Discover Añora: Dehesa, Culture and Routes

The Museo de Añora displays more than 740 exhibits on everyday history, traditional festivals and Añora’s archaeological past. The “fachadas de tiras” are a characteristic element of Añora’s traditional architecture, combining whitewashed façades with granite lines that trace the structure of the houses.

In the heart of Añora stands the Parroquia de San Sebastián, a representative building of the municipality’s historical and spiritual heritage. The Ermita de la Virgen de la Peña is located at the highest point of Añora and dates from the 18th century. The Ermita de San Pedro also reflects the vernacular architecture of the Los Pedroches region, with a construction style that combines stone and traditional materials. The Puente de la Dehesa has Roman origins and was rebuilt in the 18th century.

Festivals and Cuisine

The festival calendar brings together traditions with their own distinctive images and flavours. La Candelaria is celebrated on 2 February with large bonfires; children and young people collect wood for several days beforehand. Easter Monday, locally known as Día de los Hornazos, is celebrated with a picnic in the countryside and typical sweet pastries containing a boiled egg. On 11 November, San Martín is marked by a dinner among friends and pranks involving gachas.

On the first weekend of May, Añora opens its streets, courtyards and homes to showcase an old community tradition. This includes outdoor crosses in streets, squares and courtyards, as well as indoor crosses in homes that are opened to the public for the occasion. During the day, Añora can be explored in this setting like an open-air museum; in the evening, there is traditional music and typical dishes shared communally.

The cuisine also reflects the local character. The focus is on dishes made with Iberian pork products, produce from family gardens and typical pastries associated with the respective festivals and celebrations.

Nature

Añora’s dehesa landscape combines traditional livestock farming, including the breeding of Iberian pigs, with holm oaks, Portuguese oaks, rockroses, broom, lavender and rosemary. In Añora’s natural surroundings, visitors can observe, among others, black kites, bee-eaters, tits, storks and little owls, as well as hedgehogs, hares and wild boar.

Near Añora, Parque San Martín is located around 6 km away on Cerro del Cuerno at an altitude of 704 m. It serves as a natural viewpoint overlooking large parts of the Los Pedroches comarca. An annual event held in this comarca is the Jornadas Ornitológicas: observation routes are used to identify different bird species in their natural habitat, including in Parque San Martín and nearby areas of ecological value. The programme is complemented by scientific bird-ringing demonstrations.

Routes

Several paths provide access to the landscape, with different distances and difficulty levels. The Ruta de La Dehesa de la Vera is 13.8 km long, of moderate difficulty and fully accessible by bicycle. It passes through a landscape of holm oaks, abundant birdlife and livestock farms, and crosses an old FEVE railway bridge over the Guadarramilla. Its starting point is about 100 metres from the Ermita de la Virgen de la Peña.

The first kilometres of the Ruta de La Dehesa de la Vera run through the Berrocoso and Cucadero landscape areas after the turn-off onto the Camino del Molino del Cubo. One route starts at Paraje San Martín and offers extensive views of the surrounding area from a viewpoint beside the Ermita de San Martín.

For comparing shorter routes, there are the Ruta de Las Encinas Centenarias, at 6.5 km with an easy difficulty level and fully accessible by bicycle; the Ruta del Pozo de la Torre, at 7 km with an easy difficulty level and fully accessible by bicycle; and the Ruta del Tejar de Santa Cruz, at 7.7 km with a moderate difficulty level and fully accessible by bicycle. The different lengths and difficulty levels make it easier to compare various day plans.

The Ruta del Tejar de Santa Cruz passes an old brickworks beside the stream. The Ruta del Pozo de la Torre offers views of Paraje del Torrequillo, which is associated with the gathering of wild asparagus. The Ruta de La Losilla is 7.7 km long, of moderate difficulty and fully accessible by bicycle. Around 300 metres beyond the junction with the Camino de Dos Torres, a short detour leads to the archaeological remains of La Losilla. The route also invites visitors to finish the circuit at the restored Tejar de Abajo.

At Añora Bikend, more than 200 pairs of cyclists meet in Parque San Martín at the end of October or the beginning of November for a cycling event. The traditional use of holm oaks included the production of a very fine charcoal called “picón”, which was suitable for braziers.

Getting There

From Córdoba, the official route follows the N-432 to the turn-off at Espiel, continues along the N-502 to Alcaracejos and then takes the A-420 to the turn-off for Añora. The final section is the CP-281 to Añora.

Other places: Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo, Fuente Palmera, Montemayor, La Jara, Adamuz, Cañete De Las Torres, Lucena, Puente Genil

To the overarching travel overview: Cordoba.