Tag Archives: Castilla y Leon

Natural Parks in Castille y Leon

Hoces del Río Riaza Natural Park

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  • Region: Castilla y Leon
  • Province: Segovia
  • Declared a Natural Park: 2004
  • Park surface area: 6470 hectares
  • Towns and villages: Maderuelo, Galende, Montejo

Points of interest

The Hoces del Río Riaza Natural Park is located in the northeast of the province of Segovia near to the border with the province of Burgos.

This stunning area has been created by the Riaza river which has excavated the limestone of the Segovian plains to create one of the largest areas of gorges, canyons, cliffs and ravines in Spain.

One of the largest Griffon vulture colonies in Spain are resident here and also, due to the caves, it is a safe haven for the Greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis.)

The Linares reservoir is worth a visit especially the dam which has fantastic views and is a great place for birdwatching. The village of Maderuelo was recently named as one of the most beautiful villages in Spain.

This short video shows the beautiful countryside of the Hoces del Río Riaza natural park

This area is characterized by the dominance of the sessile juniper mixed with other oak species woodland. There are rosaceae species such as wild rose, blackberry, hawthorn and blackthorn and various planted woodlands of pine. Depending on the time of year, the Cistus species (Cistus ladanifer and Cistus laurifolius.) can be a beautiful sight when in flower.

Mammals are represented well in this area with otter, wild boar, fox, roe deer, badger, genet, marten, weasel, wild cat, rabbit and hare

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Footpaths in the area (Ask in the visitor centre)

  • Senda entre puentes
  • Senda del Río
  • Senda de la Ermita del Casuar
  • Senda del Cerro Alto
  • Senda de las Tenadas de Valdevacas
  • Senda del Embalse de Linares del Arroyo
AUTHORIZATIONS

From January 1 to July 31 it is necessary to request an authorization at the Information Centre to be able to travel through the reserve area of ​​the natural park, this area includes the PR-SG-6 (Senda del Rio) and PRC-SG- 7 (Hermitage of Casuar).

Information/Visitors Centers

Hoces del Río Riaza Natural Park visitor centre

Address: Las Eras street in the village of Montejo de la Vega de la Serrezuela. Take the A-1 / E-5 highway, exit 146 and in Milagros, the road to Montejo de la Vega. From Aranda de Duero, continue on the N-1 road to Fuentespina and there take the C-114 road to Fuentelcesped where you take the detour to Montejo de la Vega.

At the Information centre you will find all the information you need to get the best out of a visit to the area. Guides and leaflets are available about the various trails (Including permits when needed) as well as details of other nearby areas of cultural or natural interest.

There is an audivisual film and also exhibitions on the fauna, flora, geology and culture of the area.

Castilla y Leon official tourist website for the Hoces del Río Riaza Natural Park
https://www.turismocastillayleon.com/en/countryside-nature/natural-areas/hoces-del-rio-riaza

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The Caminito del Rey

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Natural Parks in Castille y Leon

Sierra de Gredos Regional Park

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  • Region: Castilla y Leon
  • Province: Ávila
  • Declared a Regional Park: 1996
  • Park surface area: 86,236 hectares.
  • Z.E.P.A -Special Bird Protection Zone
  • Local towns and villages El Arenal, Arenas de San Pedro, Bohoyo, Candeleda, La Carrera, Cuevas del Valle, Gilgarcía, Guisando, El Hornillo, Hoyos del Collado, Hoyos del Espino, Los Llanos de Tormes, Mombeltrán, Nava del Barco, Navalonguilla, Navalperal de Tormes, Navarredonda de Gredos, Navatejares, Puerto Castilla, Santiago de Tormes, San Juan de Gredos, San Martín del Pimpollar, Solana de Ávila, Tormellas, Umbrías, Villarejo del Valle, Zapardiel de la Ribera and San Esteban del Valle.

Points of interest

The Sierra de Gredos Regional Park is situated in the southern part of the province of Ávila and encompasses the highest altitudes of the mountains. The highest point of the Sierra de Gredos and also central Spain is the Pico Almanzor at 2,592 metres.

The Sistema Central mountain chain, predominately of granite rock, cuts east to west from Madrid province to Portugal. The Sierra de Gredos is a part of this formation which stretches for nearly 140km running through the provinces of Madrid, Ávila, Salamanca, Toledo and Cáceres.

This once glaciated region has been gradually eroded and molded by the action of ice and water. At lower altitudes deciduous and evergreen forests move up to slopes covered in broom, to alpine meadows and higher still to exposed rock which grows lime coloured lichens, often snow covered. The range of habitat types covers alpine meadows, glacial cirques, glacial lake, moraines, rocky crags, river gorges and sub tropical slopes.

The area has also become famous as a starlight destination. The Starlight Foundation is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2009 to promote the protection of the night sky and the development of “astrotourism” and there is an ever growing list of starlight destinations in Spain to visit.

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Natural Parks in Castille y Leon

Arribes del Duero Natural Park

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  • Region: Castilla y Leon
  • Province: Salamanca y Zamora
  • Declared a Natural Park: 2002
  • Park surface area: 106,000 hectares
  • Towns and villages. Argañín, Almendra, Cabeza del Caballo, Villardiegua de la Ribera, Villadepera, Torregamones, Villar del Buey, Fariza, Gamones, Fermoselle, Villarino de los Aires, Pereña, Masueco, Mieza, Vilvestre, Puerto Seguro, San Felices de los Gallegos, Ahigal de los Aceiteros, Sobradillo, La Fregeneda, Hinojosa del Duero, Saucelle, Adeadávila de la Ribera, La Bouza, Bermellar, Saldeana, Barruecopardo, Fonfría, Pino del Oro, Villalcampo, Moralina, Moral de Sayago, Trabanca, Lumbrales, Cerezal de Peñahorcada, La Zarza de Pumareda, La Peña.

Points of interest

The steep gorges of the Arribes del Duero Natural Park are formed by the river Duero which is also the national boundary between Spain and Portugal. The protected area continues into the Portuguese side where it is called the International Douro Natural Park. In 2015, the two parks were declared a transboundary biosphere reserve by Unesco under the name of the Meseta Ibérica and combined, this enormous protected biosphere reserve covers over 1 million hectares in both countries.

Read about biospheres in Spain here: https://wildsideholidays.co.uk/biospheres-in-spain/

This video gives a quick overview of the terrain in the Arribes del Duero natural park

The biosphere reserve of the Meseta Ibéricas altitudes range between 100 and 2000 meters above sea level and includes several protected areas including the natural parks of Arribes del Duero and Lago de Sanabria in Spanish territory and that of the International Duero in the Portuguese part. There are also various areas of the Natura 2000 Network such as the Duero Canyons, the Villafáfila Lagoons, the Sierra de la Culebra and the Albufera del Azibo/Romeo.

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Flora

There is a very rich plant community present which is characterized by the great abundance of typically Mediterranean species mixed in with cultivated olive, grape vine, almond and other fruit trees. In many areas the farmland has been abandoned and is now covered with naturaly regenerated thickets of junipers, holm oak, gall oak, cork oak interspersed with beautiful meadows of grasses and wild flowers.

Fauna

Over 300 species of bird have been recorded here but the black stork is one of the most emblematic in the Arribes del Duero Natural Park and they are accompanied by birds of prey such as griffon vulture, egyptian vulture, eagle owl, golden eagle, bonnellis eagle, kites (both red and black), peregrine falcon and lesser kestrel.

Mammals include both the Iberian wolf and Iberian lynx.

Traditionally, hunting of the Iberian wolf has been allowed north of the Duero river but in 2021 the Spanish goverment announced a total ban much to the dismay of the hunting fraternity and many livestock owners. Time will tell how this works. (Read the comments on the ban at the Iberia Nature Forum https://iberianatureforum.com/forums/topic/iberian-wolf-hunting-ban/ )

Video on YouTube – Arribes del Duero Natural Park (Spanish)

Information/Visitors Centers

Casa del Parque de Arribes del Duero ‘El Torreón de Sobradillo’

Located in the town of Sobradillo east of Salamanca on the border with Portugal, the best way to get there is from Salamanca via the SA-300 heading towards Ledesma or towards Vitigudino via the C-517 and from Zamora via the C-527 towards Fermoselle. From Portugal take the N-620 towards Salamanca and the N-122 towards Zamora.

This information centre has audivisual films about the park and its fauna and flora with exhibitions and models showing the geology and history of the area.

Casa del Parque de Arribes del Duero ‘Convento de San Francisco’

This information centre is located in the old Convent of San Francisco de Fermoselle, a town located in the southwest of the province of Zamora.

Staffed by knowledgable local people this centre will help you get the best out of a visit to the area and has a lot of information on local events and activities as well as exhibitions about the Arribes del Duero Natural Park, its fauna, flora and human history.

Official Tourism website here: https://patrimonionatural.org/espacios-naturales/parque-natural/parque-natural-arribes-del-duero

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The Caminito del Rey

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Biospheres (MAB) in Spain

Babia Biosphere Reserve

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  • Region: Castilla y Leon (Leon)
  • Declared a biosphere reserve in 2004
  • Protected area: 38.107,60 hectares.
  • Towns and villages: Cabrillanes – (La Cueta, Huergas de Babia, Lago de Babia, Mena de Babia, Meroy, Las Murias, Peñalba de Cilleros, Piedrafita de Babia, Quintanilla de Babia, La Riera de Babia, San Félix de Arce, Torre de Babia, Vega de Viejos). San Emiliano – (Candemuela, Cospedal, Genestosa, La Majúa, Pinos, Riolago, Robledo de Babia, Torrebarrio, Cubiechas, Torrestío, Truébano, Villafeliz de Babia, Villargusán, Villasecino)

Points of interest.

The Babia biosphere reserve is located in the in the Babia region, northwest of the province of León. The protected area covers around 38,000 hectares in the municipalities of Cabrillanes and San Emiliano.

At some point in the future this area may be combined with other protected areas and biospheres such as the Parque natural de Babia y Luna and the Omaña-Luna biosphere to form the recently proposed “Great Cantabrian Biosphere Reserve”.

To the north, the peaks of Peña Ubiña, Alto Rosapero and the Picos Blancos stand out due to their altitude of more than 2,000 meters whilst on the southern edge, La Cañada peak at 2,154 meters is just as impressive.

The land between these two mountainous areas has been shaped by humans and agriculture for many thousands of years and livestock farming using the various altitudes allowed year round food supply.

Population decline, a reduction in livestock farming and the opening of open cast coal mines in the area during the 20th century has also affected the landscape. There are still coal mines open in the area but it is logical to assume that they will close in the near future as renewable energy becomes the mainstream and fossil fuels are left behind.

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Carved by Glaciers

From the high peaks of Babia de Peña Ubiña (2,417 m), Peña Orniz (2,193 m), Montihuero (2,180 m) or Alto de la Cañada (2,157 m), you can observe the mountainous landscape of the Biosphere Reserve of Babia and among the most important glacial features, you can see several lagoons such as Las Verdes in Torre de Babia, Laguna Grande in Lago de Babia or Lake Chao in Riolago de Babia. You can also see remains of glacial modeling and moraines in the valleys of La Cueta, Torre de Babia and Torrestío.

Star Park (The Starlight Foundation)

In 2013, the Babia Biosphere Reserve started a project to publicize and protect its night skies and without doubt, this is one of the best places in Spain for stargazers. Quite a recent developement, in Spain, a Star Park is a territory that protects its night sky enough to develop observation, educational, cultural or recreational activities, linked to astronomical events (passage of comets, eclipses of the moon and sun, alignment of planets, meteor showers, etc.

Starlight destinations in Spain

The Starlight Foundation is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2009 to promote the protection of the night sky and the development of “astrotourism” and there is an ever growing list of starlight destinations in Spain to visit.

Fauna

There is a sporadic but constant presence of the Cantabrian brown bear (Ursus arctos) in the area which acts as a corridor for individuals from the eastern and western nuclei of the Cantabrian populations. (Hence the plan for the “Great Cantabrian Biosphere Reserve”).

Ornithological interest is also high, highlighting the excellent populations of birds linked to alpine environments such as the wall creeper (Trichodroma muraria), grey partridge (Perdix perdix), alpine accentor (Prunella collaris), alpine chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) and white-winged snowfinch (Montifringilla nivalis).

Also present (depending on the time of year) is a diverse population of raptors such as the European honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus), Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), short-toed eagle (Circaetus gallicus), hen harrier (Circus cyaneus), golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), and peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus).

Although there is no evidence of its current presence in the area, the Cantabrian grouse or western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) deserves a special mention since there is recent historical data and the area is home to a habitat suitable for this species to flourish.

Walking routes in the Babia Biosphere Reserve

  • Camino Real de Prégame – This route of about 8 km runs through a section of the old Camino Real de Prégame. The old path linked the town of Quintanilla de Babia with Huergas de Babia. The terrain is quite flat and this route can also be made by bike.
  • El entorno de Ubiña – This route, of about 14 km starts from either Torrebarrio or Pinos de Babia. The slope from Torrebarrio to Collado del Ranzón is quite steep. The route passes through a high mountain landscape, dominated by grasslands of great beauty. The panoramic views of the entire Babia Biosphere Reserve, as well as the surrounding territories are impressive. From the hill, and for the more adventurous, you can access the peak of Peh.
  • Lago Chao – This 6km route starts from Riolago de Babia towards Lago del Chao and Laguna del Lago, at the foot of Alto de la Cañada (2,157 m).
  • Laguna Las Verdes – The 11 km route to the Las Verdes lagoon starts from the town of Torre de Babia. Glacier modeling can be observed at various points along the path showing lateral and frontal moraines formed by the glacier that covered the valley.
  • Las Fuentes del Sil – The 11 km Fuentes del Sil route starts from the town of La Cueta, and runs along the first section of the Sil river to its source at the foot of Peña Orniz (2,191m).
  • Majúa – Torrestío – This 12 km route joins the towns of La Majúa and Torrestío runs around the Morronegro peak (2,152 m). From the Col de Queixeiro there are panoramic views of a large part of the Babia Biosphere Reserve including the peaks of Peña Ubiña, Alto de la Cañada and Montihuero.

Information centres

Casa del Parque de Babia y Luna y sede de la Reserva de la Biosfera de Babia

In the village of Riolago de Babia and located in the stunning palace of the Quiñones (who were once the powerful landowners in the area), this information centre has information panels and exhibitions detailing the human presence in the area and the areas long history of livestock farming. There is information about geology, fauna, flora and the best places to visit in the area.

  • From the A-66 take exit 93 towards Villablino. On the CL-626 continue to the town of Huergas de Babia turning left to Riolago de Babia
  • From Villablino take the CL-626 towards León to the town of Huergas de Babia, turning right to Riolago de Babia

Website: https://patrimonionatural.org/casas-del-parque/casas-del-parque/casa-del-parque-de-babia-y-luna

Official website for the Babia Biosphere Reserve: https://www.babiabiosfera.es/

Ronda Today

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The Caminito del Rey

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Wildside Holidays – Spain

Take a trip on the Wildside! Discover the wildlife and nature of Spain, its Natural and National Parks and find the top wildlife, activity and walking holiday companies.

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