 3pm on day 1 and check-out is by noon.
Environmental issues
You can calculate the CO2 emission of your journey to Portugal at Climate Care and compensate for your 'environmental footprint'. If you let us know how much it is we will be happy to pay this on your behalf.
In the office, we use paper from sustainably managed forests and recycled material where possible.
We encourage you to travel onwards from your arrival airport by rail when possible, and will book seats on your behalf.
How to book
To make a non-binding enquiry or a provisional booking, please fill in the reservations & enquiries form. Once we have checked availability, we will send you a quote with a holiday reference number by email. To secure your holiday, a deposit is required of £200 per person (or half the cost of the holiday, whichever is lower) and forward any insurance premiums to the insurance company. You should book your flights at this stage, and forward details to us so that we can organise your transfers. The balance of payment must be received by us not less than eight weeks before departure. Payment instructions.
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Insurance: all riders must be fully insured. We can recommend this travel insurance policy. The application form may be printed out to send with your premiums direct to the insurance company.
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