Charming villages and walking paths through history between green valleys are dotted around the different routes that make up the territory. Signposted paths that can be covered on foot or by bicycle give shape to a landscape full of contrasts.
If there is one thing that characterises the province of Burgos, it is the fact that from north to south its geography is a mosaic of contrasts. These landscapes are laid out around a series of trails and paths that give form to a territory prepared to be enjoyed in family through its green valleys, or in a more active way by enjoying rugged gorges or entering its leafy forests.
For those adventurers who decide to enter the deepest landscapes, the trail of the Ebro Canyons is an opportunity to enjoy the shapes formed by the erosion of nature. This trail is classified as a short distance trail (PRC – BU 01) through the interior of these ravines, which have been shaped by water over the years, and which has an accumulated difference in level of 300 metres. In these rocky massifs lies the famous plain of the Páramo de la Lora. Its ravine reaches a depth of 200 metres at some points, where the Ebro river continues its course, giving shape to the geography of Burgos. Thanks to its leafy and varied vegetation, its fauna and its impressive landscapes, the Ebro Canyon is today one of the most characteristic spaces on the Iberian Peninsula.
Also, for the hardiest explorers, the Ojo Guareña Karstic Complex is a real immersion in the bowels of the earth. With a distance of 100 kilometres, this limestone complex is the most important in Spain and one of the ten largest in the world. The San Bernabé hermitage and the Town Hall cave are the two “jewels” of this impressive natural monument, which has a series of exterior signposted paths for easy walking. For more information and reservations, please go to www.merindaddesotoscueva.es or www.cuevapalomera.es or call the Casa del Parque on 947 138 838.
Much larger is the Sierra de la Demanda Greenway, a 54-kilometre trail that follows the route of the old mining railway, which once served to supply coal to the Basque Country’s blast furnaces. A trail surrounded by beech and pine groves that can also be covered on foot or by bicycle. A legendary land irrigated by the Arlanzón river and the reservoir of the same name, which has one of its mandatory stops in Pineda de la Sierra.
Also in this area is the Juarros Mining Trail, a completely cyclable trail that runs between coal mines. Leafy pine and oak forests embrace the walker on this didactic trail, signposted with different information panels about the old mining activity. This is a short trail (PRC – BU 56) of just under ten kilometres that can be covered in approximately three hours. The walker will be able to enjoy the green valleys that pass through towns such as Ibeas de Juarros, San Adrián de Juarros or Santa Cruz de Juarros.
Equally impressive is the trail around the Nervión Falls, the largest waterfall on the Iberian Peninsula. Located inside the Monte Santiago Natural Monument, from its lookout you can have a spectacular view of its leafy beech forests. This is a short trail (PR – BU 42) of 4 kilometres that can be covered completely by bicycle in about an hour and a half. Parking the car in Berberana, the trail begins and ends at the Monte Santiago Casa del Parque.
A province where the diversity of the landscape acquires its maximum expression in the Mesa de Oña, another short trail (PRC – BU 65). This non-cyclable route is a gateway to get to know at first hand the Obarenes Mountains and the village of Oña, where this trail begins. The Oca gorge, the monastery of San Salvador de Oña, the famous Chozo de las Merinas (a rustic livestock structure) or the town of Penches, are some of the highlights of this trail of just over 14 kilometres and about four hours in duration.
Indispensable trails for lovers of hiking, of which the route around the Neila Lagoons also forms a part. In the heart of the Sierra de la Demanda are a series of lagoons of glacial origin, which can be reached by car via a high mountain road from Quintanar de la Sierra or from Neila. Squirrels, roe deer and deer inhabit this area full of pine forests, and whose most spectacular lagoons are the Laguna Negra and Laguna Larga. This is an unmissable visit, especially during the coldest months of winter, when the water from these lagoons precipitates giving rise to an impressive cascade of icy water.
