SL-LE 6 – Ruta por el Pinar de Villares

The trail starts and ends in the village of Voznuevo, going around the Pinar de Villares pine forest (Pinus sylvestris) until you reach the Peña de Cuervo, where you will have a magnificent view of the border between the plains of the Duero river basin and the Cantabrian Mountains.

The start of the trail, in the upper part of the village of Voznuevo, is well marked by an information panel, which in turn indicates the end of the trail, as it is a circular path. Head north to begin the first section, which climbs steadily, along a wide track, firstly through oak woods and then gradually towards the Pinar de Villares pine forest, an enclosed pine forest that will be on our right during this section of the trail. The trail consists of a continuous ascent until it reaches a hill, and from there it is the last stretch of a tough climb through a firebreak that ends near the Lacralagua peak, where there is an interpretative table that will help us to understand the configuration of the current landscape, as a result of traditional livestock activity and reforestation in the mid-20th century.

The second half of the trail runs at higher altitudes, for a stretch of about 2 kilometres from east to west, through an area of peaks between shrubs and small pines, where we can enjoy spectacular views of the Cantabrian Mountains and the plains of the Duero, to then begin a steep descent along well-marked trails through an area of oak forest (Quercus pyrenaica) that will lead us back to the town of Voznuevo.

The orientation on the path is very simple because this is a route that does not change. Is is a straightforward trail with little margin for error. There is a considerable range of elevations along the route, between 1,076 metres at Voznuevo and 1,545 metres at Peña del Cuervo, with a cumulative ascent of slightly more than 500 metres. The ascent, leaving the Pinar de Villares pine forest to our right, is constant for approximately 4 kilometres, with bearable slopes but which become steeper in the final stretch and will require greater effort, with slopes of over 25% in the last 300 metres of the ascent.