Picture perfect prairies of the Lone Star State

MY heart started pounding as Breaker and I prepared to negotiate another precarious rocky descent. But the energetic pinto gelding had no respect for my nerves as he leapt across the dry creek and back onto the path at Rancho Cortez in the heart of the Texas Hill Country.

In the past, a trip to the Lone Star State for British holidaymakers has usually meant an expensive flight to a big city like Dallas or Houston. But thanks to Norwegian's new route from Gatwick to Austin, with fares as low as £315 return, travelling to America's second largest state is now affordable.

My wife Rachel and I arrived in the ‘Weird City’ on a steamy Saturday afternoon, before picking up our car from Hertz and setting off south to San Antonio. Our base for the weekend was the Crockett Hotel named after the legendary Tennessee frontiersman, memorably played on screen by John Wayne. The hotel is located just a stone’s throw from the city's top attraction – the Alamo. This small compound was the site of 200 settlers’ 13-day losing battle with Mexican Generalissimo Santa Anna’s troops in 1836 and is now a symbol of American and Texan defiance.

For all the history here, what Rachel and I were really looking forward to was the food. We are both massive fans of Tex-Mex cuisine and the city is home to some of America’s best. Our favourites were the fajitas at the mariachi-soundtracked La Margarita on the vibrant Market Square, along with tacos at Cafe Ole and enchiladas at Iron Cactus on the River Walk.

Although San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the US, the Downtown area never feels overcrowded and the lack of skyscrapers make it ideal for sightseeing.

Rachel and I hopped on a City Sightseeing Bus which took us to the Tower of the Americas, the Museum of Art and the Spanish Governor’s Palace.

Our next destination was the Cowboy Capital of the World, Bandera, where we picked out a couple of Stetsons, before driving up to Rancho Cortez. After checking into Geronimo, wrangler Desree introduced us to our first trail horses and off we rode. After returning to the ranch, owner Larry Cortez gave us lessons on how to saddle a horse and rope a calf. Temperatures in Texas often get above 100F during the summer, so it was a godsend to able to jump in the pool prior to a singsong around the campfire.

On the second night, Rachel and I picked up two slabs of rib-eye from the Meat Market and headed up to 11th Street Cowboy Bar, where cowboys and cowgirls threw meat on the fire-pit barbecues, danced along to country and honky tonk music, and downed Lone Star beer.

Our final destination during the week was beautiful Fredericksburg. We stopped off at Four Point for a wine-and-cheese tasting session with their jovial sommelier Jimmy, before getting a sneak peek into the new Alstadt Brewery. However, for an authentic Texan experience, it doesn't get much better than enjoying a cold beer under the oak trees while listening to music in the pickers' circle at the legendary Luckenbach, made famous by the Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson song.

Before leaving for Austin airport, we visited the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. After a hot and sweaty climb to the summit of the pink granite dome, we were rewarded with amazing views of Texas. It was easy to see why settlers wanted to make this place their home, and why the soldiers at the Alamo put their lives on the line to defend it.