The Sierras of Extremadura. Gisela Radant Wood
THE CENTRAL SIERRAS: THE MONTES DE TOLEDO
Sierra de Montánchez
Walk 15 Arroyomolinos
Walk 16 Torre de Santa María to Montánchez
Walk 17 Torre de Santa María and the mills
Walk 18 The oak woods of Zarza de Montánchez
Walk 19 Almoharín and the Sierra de San Cristobal
Walk 20 The Sierra de los Alijares
Walk 21 The Sierra de Santa Cruz
Sierra del Campillo and the Sierra de Juncaldilla
Walk 22 Garganta de Cuernacabras
Sierra de Guadalupe
Walk 23 Garciaz and Pico Venero
Walk 24 Cabañas de Castillo to Navezuelas
Walk 25 Navezuelas to Guadalupe
Sierra de la Pela
Walk 26 Orellana de la Sierra
Sierra de Peñas Blancas and Sierra de Juan Bueno
Walk 27 La Zarza
Sierra Grande de Hornachos
Walk 28 Hornachos
Sierra Morena
Walk 29 Cabeza la Vaca and the Sierra de Buitrera
Walk 30 Monasterio de Tentudía and Pico Tentudía
Walk 31 Forest circuit in the Sierra Tudía y Sus Faldas
Walk 32 Alto de Aguafría and the Sierra de Aguafría
Appendix A Route summary table
Appendix B Link route summary table
Appendix C Additional waymarked routes in the area
Appendix D Useful contacts
Appendix E Glossary
Waterfall in the Sierra de Gredos
Chozo (traditional shepherd’s hut) in the Sierra de Gredos (Walk 14)
INTRODUCTION
Ancient footpaths lined with yellow broom, purple lavender and white cistus lead in and out of dark pine woods that provide cool shade. High rolling pastures, bright with wildflowers, are framed by snow-capped mountains which puncture the blue sky. The white-washed, red-roofed buildings of small villages can be seen tucked into the folds of hillsides. Cows graze the lower slopes and the valley floor, their bells providing the only intermittent sound; griffon vultures circle above the peaks. There is not another person in sight.
Extremadura remains Spain’s least-known and least-visited region, but very gradually, walkers, lovers of nature’s beauty and seekers of peace are finding their way there. Many arrive not knowing quite what to expect. None leave disappointed.
The region is sparsely populated in modern terms: it has only 26 residents per square kilometre, while England has 406. The largest city in Extremadura is Badajoz with a little over 150,000 inhabitants. Most people live in small towns or villages each with their distinct character and quite separate from the next. Ribbon development does not exist in Extremadura.
Walking down to Puente Sacristán (Walk 10)
What does exist, in abundance, is open countryside, mountains, hills, valleys, lakes, rivers, forests, pasture and thousands of kilometres of paths criss-crossing the region. These paths are perfect for walking: some are part of an ancient communication network from the days when people walked everywhere; some are delightful meanderings around the agricultural areas that surround every village. The oldest are paved with granite, others are soft earth. Many are shaded with trees and have verges profuse with flowers, in season.
The untouched countryside is a haven for wildlife and birds, and Extremadura has many protected areas. Monfragüe National Park lies at the heart of where the Tiétar and Tajo rivers meet; the area is covered in forest and is famous as a nesting site for many species of raptor. Further west, where the Tajo crosses into Portugal, the Tajo International Natural Park has been established where the rivers Erjas and Sever join the bigger river. The oldest rocks in the peninsula sit in the middle of the Cáceres plain, and the Monumental Park of Los Barruecos has spectacular granite rocks of at least 575 million years old. Its lakes attract birds year-round.
Cornalvo Natural Park is, in reality, a huge area of dehesa – open parkland covered with spaced-out evergreen holm oaks. Its lake, formed by a dam built in Roman times, attracts birds and wildfowl year-round. La Garganta de los Infiernos Natural Park in the Jerte valley incorporates part of the southern slopes of the Sierra de Gredos, while as recently as 2011 a GeoPark was formed uniting the areas of Las Villuercas, Los Ibores and Jara.
All of these parks have hundreds of kilometres of designated and signed walking paths and are testimony to Extremadura’s continuing commitment to preserving its natural environment.
A chance meeting in the Sierra de Gredos in June
The biggest Protection Areas are, without doubt, for birds. These have the acronym ZEPA (Zona Especial de Protección para Aves); the Sierra de Pela and the Sierra Grande de Hornachos, both featured in this book, are ZEPA areas. The Sierra de San Pedro and much of the area around Cáceres are also designated ZEPA.
Quite apart from its natural heritage, Extremadura also boasts three World Heritage Sites: Roman Mérida, Renaissance Cáceres and Guadalupe. These cities, along with Trujillo, Coria, Plasencia, Badajoz and Jerez de los Caballeros, to name but a few, are wonderful places to explore on foot and soak up the atmosphere of past centuries. However, Cáceres, Mérida and Badajoz also have their dynamic, modern sides, which can add a different dimension to a walking holiday.
Geography and geology
Extremadura sits west of Madrid and east of the Portuguese border. It is the fifth largest autonomous region in Spain and is divided into two provinces: Cáceres and Badajoz. At 41,633 square kilometres it is just larger than Switzerland. From the border with Castile and León in the north to the Andalucian border in the south is 280 kilometres. On a map the region looks like a layered cake: from north to south are the Sistema Central mountains, the Tajo river basin, the Montes de Toledo, the Guadiana river basin and the Sierra Morena.
Granite boulders are a feature of almost every walk in the northern and central sierras
Across the north, within the Sistema Central, lie the Sierra de Gata, Sierra de Béjar and the Sierra de Gredos. These forested sierras contain the highest