Wild Spain - La Montana Palentina

The accommodation was simple and delightful. The cottages have been very attractively restored and have a lovely ambience, both informal and relaxing. Rosa produced magnificent evening meals for us, reflecting the tastes of the region. My compliments to her for her skills. The excellent red wine was most agreeable also! As a general natural historian, I found the content of the trip fascinating. The birdwatching was keen and expert. The mammals were less numerous, but what an experience to watch the wolves at dawn - unforgettable. Discovering so much information about the owner of a bear paw print was intriguing, too. Added to this was the expertise of companions about butterflies and other insects and other plants. It all combined to make every day an interesting one. Extra information about the human activity, the remote villages and past industries helped to give a more rounded picture of the region. Our trip leader, Byron, worked very hard to make sure that everyone was content and comfortable and this was appreciated greatly. His birdwatching skills were awe-inspiring and it was most rewarding to be out in the field with him. Tino's all round knowledge of the area's wildlife was invaluable and his enthusiasm and warmth sense of humour were infectious. His and Byron's abilities were an admirable combination. We were fortunate to have a dry and mostly sunny week which certainly enhanced our wildlife exploration of this area. I thoroughly enjoyed the remoteness, the beauty and the grandeur of the region and would like to return, maybe sometime in the spring. Altogether it was a very happy week of good companionship and knowledge underpinned by discreet organisation. Thank you.

E.H. Perthshire

The accommodation was simple but the converted cottages had a lovely ambience. Evening meals were really tasty food of the region in generous amounts, with decent red wine. Compliments to Rosa. Byron worked hard to ensure we got so much out of the week, planned the days trips in good sequence and was a brilliant bird spotter and identifier. Tino has encyclopaedic knowledge of the area, its wildlife and habits of the mammals and birds, and a great extrovert sense of humour. He also is a very sharp-eyed observer and could name a good number of the plants.

D.H. Perthshire

Accommodation - excellent. It was a special venue as we had the complex to ourselves and it was not a hotel full of other tourists. I definitely enjoy the Naturetrek holidays more when the group stay together in this type of accommodation. I was pleased that Naturetrek was supporting the local community by using this type of accommodation. The quality and quantity of the food was well above expectations: it was good, hearty regional cuisine, prepared with a lot of thought and care. Clean plates every night after the chaps had thirds and fourths. Tino - what a character! Whilst speaking very minimal English, at times, through gesture, he was able to make himself understood very well. On a serious matter, without Tino we would not have had access to some of the sites we visited. His knowledge of the area was excellent, and he was only too pleased to identify plants that we pointed out, and identify animal tracks. Byron was an excellent leader - very patient and looked after us well. His enthusiasm for birds was infectious and he was keen to share his knowledge. As an amateur, I have a general interest, and I enjoyed looking at the varieties of birds we encountered. Byron's ability to spot birds that looked like a speck on the horizon was impressive. Byron patiently set up the scope so we could all see the birds at a high magnification, far superior to my little binoculars. Byron was very enthusiastic about the birds and went to enormous efforts to try and locate the elusive woodpeckers, but the walks were beautiful. He was also an excellent driver of the bus; some of the roads and tracks were not easy. Byron and Tino were a brilliant team - relaxed, easy going and worked well together. There was a very easy banter between them, and Tino was definitely the joker in the pack, although a lot of giggling between the pair took place. Both were equally enthusiastic about their subjects and keen to share this with the group.

A.H. London

One of our best holidays ever. Only four of us on trip, but we all got on well. Byron's and Tino's knowledge was exceptional - I knew little about birds but never felt threatened by that as they were very patient with me. Rosa's cooking was delicious. It was good to eat local dishes, cooked in a home and not restaurant food. Same with picnic lunches using local specialities.

S.N. Avon

The three guides - Byron, Tino and Tono were very skilled and knowledgeable communicators. They clearly enjoyed what they were doing which meant that we did too. Their trip planning was excellent - they always had a plan B for bad weather.

S.R. London

It was wonderful to see Iberian Wolves again - I wasn’t really expecting to on this trip, so it was a huge bonus. Also great views of Firecrests, a bird I have managed to miss on previous trips to Europe (other than fleeting glimpses)! Habitats visited were superb - I know very little about botany, but even I was impressed by the variety and beauty of the orchids and other flowers that we saw. Local guides Tino and Antonio were terrific fun to be with - so good-humoured, and an amazing knowledge of the local wildlife and landscapes... I don't usually enjoy visiting man-made (as opposed to wildlife) sites - but the pre-historic cave paintings on this trip were an exception, I thought it was an amazing place, and a really nice finish to the trip.

S.W. Nottinghamshire