Our annual New Year Retreat is back again for January 2025 but in a NEW location. This retreat is a little different to our other breaks as we take the focus off of the wine side of the holiday and really look at how we can help our guests start their running year with a bang. Of course there will be still be wine at dinner for those who want it!
With structured runs every day led by qualified running coaches, daily yoga sessions, running workshops, lovely accommodation with a hot tub to enjoy in your down time, and plenty of nutritious and delicious food, you will leave feeling renewed and ready for the year ahead.
The Running
Whether you consider yourself a tortoise or a hare, you will be catered for on this running holiday. The only requirement is that you can run 10K in under 70 mins so that we can safely manage the group. Don’t worry if you can run it in half the time, you’ll be equally challenged as we will gather your current paces and goals beforehand in order to tailor each of our sessions to you.
We keep things interesting by varying the sessions and routes, all of which are beautiful! We will also introduce you to strengthening exercises and key stretches, both crucial elements to helping runners stay injury free whilst improving their running!
Please note, everything is optional, it’s your weekend!
About
Gallery
About The Host
We (Abby and Chris) have spent nearly every holiday for the last 5 years travelling to wine regions, enjoying our 3 favorite things – running, wine and food! This love for wine led us to study wine, both gaining our WSET Level 3 qualifications, and then we took it one step further when we left our corporate jobs in London behind to work in a world-class Chilean Vineyard in 2018. During our time in Chile we decided to combine our passions – running and wine – and created Trails and Vines in order to share our favorite places and experiences with like-minded people. We are both England Athletics certified coaches and combined have ran over 7000 miles, so you're in good hands when you join one of our running holidays!
Itinerary
Things to keep in mind
FAQ
What is the required ability level to come on the holiday?
Our holidays are all encompassing and we welcome runners of all standards. Our sessions are designed to cater for most abilities so that everyone is equally challenged, regardless of whether you are a beginner or experienced runner. To get the most out of our breaks we do recommend being able to run 10k in 65 minutes or under – if you need help getting to this standard, drop us a message and we will see if we can help.
How many sessions will I need to do?
Our week is designed that you can do anything from one easy 5km run up to approximately 100kms during the week – each person will have a different goal so how much you run is up to you! Sessions start at either 9am or 10am, and on some days we will throw in a recovery run post-lunch as well.
What is the minimum standard of runner I need to be?
Whilst there is no set minimum standard of runner that you need to be, we recommend that should be able to run a minimum of 10K in 65 mins ahead of the holiday so you can complete all sessions comfortably. If this sounds too challenging, get in touch and we can discuss how we can make the weekend work for you or help you train in the lead up to the weekend.
Do you provide nutrition and water during the run?
Drinking water is safe in our locations, and we ask that you try to stick to one bottle per week and that you fill up before each session. We will also provide gels in the house for a minimum cost if required that we just ask you to cover in our honesty box – you will need to carry your own gels as you would on a normal run at home.
What if I get injured during a session?
On all of our runs we are never too far away from either the house or a vehicle in order to get runners to a location where we ca assess any injuries.
What if there is bad weather?
Our locations are chosen partly due to the fact they offer great weather most of the year round. If the weather is particularly bad, we will try and change the session to something more suitable for the given conditions. If a session needs to be cancelled then we will do our best to make it back up during the week.
How much sports clothing do I need?
If you would like to bring enough running kit to just fit in hand luggage that should be absolutely fine – we have a washing machine on site.
What non-sports kit should I bring?
Winery visits are fairly informal, so regular shorts/t-shirts should be just fine. It can sometimes be a tad chilly in the winery cellars so bring some layers! In Rioja we do also arrange a food and wine crawl (not as crazy as it sounds) in a local town, so you may want to bring something long sleeved / smart casual as well.
Should I bring swimwear?
In Bordeaux, definitely as we have a pool onsite. In Rioja there is an indoor pool nearby should you wish to do a few lengths.