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Discover the biodiversity of Castile-La Mancha

From bears to blossoms and peaks to predators, this long-overlooked region boasts an array of attractions to tempt nature-loving travellers

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Words by Mark Eveleigh

“The Alcarria is a beautiful region which people apparently have no desire to visit,” wrote Spanish Nobel Prize-winning author Camilo José Cela in his 1948 book Journey to the Alcarria. Some three centuries earlier, Miguel de Cervantes had one of his characters harangue Don Quixote about “the empresses and queens of the Alcarria”. The comment was clearly ironic because until recently this forgotten part of Castile-La Mancha was considered very much a sleepy backwater. Today, however, this long overlooked region of wetlands, gorges and plateaus is justly celebrated for its natural beauty and timeless rural way of life. It seems almost inconceivable that an area of such rich biodiversity should lie less than 40km from the Spanish capital. Unsurprisingly, Madrileños are finally being lured to highland villages where life revolves around the production of natural honey, olive oil and lavender, much as it has since Cervantes’ time.

A large part of the Alcarria is visible from the region’s highest points, the twin peaks officially known as Las Tetas de Viana – literally ‘Viana’s Boobs’. You can climb the most southerly peak via a mountain trail and an iron ladder to take in views over vast expanses of traditional dehesa. Such areas of mixed pasture and woodland are not only precious resources for rural communities, but also provide havens for creatures such as deer, boar, marten, badger, wild cat, fox, genet, otter and the endemic Iberian hare.

The Alcarria is only one of the magnificent wild expanses of Castile-La Mancha. The jagged ridges of Sierra Norte de Guadalajara Natural Park – one of southern Europe’s last glacial refuges – hosts such creatures as snow voles. El Hosquillo Animal Park, in the Serranía de Cuenca Nature Reserve, is home to brown bears as well as Iberian wolves. For a chance to spot wild lynx, head to Castile-La Mancha’s southern boundary and the isolated highland ridges of Alcudia Valley and Sierra Madrona Natural Park in the Sierra Morena.

A couple walking next to the river on the grass

Pico del Lobo (Wolf Peak) – the region’s highest point, at 2,273m – rises in the far north. But the lows are tempting, too: you can also descend, through ancient forests of oak, poplar, willow and ash, into the spectacular Barranco del Río Dulce, or ‘Sweet River Ravine’. Crystal pools stud this tributary of the mighty Tagus River, the longest in the Iberian Peninsula.

 

A range of well marked day hikes, typically covering around 11km, lace Barranco del Río Dulce Natural Park. There’s even a 1.5km interpretive nature walk developed to be enjoyed by visually impaired visitors.

Small river flowing through lots of rocks at the bottom of the mountain

Hiking through shady oak glades, the dehesa has a mesmerising effect, with scents of thyme, rock-rose, gorse, broom, sage, marjoram, rosemary and lavender drifting on the hot breeze. As Camilo José Cela noted: “You get dizzy smelling it.” But smell isn’t the only sense being tickled. Each July, the town of Brihuega hosts an unforgettably picturesque Festival of Lavender, during which white-clad townsfolk gather amid swathes of the purple blooms to enjoy sunset musical events and culinary delights created by Michelin-starred chefs.

 

Regional cuisine in Castile-La Mancha includes specialities such as Cordero Manchego (lamb from the Manchega breed, most famously roasted in the medieval town of Jadraque) and honey infused with a dozen different flavours. That from Colmenar de Valderromero, in Sigüenza, has hints of lavender, rosemary, thyme, eucalyptus and orange blossom. This area also boasts rare flora such as a recently discovered species of grass (the delightfully named Carex quixotiana) and the Paular geranium, found only in the volcanic hills of La Miñosa and in a small area of neighbouring Madrid province.

Birdwatchers flock to wetlands such as Las Tablas de Daimiel National Park and Buendía Reservoir for sightings of black storks, Eurasian spoonbills and flocks of cranes and greater flamingos. Elsewhere, the craggy cliffs and canyons of Alto Tajo Natural Park host golden eagles, Bonelli’s eagles and unforgettable congregations of dozens of griffon vultures. This region has sparked the imaginations of generations of Spanish writers. Alto Tajo itself inspired the fictional setting for José Luis Sampedro’s 1961 novel The River That Takes Us. “You live with dignity when you live with authenticity,” Sampedro wrote in that book. He would surely be relieved to see that dignity and authenticity continue to march hand in hand through the wilds of Castile-La Mancha.

Need to know

When to go

In spring, entire plains are carpeted with wildflowers including the Paular geranium. Autumn is equally spectacular for the burnished forests that line the valleys. Temperatures can soar into the 40s (ºC) in midsummer, while from December to March you can expect snow and ice.

Getting there & around

The provincial capitals (Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara and Toledo) are all only around 90 minutes or less from Madrid by train. Hiring a car offers more freedom to explore far-flung areas.

Museums

Honey Museum (Peñalver, Guadalajara) offers a chance to explore the Alcarria’s tradition of apiculture, and the human appetite for honey that dates back at least 10,000 years.

Museo del Viaje a la Alcarria (Torija, Guadalajara) claims to be the first museum in the world dedicated to a book – a celebration of Camilo José Cela’s classic Journey to the Alcarria – housed in the medieval Castle of Torija.

El Hosquillo Animal Park opens from March to December. This park offers the chance to learn about a captive breeding programme for brown bears and other wildlife. Advance bookings are essential; adults €13.15, concessions €6.57 and children under four go free.

Event

Fire Procession (Humanes, Guadalajara). On the second Saturday in September, the Peñahora Virgin is carried from her shrine to the village along a 2km path lined with fire. Battle of the Dancers and Sinners (Camuñas, Toledo). This ritualised battle between good and evil is re-enacted each year between Corpus Christi and the following Sunday.

Manchego May Festival (Pedro Muñoz, Ciudad Real). This feast of colourful folklore, enlivened with music and traditional dress, is held overnight from 30 April to 1 May.

Festival of Lavender (Brihuega, Guadalajara). The purple crop is celebrated each July.

Glossary

The quality of being able to continue over a period of time, or the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance (Camrbdige Dictionary).

This refers to ‘the variability of living organisms, between and within species, and the changeability of the ecosystems to which they belong’ (The Convention on Biological Diversity).
According to the Responsible Tourism Partnership, ‘Responsible Tourism requires that operators, hoteliers, governments, local people and tourists take responsibility, and take action to make tourism more sustainable. Behaviour can be more or less responsible, and what is responsible in a particular place depends on environment and culture’. The concept was defined in Cape Town in 2002 alongside the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
The process of protecting an environment and returning it to its natural state; for example, bringing back wild animals that used to live there (Cambridge Dictionary).
A movement reducing the distance between producers and sales and consumer establishments to a radius of under 100 kilometres, with the aim of minimising the effects that large-scale industry have on the planet, including soil erosion, water pollution, and habitat loss for wild species.
Being ‘green’ is used to describe actions or initiatives that are conducted in a sustainable way, in an attempt to reduce impact on planetary resource limits. However, the word can be used to describe actions or initiatives that do not actively do this, but rather convey an ethos of being planet-friendly; eg being outside, walking or riding a bike. This can be considered ‘greenwashing’ (when an individual or company paints an action as credibly sustainable when, in fact, it is an action that beenfits them, or that should be considered the bare minimum).