The following are definitions of English words and often-used phrases in route descriptions:
Lane – usually in reasonable condition, made either of concrete or compacted stone and earth. Normally near a population centre and is for use by vehicles, horses, bikes and people.
Track – made of almost anything and encountered mainly in the countryside. Wide enough for transport suitable for the terrain, plus horses, bikes and people.
Path – anything from granite-paved or very rocky to grassy or earth. Much narrower than either a lane or track and is for horses, donkeys and people.
Stream bed – dry or wet, depending on rainfall during the previous winter.
Wall – dry stone unless otherwise stated.
A word about names
Wherever possible, names for sierras, rivers and roads are the ones that appear on the most up-to-date maps. However, some names have been chosen to reflect common usage and do not appear on maps other than in this book.
THE NORTHERN SIERRAS: THE SISTEMA CENTRAL
Returning to Gata with the Torre de Almenara in the distance (Walk 3)
SIERRA DE GATA
WALK 1
San Martín de Trevejo and the Sierra de Eljas
| Start/Finish | San Martín de Trevejo |
| Distance | 19km |
| Ascent/Descent | 710m |
| Time | 6hrs |
| Terrain | Village streets, rural lanes, earth tracks over moorland, footpaths occasionally paved with granite, cobbled woodland track |
| Max altitude | 1058m |
| Map | IGN 573-111 Eljas 1:25,000 |
| Refreshments | At San Martín de Trevejo and Eljas around the squares |
| Access | By car: reach San Martín de Trevejo via Plasencia to Coria on the EX-108, or the adjacent motorway. Then take the EX-109 to Moraleja, the CC-3.1 to Cilleros and the CC-3.2 to a junction on the EX-205. Turn left and San Martín de Trevejo is signposted on the right. |
| Parking | On the CC-1.1 in a parking area on the right opposite the café/bar ‘Enigma’ and before the entrance to San Martín de Trevejo. |
| Waymarks | White and yellow flashes |
| Spring water | One spring just before San Martín de Trevejo |
| Note | The footpath is vague in places; a compass may be useful. Do not walk in times of poor visibility. |
A classic sierra walk. It follows an ancient communication path, the Camino de Navasfrías, over the Sierra de Gata to the Puerto de San Martín, which links Extremadura with Castile and León. The start is on a series of small lanes and a minor road. Once Eljas has been reached, the walk passes through an extensive Pyrenean oak wood followed by a long gentle ascent through wild boulder-strewn moorland to the Puerto de San Martín. Then it is downhill all the way to San Martín de Trevejo through woods of Spanish chestnut and Pyrenean oaks.
There are many opportunities for spotting flowers and birds, especially near the many small waterfalls and water channels on the high sierra. In autumn the colours in the two woods are glorious.
There is no shade on the exposed sierra between two distinct woods, and the Calzado Romano is uneven in places and can be slippery when wet.
Face the ‘Enigma’ café/bar and turn right to walk towards San Martín de Trevejo. At the Y-junction the main road bends to the right; do not go that way, but walk straight on down Calle Entrada al Fuente.
Take the second left turning at a small square. This is Camino del Convento. Cross over a crossroads and walk all the way down. The lane bends right past an outbuilding with a waymark, on the right. Just after a utility post with a waymark on the left is a junction before the Convent of San Miguel, now a hospedería. At this junction, turn left.
Walk on this wide concrete lane with generous verges dotted with trees. The Sierra de Eljas is on the right, and to the left are meadow views across a wide shallow valley to the Sierra de Cachaza beyond. After 1km, turn right at a junction to cross a stream by a concrete bridge with crenellated sides and wooden railings. (Over the bridge, on the right, is a mill restored as a modern dwelling.) Continue for another 600m to make another right turn at a crossroads with agricultural buildings to the left. Within 200m of this there is a T-junction.
Turn left onto the Carretera de Eljas de San Martín de Trevejo, CCV-61: a quiet back road that does take occasional local traffic. It winds steadily up to Eljas but is shaded by trees, with views to the left becoming extensive as the lane ascends. Come to a Y-junction on the edge of the village of Eljas; turn right and follow the main road as it hairpins up to the Plaza de la Constitución. Take on more water from one of the bars, if needed.
From the square, with the town hall on your right and the church on your left, walk ahead. At the T-junction, turn left up the ramp, then immediately right up Calle de Emigrante. At the T-junction with Calle Folnu turn left, then right. Look ahead for a sign saying ‘Calle Cantonis’. Go straight up this tiny road to the right of the sign and turn first right into Calle Orienti – another tiny road but with picturesque, ancient houses. Go straight up this road, ignoring all junctions.
At the end of the road is a T-junction with Calle Forca; turn left onto a wider road. Walk ahead to reach the top of village, still with houses on the left. Reach a Y-junction, to the right of which is a map of walking routes in the area.
Turn right onto a concrete track as it goes up and bends left. On the left are views of the valley and Valverde del Fresno. The sierra lies ahead. The track becomes rougher but continues to ascend. Pass a white and yellow waymark on a rock to the right. At a small open space, ignore the gate on the right. Turn left to a gate with a notice in Spanish: ‘cierre gracias’ (shut thanks). A waymark on the right pillar by the gate reinforces your direction.
On the Camino de Navasfrías
Beyond the gate is a granite-paved path going straight ahead. This continues, with long grassy and earth breaks, all the way to the Puerto de San Martín. This path is the ancient Camino de Navasfrías; it is a wild, uncultivated part of the sierra but it is not barren. Walk straight ahead on the paved path and pass a small stone-built corral on the right. At a large boulder there is a definite bend, right, to start the zig-zags upwards, steadily but not steeply, with views over the valley on the right becoming more extensive. Already there are birds and hawks to be spotted – depending on the time of day. As the path reaches a summit, take one last look behind at the view of Eljas and Valverde.
The path goes over the top to the other side of the sierra and enters a wooded area. Pass granite boulders, reassuring waymarks and glimpses of the Sierra de Cachaza through the trees on