INTRODUCTION
People often ask us how we ended up walking through the mountains of Spain with a herd of goats.
The short answer is simple:
Brexit. Covid. And a wildfire.
But like most things in life, the real story is slower, more human, and far less planned.
THE DREAM
Before any of this, there was a quiet idea.
We had always imagined that one day we would move to Spain — not to start a business, but to live more simply. To grow vegetables, spend time outdoors, and be closer to family as the years went on.
At the time, we were living and working in the UK. We were artists, running a sculpture studio and teaching. Life was full, creative, and meaningful.
In many ways, we were already living a version of the dream.
And yet, something in us was still looking south.
BREXIT — THE FIRST TURN
Then Brexit happened.
Like many people, we suddenly felt uncertain about the future — particularly about our ability to live in Spain later on.
So we made a decision.
Not carefully planned. Not strategic. Just necessary.
We packed our lives into two vans — our tools, our work, our dogs — and drove south.
What we thought would happen was simple:
We would find the sun, settle in, and continue building a quiet life.
COVID — EVERYTHING STOPS
And for a while, it worked.
We found a home in the mountains. We opened a small private sculpture school. Life began to take shape again.
Then, almost overnight, it stopped.
Covid arrived, and with it, the loss of our income.
The students disappeared. The work disappeared. The certainty disappeared.
Like many people, we found ourselves asking a difficult question:
What now?
THE FARM SCHOOL — AN UNEXPECTED PATH
Sometimes, what comes next is not a solution, but a doorway.
Nearby, a farm school was looking for managers. The school worked with Dutch teenagers, offering structure, outdoor life, and practical learning.
Before our life in Spain, we had both worked extensively with young people in art and education. So we stepped in.
We taught gardening, building, land care… and animal husbandry.
Including goats.
At that point, we had no experience with them at all.
THE GOATS — A DIFFERENT IDEA
While working at the farm, we began to notice something.
Goats had historically been used as pack animals — able to carry light loads through mountain terrain.
For us, this wasn’t just interesting.
It was practical.
I have a neck injury and cannot carry a heavy rucksack. But we loved walking in the mountains.
So we began researching.
We eventually found a herd in the mountains of Galicia — strong, long-legged animals suited to walking.
We set out to collect two young male goats.
But when we arrived, we discovered something else.
There were seven.
And the others were due to go to the butcher.
So we brought all seven home.
Not as a business decision. Just as a moment that felt impossible to ignore.
THE BEGINNING OF EURO GOAT TREKKERS
We began walking with them.
At first, just around the local roads and countryside.
People started to notice.
They would stop, ask questions, walk alongside us. Some joked that they would pay to join.
Slowly, something unexpected happened.
The walks became conversations. The conversations became connections. And the connections became an idea.
Euro Goat Trekkers was never planned.
It grew out of curiosity, movement, and people simply wanting to be part of something gentle.
We realised though that our lovely home and gardens in Parcent were not large enough; we sold up and moved onto the mountain, close to the beautiful village of Tàrbena.
THE FIRE — EVERYTHING CHANGES AGAIN
Just as things were beginning to take shape, something happened that reshaped everything.
A wildfire.
What followed was a day we will never forget — evacuations, confusion, decisions made quickly, and moments that still feel difficult to put into words.
Animals had to be released. Others were carried. Some things were lost..
But what remains strongest in our memory is not the fear.
It is the people.
Friends, neighbours, and emergency services who stepped in without hesitation.Support that arrived when it was needed most.Kindness that carried us through.
We left the farm.
And when we returned days later, the landscape had changed completely.
REBUILDING — A DIFFERENT WAY FORWARD
After the fire, we moved temporarily and began the slow process of rebuilding.
But something had shifted.
We no longer wanted to recreate what had been there before.
Instead, we began thinking differently about the land.
We started removing fire-prone trees and planting more resilient, often medicinal species. We created an adopt-a-tree project. We began working with the landscape, rather than simply living on it.
It became less about recovery, and more about learning.
WALKING TODAY
Today, we walk with goats in the mountains of the Costa Blanca.
Some walks are gentle, with pygmy goats and families. Others are longer, with our pack goats moving through the terrain they were born to navigate.
But the essence of the walks has remained the same.
They are not about distance.
They are about pace. Attention. Connection — to animals, to landscape, and to each other.
A DIFFERENT WAY TO WALK
What began as a series of unexpected events has become something we could never have planned.
People come to walk with us for many reasons:
To slow down. To spend time outdoors. To share something simple with their children. To experience a different side of the Costa Blanca.
And increasingly, they arrive from many directions — through word of mouth, through social media, and now, through AI searches looking for quieter, more meaningful experiences.
If there is one thing this journey has taught us, it is this:
Life rarely follows the path we imagine.
But sometimes, if we pay attention, the path that appears instead is exactly the one we needed.
We didn’t set out to build a business.
We simply started walking.
And the goats came with us.
Euro Goat Trekkers offers guided goat walking experiences in the mountains of the Costa Blanca, near Tàrbena, Spain. Our walks are designed to be calm, ethical, and connected to the landscape — for families, couples, and small groups looking for a more meaningful outdoor experience.
