La Moraña por carretera
Routes
Churches and wheat fields
- Distance
- 77 km · circular
- Terrain
- Flat, on local roads, no motorway
- How to do it
- By bike, motorbike or car
- Time
- By car or motorbike, a morning with stops · By bike, a full day
- Start and finish
- Arévalo station: free parking and train access
- Best time of year
- All year round: each season paints the landscape a different colour
A circular route from Arévalo along small, quiet roads, to do by bike, motorbike or car. On the horizon, each village announces itself with its brick tower and invites you to stop: the birthplace of Isabella I of Castile, that of Saint John of the Cross and, halfway along, Cabezas del Pozo, a village that tells you its own story.
The route
- 1
Arévalo · km 0
Start at the station, with free parking. Before or after the route, stroll through the Plaza de la Villa, the Mudéjar towers of San Martín and Santa María, the castle and the La Lugareja hermitage. Isabella I of Castile spent her childhood here.
- 2
Madrigal de las Altas Torres · km 29
The queen herself comes out to greet you: a statue of Isabella I of Castile recalls that she was born here in 1451. Take a break in its historic centre, walk along the Mudéjar walls and visit the palace where she was born. Leaving the village, the road opens out among the vineyards of the Rueda D.O.
- 3Cabezas del Pozo · km 40 · the heart of the route
You're greeted by the white Vera Cruz hermitage. Along Calle Medina you'll spot a 1728 apothecary, cartwheels over the vents of an old wine cellar, and manor houses bearing coats of arms. In the square, have something at the bar, leave your vehicle by the church and walk «El círculo del pueblo» on foot, under an hour with the audio guide. On the way out, the lagoon and, past the shrine, a path to the right leading to El Tejar, a spring that never runs dry. In Cabezas, the clay of this land is everything: adobe, brick and tile.
- 4
Fontiveros · km 49
The birthplace of Saint John of the Cross, the great mystic poet. Visit his birth house, today a Carmelite church, and the Mudéjar church of San Cipriano, where he was baptised, with its coffered ceiling.
Villages along the way: Sinlabajos, San Esteban and Castellanos de Zapardiel, Barromán, Bercial de Zapardiel, Bernuy-Zapardiel, Cantiveros, Fuente el Saúz and Langa. On the way back to Arévalo, the 12th-century Romanesque-Mudéjar church of Fuente el Saúz, and Langa, birthplace of Cervantes Prize winner José Jiménez Lozano and poet Jacinto Herrero. Back in Arévalo, end the day with roast suckling pig.
Highlights
- ·Two illustrious birthplaces: Madrigal, where Isabella I of Castile was born, and Fontiveros, where Saint John of the Cross was born.
- ·Brick Mudéjar towers, walls and churches visible for miles.
- ·A village that speaks to you: the audio-guided walk through Cabezas del Pozo.
- ·Traffic-free roads and open plains, with birds of prey soaring over the fields.
- ·And to finish, roast suckling pig in Arévalo.
Before you go
- ·Water: fountain at the San Esteban de Zapardiel rest area. In Cabezas del Pozo, the bar on the square is the rest stop — the fountain by the lagoon is borehole water and its potability hasn't been confirmed. Sinlabajos has no services: set off with water.
- ·Caution: these are quiet roads, but also the road locals use. Slow down entering villages.
- ·By bike: helmet required, lights if riding into the evening, and little shade in summer.
- ·Eating: in Arévalo and Madrigal; something simple at the Cabezas del Pozo bar. Opens at 11:00.
- ·Information: Madrigal Tourist Office, 920 320 699. Closed Mondays.
Frequently asked questions
Is it difficult?
No. It's flat and traffic-free. By bike it's 77 km: if you're not used to it, do it by car or motorbike and walk through the villages.
Does it go along a motorway?
No. The whole route runs along local roads.
Can I get there by train?
Yes. Arévalo has a station, and the route starts from there.
Practical information
- Address:
- Ruta circular desde Arévalo: Sinlabajos - Madrigal de las Altas Torres - Cabezas del Pozo - Fontiveros - Fuente el Saúz - Langa