The Sierras of Extremadura. Gisela Radant Wood
a bit rough, come to and go through a gate.
The walk enters the thickest part of the wood with trees on both sides of the path. Pass a gate on the left but do not go through it. Ahead, on a big boulder on the left, is a waymark. Pass another gate tucked in on the left but don’t go through it. Continue on the path to come to yet another gate, which opens on the right side. Go through this one.
Granite boulders with Pico Jálama behind
Reach a Y-junction but ignore the tiny path, right, that plunges into the wood. The trees start to thin; reach a gate with a waymark on its right gatepost and go through it. The trees end on the left and the view is of granite boulders and low-growing shrubs. Trees continue on the right and the path is now rough and boulder-strewn.
Come to an old gatepost with no gate, followed by a gate made of bedsprings, usually open. Go through these. There are two little gates, right, and some small outbuildings. Usually there are goats here, and occasionally the goatherd.
Ignoring the two gates, emerge at an open meadow. The path is clearly defined by granite paving, and ahead is the summit of Pico Jálama (Walk 2). Occasionally the path becomes compacted earth but it is clear as no grass grows on it. Keep Pico Jálama as a vague point of orientation – it should be ahead and sometimes a bit right. Ahead and slightly to the left are jagged outcrops called the Torres de Fermán Centeno.
Many legends surround Fermán Centeno, who was a knight from Cuidad Rodrigo to the north of the Sierra de Eljas. He was involved in local power struggles between various factions and seized the defensive castles of Eljas and Trevejo in 1474. He then aspired to take over the western part of the region, which was vital to the defence of Spain against the Portuguese. Today he is known as a legendary bandit who terrorised the local people and hid out in these ‘towers’.
Just after a distinctive outcrop of granite on the right, cross a water channel, with glimpses of San Martín in the valley below. Come to a strange but distinctive area of giant rounded granite boulders, possibly tumbled from the sierra on the left and eroded over centuries. The path bends left to go through the middle of the boulders and then bends left again. This part of the sierra has a wild, primitive aura but is pretty in spring with colourful flowering bushes.
Reach a stream with stepping-stones, after which it becomes hard to pick the way and the path disappears. Veer left; the path appears again and climbs towards the jagged outcrops once more. This is an isolated and solitary place although cattle may be chewing contentedly on the higher slopes.
The path, now very rocky, crosses more water channels. (If walking after a lot of rain, it may be boggy in places.) The ground becomes grassier with boulders strewn around randomly. The path becomes a tiny dirt line with a few granite slabs; it comes and goes but keep Pico Jálama slightly to your right to be sure of staying in the correct direction.
Over to the right the minor road, CC-193/CCV-12, comes into view. The Puerto de San Martín is not far away. The path comes to an inverted Y-junction where it is joined by a path from the left. Continue right on the joined path, which now makes a track.
Walk through a very open area with rounded rocks, pasture, ferns and flowering bushes. Reach a fence, turn right and follow the track, with the fence on the left. The fence goes off to the left as the track bends right and goes towards the tree-covered hillside ahead. It narrows and becomes granite-paved and winds its way down between the flowered, but rocky, side of the sierra, left.
Come to the head of the valley with impressive views down. Reach a gate and go through it: this is the area of the Puerto de San Martín and there are information boards and signposts. The next part of the walk is waymarked with white and yellow. Facing the main road, turn right to find the track to San Martín, which for the next 4km runs through beautiful Spanish chestnut and Pyrenean oak wood.
On the Calzado Romano
The granite-paved track is ancient and had the name Calzado Romano, literally meaning ‘Roman Shoes’. It is a communication route that links San Martín de Trevejo with towns and villages in Castile and León. Considering its age, it is remarkably well preserved with thousands of original granite paving stones. However, it is thought that it is unlikely to have been laid during Roman times but is more a medieval construction.
Ten minutes into the wood there is a cascading waterfall on the left. The path becomes a bridge here as the water flows under the track down to the right and the valley below. Further on, occasional water channels cross the track but these are easily negotiated.
As the track descends, the woods thin and you come to an open rural landscape with San Martín visible below and right. At a T-junction turn right, then turn left to drop down into the outskirts of the village. Pass a water trough on the left with clear running water; a good place to ‘wash up’ before seeking refreshments in San Martín.
To get to the Plaza Mayor, walk ahead and at a Y-junction turn right. (There is an information board here about the Calzada Romano.) Follow this street, Calle del Puerto, as it becomes Calle de la Iglesia and reaches the main square of San Martín de Trevejo.
To get back to the start point, walk down Calle el Concejo, turn right down Calle Cordero and turn left into Calle del Fuente, which becomes Calle Entrada al Fuente and goes straight back to the car parking area.
WALK 2
Pico Jálama
| Start/Finish | Picnic area on the CV-193 between San Martín de Trevejo and El Payo |
| Distance | 9km |
| Ascent/Descent | 540m |
| Time | 3hrs |
| Terrain | Woodland tracks, rough tracks, rough footpaths, soft earth footpaths |
| Max altitude | 1487m |
| Map | IGN 573 Gata 1:50,000 (only partly helpful) |
| Refreshments | In nearby San Martín de Trevejo |
| Access | From San Martín de Trevejo on the CV-193. The start is on the left of the road approximately 5km from the village. |
| Parking | At the start |
| Waymarks | Signposts, cairns, granite markers |
| Spring water | One marked spring on the descent |
| Note | There may be cows grazing but they are used to walkers. Do not walk with dogs. |
This walk is rewarded with amazing views in all directions from the summit. The first part of the ascent is through mature pine woods on an easy track; the next part is on a small footpath through low-growing flowering bushes and past rocky outcrops, the way marked with numerous cairns. A well for storing snow and ice is impressive but faintly derelict.
The summit is a place to enjoy with a picnic and binoculars. There are birds of prey, huge eroded granite boulders, flowering bushes and butterflies. Afterwards, the descent is on a footpath marked by cairns and then a wide track. The views on the descent are extensive.
The majority of this walk is not in Extremadura but in Castile and León. The summit, Pico Jálama, is in Extremadura and is the highest peak in the Sierra de Gata at 1487m.
From the picnic area, walk 200m on the