As part of our Green Traveller's Guide to Spain, Ginny Light learns how conservation and tourism go hand in hand in the Sierra Norte Natural Park, Guadalajara
The topography, the waterfalls, the biodiversity, and the opportunities to explore - everything about the Sierra Norte is on a huge scale. Everything, that is, except the crowds. This vast and rugged mountainous area, a designated natural park in the Castilla-La Mancha area of Spain to the south of Madrid, is rarely visited by anyone outside of Madrid.
I spent a day in the park with director, Rafael Ruiz López De La Cova - not nearly enough to cover the whole territory, but enough to get a taste of what it has to offer and the challenges and triumphs of managing an area on this scale.
Balancing Conservation with Tourism
Hiking is the foremost activity here owing to the variety of landscapes and the unceasing work of the Natural Park team to maintain the footpaths. Using sustainable materials and minimising machinery is Rafael’s priority. As we hiked the trail to the Chorreras de Despeñalagua waterfall we left behind the village of Valverde de Los Arroyos, a pristine and peaceful spot where the houses exemplify the region’s black architecture, owing to the use of locally mined slate in contrast to the terracotta and pale stone buildings typical of the area.
The peaceful sound of running water accompanies this 4km return route, emanating from a stone-lined water channel that runs alongside the trail and delivers irrigation to the villages and their land thanks to the work of Rafael’s teams. Working with people and maintaining the population of the park is upmost to him.
One might think that the ultimate for a natural park would be to expel humans altogether, but without farms to maintain pasture there is no grazing for herbivores on which the carnivores can be sustained (there are four known Iberian wolf groups in the park), and high mountain pasture is the most endangered habitat in Castilla-La Mancha. It would be overtaken with shrubs without grazing. Furthermore, with no people there are no businesses to sustain tourism, without which the park is not economically viable.
“It's a human desert,” he says. The population density of Sierra Norte de Guadalajara is less than Siberia, and yet you’re only 1.5 hours from Madrid.
And so Rafael works tirelessly to balance the needs of the population with the natural environment and delivering water for their crops and animals is a priority. He listens to the inhabitants - and indeed he’s well known and loved - everywhere I went with Rafael he was greeted with a warm reception of hugs and handshakes and he took time to talk to everyone. It’s not all inhabited however -
“We have three wild areas with no trails or public access,” he says, “where nature can take over”.
Elsewhere visitors are restricted. Rafael has commissioned studies on tourism impact and consequently limits tourist numbers based on an area’s carrying capacity (popular routes like the beech forest walk (below) are limited to those with a day permit).
The aim is what he calls Naturalea: “to explore the territory, walk its trails, enjoy its calm villages and nature without leaving a mark”.
Hiking
The route to the Chorreras de Despeñalagua is considered a ‘popular’ trail - we saw one other group on it. On many other routes - totalling 525km over 43 trails - you will find yourself alone all day, even in the peak season (spring and autumn weekends when the area is popular with Madrid residents escaping the city).
The most challenging trails are the quietest and tackle the three highest peaks in Castilla-La Mancha, which are all within the boundaries of the park - Pico del Lobo (2,273 m), Cerrón (2,199 m) and Peña Cebollera Vieja or Tres Provincias (2,129 m) - and often snow-covered. There are 20 peaks of over 2,000 metres in the park alone so finding new and challenging walks is not a problem. More experienced hikers tackle these, meanwhile there are numerous shorter routes for families and less avid walkers, like the 6km Senda de Carretas trail.
The Cart Trail is so called because it was the route used to transport charcoal produced in the beech forest carboneras,the traditional wooden huts where charcoal is made (there’s a reconstructed carbonera in the woods here). The trail starts along the banks of the Lillas River, an idyllic valley of cattle pasture. As we walked alongside it cow bells jangled and birds swooped overhead - the region is known for its Bonelli’s and golden eagles, peregrine falcons and Griffon vultures as well as countless smaller birds.
After passing through oaks and silver birch - relatively rare in this biome - you reach the world’s most southerly beech forest, a strangely English scene with its leaf-strewn floor and the dappled sunshine passing through a layered canopy. It was here we saw another of the park residents, hearing its squeals before seeing it… a wild boar hightailing it through the trees.
Other hiking routes are well mapped out on the park website and in brochures with options from 3-33km, all graded by difficulty and noted by environmental or historical interest, so it’s not hard to fill a long weekend - or even a whole month or three - with hiking in this park alone. Those looking to link trails together can, with the authorities blessing, request to stay overnight in one of the refuges and shelters, simple stone buildings dotted across the park (contact details are here).
Rafael has also just released a series of geology themed walks and is in the process of installing 62 information panels about geology and geomorphology which will be unveiled in the autumn (nature information boards already exist on the more popular routes).
The meeting of three geomorphological areas at the park means there’s a huge variety of rock types and features from the uplifted gneiss ridges of the Sierra del Ocejón to the red jagged ridges of the clay landscape to the south of the park with its gullies and canyons.
Walking and wild flowers in the Sierra Norte Natural Park.
Photos: Guide with hiker at noticeboard and Hiker in beech forest: Christopher Willan.
Walker by signage and Orchid: Richard Hammond
Other activities nearby
The region is mountain biking heaven with at least eight mapped trails of between 6-47km offering the thrills of undulating terrain and epic views. Along these and the hiking routes are countless rivers, waterfalls and pools offering an enticing spot to cool off, albeit in bracing water that’s only recently run off the high mountain ridges. Swimming is allowed everywhere except Berbellido, Jaramilla and Pelagallinas rivers which are designated fish refuges, and for the preservation of the environment, hikers and cyclists are asked to stick to mapped trails. Climbing needs permission and is popular for both bouldering and potholing, especially the Ponton de la Olivia area with climbers from Madrid.
Altitude is a leading factor in the vegetation type, with the forests of yew, holly, birch, alder, ash, poplar and whitebeam growing at various heights alongside the beech and oak, meanwhile, the Sierra de Alto Rey is covered by natural Scots pine forest and higher up on the exposed slopes are brooms and heathers, and the distinctive piorno serrano, a yellow flowering shrub that can cover entire hillsides. In spring the wild flowers are sensational and Rafael pointed out to me wild foxgloves and cistus, a rose-link shrub as well as many cultivars we have bred for our own garden borders like salvia and lavender. Naturally with flora this diverse the fauna is rich and aside from the birds, boars and wolves there’s much to see here if it decides to show up (though there’s an awful lot of park to hide in). Butterflies are an easy spot in the lowland valleys, while the larger beasts like deer, martens, wildcats and badgers are a little harder to see. Otters and shrews live in the crystalline waters while green-black lizards and salamanders bask on rocks, though the latter is highly endangered and Rafael believes there are only two groups left in the park.
Wildlife spotting and adventure tourism aside there’s still more that Sierra Norte de Guadalajara can offer. The black architecture is intriguing and unique to this area leaving villages camouflaged with their surroundings. A few other buildings stand out like the Romanesque-style Santa Coloma church in Albendiego, Gothic-style Bonaval monastery in the village of Retiendas and the Ducal castle in Cogolludo, the first Renaissance palace in Spain.
For organised tours and activities with a sustainable provider try La Tormenta (https://latormenta.es/), which offers guided hiking, astronomy evenings and hire of climbing and hiking equipment. There’s also the Barbatona ecotourism centre (https://barbatona.com/), a hostel and activities centre and Tubkala (https://tubkala.com/) which offers photography, hiking and astronomy activities.
Where to stay
There are 43 villages in the park with residents numbering 2-30 people, and there’s one – La Vereda – with a single resident: a poet and biologist named Mario. Some have signed up to the Natura 2000 network, which offers training in environmentally-sound practices and knowledge around the park, so it’s a gold standard for eco tourists. These include:
La Alquería de Valverde country house in Valverde de los Arroyos (https://www.laalqueriadevalverde.es/) has four apartments that sleep two to four people with features like open fireplaces and a mountain chalet feel. From 144 euros for two people for two nights in the summer season (prices go up in autumn and winter to cover heating costs)
Al Viento del Ocejón country house in El Espinar - Campillo de Ranas (https://alvientodelocejon.com/) has six double bedrooms in a simple rustic style with ensuite bathrooms and cost from 70 euros a night for two people.
Casa del Sol country house in Campillo de Ranas (https://www.casaruralcasadelsol.es/) is a former tavern and can be rented as a whole or by the bedroom - it has three rooms plus a suite and is known for its homemade breakfast. From 75 euros per night for a double room.
Camping is only allowed at the Cantalojas campsite, Los Bonales (https://campinglosbonales.es/) which has pitches for tents and motorhomes with electricity plug-in plus four modern bungalows that sleep up to six, two of which welcome pets. It has a super restaurant on site (see below).
Where to eat
7 of 43 villages have somewhere you can get a drink, a meal or be hosted so if you’re not packing a picnic, you need to plan. Some of the restaurants are listed on the tourism website, here are a few of our favourites:
The restaurant at Los Bonales offers seasonal, fresh cooked food and a frequently changing menu under the friendly and efficient management of Maria. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and offers takeaway with dishes including salads, grilled meat and regional specialities.
La Tarihuela restaurant and bar in Valverde de los Arroyos is unusual as it’s open all week (for most of the year). It’s a little more refined than some of the more rustic eateries but in essence is still founded on fresh seasonal food and traditional dishes with a twist.
The restaurant at El Huerto de Abuelo is open open Fridays, Saturdays and national holidays and is highly thought of for its fresh-cooking as well as traditional dishes like Sierra style migas - fried breadcrumbs with egg, bacon and village chorizo.
If you like to eat hyper local, you can forage the park for funghi in the autumn. Bolete (or Penny Bun) and Niscalo or Pine Mushroom are prized finds. You need to register with the municipality and pay 5 euros for up to 5kg.
Planning a visit
The park has four visitor centres open during weekends and bank holidays from Easter to November: Cogolludo, El Cardoso de la Sierra, Hayedo de Tejera Negra and Hiendelaencina. These are a good starting point for getting bearings and planning itineraries on site.
You can access the park by road from Madrid or Guadalajara. There’s no public transport within the park but an excellent high speed rail network to Madrid from across Spain and beyond (see our guide to How to travel to Spain from the UK without flying).
More information:
Sierra Norte Natural Park: areasprotegidas.castillalamancha.es
Black architecture of Guadalajara: spain.info
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