Hi Neil,
We're run Pure Mountains, in the Sierra Nevada mountains in southern Spain so have lots of experience of pesky thorns and loose and pointy rocks.
The best possible answer is a tubeless set up, combining a tyre for dry and loose conditions eg Hutchinson Python (though they wear quite quickly) along with goo eg Stan's No Tubes. This will avoid pinch flats and give good grip on loose trails and the goo will help protect from thorns. Take some tubes though, because you're bound to get some punctures, especially this year as a wet winter caused vigourous spring growth of various prickly plants. There are also a lot of pointy seeds around that love to get into your socks and shoes and torture your feet, so take very short socks and solid top rather than mesh top shoes.
Hope that helps.
Jenny
Pure Mountains, Extraordinary Mountain Bike Holidays
www.puremountains.com
