Freedom to Roam
on an Andalusian Farm

Before anyone rides, there is a pony to brush and care for. Younger children learn how to approach, run a brush through its coat and gradually get comfortable together before climbing into the saddle for a gentle ride. Older, more experienced riders can head further into the hills following trails across La Donaira with the equestrian team. By the time everyone returns to the stables, favourite horses have usually been firmly decided.

Meet La Donaira’s gentle Andalusian donkeys, brushing their coats and getting to know their personalities before setting off together into the Serranía. Native to these hills for thousands of years, they make wonderfully unhurried companions. Follow dusty tracks through oak woodland and open country, stopping whenever something catches your eye, with birdsong and the steady rhythm of hooves along the way.

Follow one of La Donaira’s farm team beyond the gardens and into the barns, paddocks and hidden corners where daily life on the finca unfolds. Hens scratch around your feet, goats and sheep wander over to investigate and there always seems to be something happening around the next corner. Stop to meet the animals, ask questions and discover the small jobs and routines that keep the farm going.

Beneath the oaks along La Donaira’s forest trail, there are life-sized 3-D models of animals to discover or sketch on woodland walks. Back at the ranch, pick up a bow and learn the basics of archery, taking turns to aim and waiting for the satisfying thud of an arrow finding its target. Before long, scores have been compared and everyone has a story about the shot that almost made it.

Climb aboard La Donaira’s horse-drawn carriage and set off along dusty tracks into the Serranía. With the Cortijo disappearing behind you and mountains rising ahead, it doesn’t take much imagination to feel as though you’re setting off on an expedition of your own. Watch the horses pick their way along the trail and keep an eye on the landscape ahead. Who knows what might be waiting around the next bend.

Natural materials from the farm are measured, mixed and transformed as families with children aged eight and over learn the art and science of traditional soap-making. Follow the cold[1]process method step by step, choosing ingredients and creating something of your own from what grows around you. Hands get busy, efforts are compared and everyone leaves with something they’ve made together.

As evening settles over the Serranía, everyone finds their way back to the table. Dinner follows whatever the seasons are giving, while conversation returns to the day’s adventures: favourite animals, arrows that hit —or spectacularly missed —and the things each person spotted on the farm. Tomorrow’s plans begin to form between courses as the last light slips from the hills.

Dusty boots by the door. A favourite pony waiting at the stables. A donkey encountered somewhere along a winding track. Stories of adventures told around the table. Give children an interesting world and the freedom to find their place within it, and days like these have a way of taking on a life of their own.