Pyrenees Magic

You purchase your own flights for this holiday.

The price you pay to Secret Hills Walking Holidays is a land only price.

Flights are from most UK regional airports to Barcelona.

This area is difficult top access from the UK airports- that makes it a very special holiday- so we have made arrangements that should suit everyone.

When you reserve your flight, our policy is to enable you to fly from your local airport, wherever possible.

This means that clients will arrive at the Barcelona airport at different times and we will arrange the onward transfers to the hotel, and return you to the airport at the end of the holidays. This will be done on a one only transfer, so you may need to wait until all flights have arrived before setting off to Torla.

In this case – our transfer will take four hours by local minibus. 

We will therefore request that you purchase flights that arrive from late morning to 1.00pm so that we can coordinate the transfer of all clients together to the hotel. There are earlier flights that arrive at Barcelona before 10.0am – be aware that you will have a long wait at the airport before the transfer commences.

Also please reserve flights that return to the UK from 15.00pm -this enables one transfer from the hotel to Barcelona airport, the transfer will leave from the hotel at 08.00am.

 It may be that  if your preferred airport choice is the most local to you then you need to book a flight that has one change at either London Heathrow of a European airport.

Check with us once you have sourced your flight, so that we can monitor all the arrival times for onward transfer.

Should you opt to buy a flight outside of the above, you will need to make your own way by bus/rail/ private transfer to the hotel.

Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park ( UNESCO World Heritage Site)

The Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park is located in the Spanish Pyrenees. It borders France, but with no road connection, you can however hike over to France. 

The National Park gained UNESCO status and Biosphere status in 1979. The Park encompasses four valleys which extend like arms around the Monte Perdido massif. The Park is one of the most beautiful areas in Spain due to its optimal state of preservation, extraordinary high mountain scenery and the abundance and variety of its fauna and flora.

The entire Park is a grand collection of Pyrenean flora and fauna, containing several unique species and where nature is the real star of the show. Vultures, eagles, Lammergeiers, mountain goats and marmots share the dense beech and pine woodlands, turquoise rivers and crystal clear tarns, alpine meadows and towering crags.

In all, the area is a true natural treasure of the utmost ecological and environmental importance that needs to be enjoyed first hand.

The heart of the Park is the Ordesa Valley where we have chosen to base our holiday within. The valley is a jewel of nature where the river Arazas has carved waterfalls and rivers amid dense woodland and towering rock walls. 

The walks are shown here

All our walks will take place within the Valle de Ordesa and mostly from our Hotel door. Very little transport is required. 

All of our walks are on good paths and will be a good mixture of underfoot terrain.

Walk 1 ( 12km, 500 m ascent, 500m descent)

EL Valle de Ordesa villages circular hike taking in the very impressive 120 m Sorrosal waterfall 

Walk 2 ( 16km, 300m ascent, 400m descent)

Valle de  Bujaruelo hike ( with the option of a beautiful dip in the river midway)

Walk 3 ( 16km or 18km, 600m or 700m ascent)

Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park circular hike to the Cola Caballo spectacular waterfalls ( 2 different options)

Walk 4 ( 14km, 300m ascent, 300m descent)

Valle de Otal hike ( with the option of a beautiful dip in the river midway, and at the end) and hopefully we see marmots today.

Walk 5 ( low level or high level hikes offered today)

Turieto Alto and Bajo hike taking in many impressive waterfalls 

Or

Cebollar circular high level hike.

The journey taken to access this absolutely majestic area will we promise be extremely worth it. You will leave the Pyrenees hungry to walk and discover another part of it. 

Our Secret Hills holiday will be based within the Spanish side of the Pyrenees known locally as Pirineos.

Holiday Highlights 

• superb location in traditional in Aragon- far away from the madding crowd on the coast
• Fabulous walking in beautiful scenery- authentic mountain country of  Spain- well maintained footpath network
• a lovely village to explore
• authentic Spanish hotel but with all the modern facilities you would want
• a taste of Spanish food – the authentic cuisine of this region as well as International food
• our friendly tour guides to help you enjoy this area
• small groups
• our administration support

• Grade of walking
• This holiday walking programme is designed for good competent walkers on a mixture of terrains. We walk between 6 to 12 miles a day and potentially average around 500 metres ascent/ descent. Ascents are taken slowly to allow plenty time to absorb the magnificent  environment around you.
• The walks on this trip vary between moderate and challenging and each day involves a fair amount of ascent and descents.  The holiday requires a reasonable amount of fitness, ideally with some previous walking experience in similar conditions.
• Underfoot conditions are generally good and we walk on mature paths and tracks.

Exclusions

Although our leaders are well trained and experienced in dealing with different capabilities of our walking clients, if they have any concerns about any clients ability or suitability to undertake safely any walking activity we plan or they feel that participation of an individual may affect the groups safety and cohesion, then they have full permission to exclude that client from an activity.

They will try at all times to provide an alternative suggested activity, though this may involve the client in additional local cost.

We rarely have to enforce this above recommendation, but it is a sensible and necessary protection for the individual client, the group and the leaders.

It’s all about meeting new friends. Each holiday is designed to be a friendly, relaxed and stress-free occasion. Talking is as important as walking on Secret Hills Walking Holidays. We don’t go in for discos, we may use an event that is taking place in the area we are in to boost the weekend’s activities – but it’s good, old fashioned chat that makes our short breaks successful.

“Make new friends that turn into old friends” – that’s our motto.

You might be surprised by what fun you’ll have with people who are older or younger than you during a holiday with us, and that’s exactly the sort of atmosphere we encourage; people find it very rewarding. It doesn’t matter what your reasons for travelling with us are, we’ve had people who are single, divorced or widowed, people who have partners that are unable to travel, and people who can’t holiday with their friends anymore as they’ve all got married themselves. There are people who want to make friends, see sights, and experience something completely new. Whatever your reason, we’ll welcome you with open arms and our friendly hosts will help you to get the most out of your holiday.

Don’t worry if this is the first time you have ventured to join a group holiday – its always a bit daunting – but we will look after you and ensure that you get used to being amongst friends again. Trust us to to get you back into the swing of things.

Oh – by the way – it’s not a dating agency – over the years we have had people meet and fall in love – but that’s just chance. Our aim is that you make like-minded friends – just relax and enjoy.

Just arrive and enjoy.

There are other walking holiday companies that cover Europe but we believe we offer the best value for many reasons….

• We specialise in organising guided walking holidays for solos and singles.
• We are a small friendly company
• We have a loyal customer base who return again and again (so we must be doing something right) – read our testimonials page on the website
• We offer a lot of flexibility – you can stay extra nights which we are happy to organise for you. We are also very flexible on the walks we provide, adapting to suit walkers and weather conditions
• Our walk leading is second to none. Unlike some other large Walking Companies, we use LOCAL leaders who live in the area and who love their surroundings. They have expert knowledge of everything you need to know to make an area come alive.
• You are safe in our hands – our guides are experts, fully qualified in first aid. Also, because of their local knowledge of the hills, they can respond to any situation that might for example demand cutting short a route. They don’t need to consult maps – they know the hills intimately.
• Our leaders are all easy-going, genuinely sociable people who want to ensure that you have the best time you can with the rest of the group. They make the weekend fun by engaging with all members of a group, and ensuring that everyone feels part of the group experience.
• We give great value for money. Because we recognise that lots of walkers holiday on their own, we have negotiated no single supplement deals with all our hotels to ensure the best possible deal.
• We always use good hotels, selected and constantly reviewed.
• We have smaller groups than some of the larger walking companies because we believe the social experience is much better in a smaller group. People can talk to everyone, especially at dinner where you can all sit at one table in a small group. Our numbers vary from holiday to holiday but an average group size would be 8-12.

How to book

You may book and pay online.

Payment is in two parts – you pay a deposit of 25%, payable when reserving your holiday place. You will receive an invoice for the holiday showing the deposit paid, and full amount to pay for the holiday. This acts as your confirmation.

The balance is due 8 weeks prior to the holiday start date. You will be sent a reminder.

About three weeks prior to departure, we will send you holiday joining details, and details of the transfer from the airport to the appointed hotel we have arranged for you.

Once you arrive at your holiday destination.

Secret Hills Walking Holidays organise all aspects of your holiday– including guiding, transport to walks start and provide you with an experienced tour guide. You make your own arrangements to get to the airport in the UK, we meet you at the airport you are flying to, and help you with your transfer to the appointed hotel.

It is important to read Secret Hills Walking Holidays Terms and Conditions – click on the tab on our web site – before you complete the booking form.

Insurance – you need to be fully covered

It is a condition of joining any of our holidays that you must be fully insured against travel, medical and personal accident risks (to include repatriation costs and air ambulance or helicopter rescue services where appropriate).

We will ask you to provide us with the details of your insurance prior to the holidays start date and it is a condition of reserving a place.

If you are a UK citizen and travelling in Europe you should obtain the UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) which is available only online from the UK Government website.

This gives you medical care at a reduced cost, and some cases for free, in many European countries, but should not be considered a substitute for adequate travel insurance.