Camino de las Villuercas
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 44.76 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,763 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Moderate
- Elevation loss
- 4,501 ft
- Max elevation
- 2,685 ft
- TrailRank
- 34
- Min elevation
- 1,543 ft
- Trail type
- One Way
- Coordinates
- 4939
- Uploaded
- December 11, 2023
- Recorded
- December 2023
near Puerto Rey, Extremadura (España)
Viewed 120 times, downloaded 0 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
Day 2 of 5 of our adventure from Talavera de La Reina to Badajoz.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZTvEzawNa0
It would be a day an asphalty day. We needed to connect the Vía Verde de la Jara with the Vía Verde Vegas del Guadiana. Due to the high loads of our bikes, we choose a mix of Asphalt with some dirt roads, to minimize the impacts on the Journey time and also in the Gear. It would also be the day with more elevation gain.
We started the day at Santa Quiteria old train station, close to the border between Castilla la Mancha with Extremadura. The time was 10h08 AM.
The first km´s before Puerto de San Vicente were relaxed, with nice low traffic asphalt mixed with stunning views towards what we thought were the Guadarrama montain range,not sure, but it was spectacular. Right before that village, time to help an old couple to release their car from a rough terrain.
Puerto de San Vicente, like the name suggest in spanish, located at an high place, after that it would be a nice and pleasant 7km downhill.
What goes down must go up, and we confirmed that physics law was correct. Anyway, despite the average 5% up gradient, it was really easy, even for Tiago, Imagine! The low traffic and low temperature felt helped that, and of course, the views, those views were also stunning!
Quick stop at Mirador del Estrecho de la Peña Amarilla, where there was time to socialize a little bit with other fellow tourist bikers. Right after that we gave a try to some dirt section of this Camino de las Villuercas, untill we reached Alía, where we took the chance to have some lunch.
Another road strecth, from Alía to Guadalupe, highlighted by some up and down between some valleys. In this part, we had the opportunity to spot a little deer on the road.
In Guadalupe we did not go to the city center, but it´s higly recomended. A very religious village, with the correpondent monuments, and a very important pilgrimage every september. Despite not going to the city center, we spent some time in the incredible railway bridge built but not used by trains. With its 274 metres lenght and 58 metres height, it was the most expensive railway bridge in Spain at the time of construction (and again...not used for its original purpose!).
After that breathe taking visit, specially for Tiago xD we had to connect back to the road direction Cañamero. Instead of going down to the entrance roundabout of Guadalupe, we followed the old railway canal, untill we reached that same road few km´s ahead, and without loosing height quota. Time to spot a Wild Boar in the road side.
After Cañamero we planned to get back to the dirt road, if it was doable. Tiago choose to follow the road, I decided to finish the day using dirt roads. We finally meet up again few minutes later at Logrosán.
That evening we decided to treat ourselves with an hot shower and a bed, in a really nice rural accommodation. Night rest for our camping gear.
Like in the previous video description, I will leave here a summary of this railway project.
Talavera de la Reina to Villanueva de la Serena Project:
The project to connect these two villages was part of a bigger project dated from late 20´s. This project, called "Plan Guadalhorce" was aimed to build some complimentary railways, in order to connect some main lines. In this project was included some connections, like:
-Madrid - Aranda de Duero - Burgos
- Zamora - A Coruña
- Baeza - Utiel - Lleida - Saint Girons
- Talavera de la Reina - Villanueva de la Serena
Most of them were not concluded, and were abandoned in the 60´s.
The railway we travelled, from Talavera de la Reina to Villanueva de la Serena, in the original project, was supposed to have a pararell line From Talavera to Calera y Chozas, and from there turning south to Villanueva. However, a cheaper solution was adopted, building a new station in Calera y Chozas, and from there starting the railway directly.
This railway had different stages of development. From Calera to Santa Quiteria, the whole infraestructure was ready, just missing to install the rails. From Santa Quiteria to Logrosán the same, except 20 km between Santa Quiteria and Guadalupe. The most develloped strecth was between Logrosán and Villanueva de la Serena, where the rails were installed, and some grain trains were even operated.
This project contemplated the consctruction of some bridges, tunnels, and some train stations, listed here:
- Calera y Chozas
- Apeadero de Silos
- Aldeanueva de Barbarroya
- Apeadero de Pilas
- Apeadero de Nava Fuentes
- Campillo-Sevilleja
-Apeadero de la Cervilla
-Santa Quiteria Mines
- Santa Quiteria
-Guadarranque
- Alía
- Guadalupe
-Berzocana
-Cañamero
-Logrosán
-Zorita-Lavadero
- Madrigalejo
-Campo Lugar
-Rena
- Villanueva de la Serena
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZTvEzawNa0
It would be a day an asphalty day. We needed to connect the Vía Verde de la Jara with the Vía Verde Vegas del Guadiana. Due to the high loads of our bikes, we choose a mix of Asphalt with some dirt roads, to minimize the impacts on the Journey time and also in the Gear. It would also be the day with more elevation gain.
We started the day at Santa Quiteria old train station, close to the border between Castilla la Mancha with Extremadura. The time was 10h08 AM.
The first km´s before Puerto de San Vicente were relaxed, with nice low traffic asphalt mixed with stunning views towards what we thought were the Guadarrama montain range,not sure, but it was spectacular. Right before that village, time to help an old couple to release their car from a rough terrain.
Puerto de San Vicente, like the name suggest in spanish, located at an high place, after that it would be a nice and pleasant 7km downhill.
What goes down must go up, and we confirmed that physics law was correct. Anyway, despite the average 5% up gradient, it was really easy, even for Tiago, Imagine! The low traffic and low temperature felt helped that, and of course, the views, those views were also stunning!
Quick stop at Mirador del Estrecho de la Peña Amarilla, where there was time to socialize a little bit with other fellow tourist bikers. Right after that we gave a try to some dirt section of this Camino de las Villuercas, untill we reached Alía, where we took the chance to have some lunch.
Another road strecth, from Alía to Guadalupe, highlighted by some up and down between some valleys. In this part, we had the opportunity to spot a little deer on the road.
In Guadalupe we did not go to the city center, but it´s higly recomended. A very religious village, with the correpondent monuments, and a very important pilgrimage every september. Despite not going to the city center, we spent some time in the incredible railway bridge built but not used by trains. With its 274 metres lenght and 58 metres height, it was the most expensive railway bridge in Spain at the time of construction (and again...not used for its original purpose!).
After that breathe taking visit, specially for Tiago xD we had to connect back to the road direction Cañamero. Instead of going down to the entrance roundabout of Guadalupe, we followed the old railway canal, untill we reached that same road few km´s ahead, and without loosing height quota. Time to spot a Wild Boar in the road side.
After Cañamero we planned to get back to the dirt road, if it was doable. Tiago choose to follow the road, I decided to finish the day using dirt roads. We finally meet up again few minutes later at Logrosán.
That evening we decided to treat ourselves with an hot shower and a bed, in a really nice rural accommodation. Night rest for our camping gear.
Like in the previous video description, I will leave here a summary of this railway project.
Talavera de la Reina to Villanueva de la Serena Project:
The project to connect these two villages was part of a bigger project dated from late 20´s. This project, called "Plan Guadalhorce" was aimed to build some complimentary railways, in order to connect some main lines. In this project was included some connections, like:
-Madrid - Aranda de Duero - Burgos
- Zamora - A Coruña
- Baeza - Utiel - Lleida - Saint Girons
- Talavera de la Reina - Villanueva de la Serena
Most of them were not concluded, and were abandoned in the 60´s.
The railway we travelled, from Talavera de la Reina to Villanueva de la Serena, in the original project, was supposed to have a pararell line From Talavera to Calera y Chozas, and from there turning south to Villanueva. However, a cheaper solution was adopted, building a new station in Calera y Chozas, and from there starting the railway directly.
This railway had different stages of development. From Calera to Santa Quiteria, the whole infraestructure was ready, just missing to install the rails. From Santa Quiteria to Logrosán the same, except 20 km between Santa Quiteria and Guadalupe. The most develloped strecth was between Logrosán and Villanueva de la Serena, where the rails were installed, and some grain trains were even operated.
This project contemplated the consctruction of some bridges, tunnels, and some train stations, listed here:
- Calera y Chozas
- Apeadero de Silos
- Aldeanueva de Barbarroya
- Apeadero de Pilas
- Apeadero de Nava Fuentes
- Campillo-Sevilleja
-Apeadero de la Cervilla
-Santa Quiteria Mines
- Santa Quiteria
-Guadarranque
- Alía
- Guadalupe
-Berzocana
-Cañamero
-Logrosán
-Zorita-Lavadero
- Madrigalejo
-Campo Lugar
-Rena
- Villanueva de la Serena
You can add a comment or review this trail
Comments