Villaobispo de Otero: River Swimming Area, Mills and Traditions

In Villaobispo de Otero, the Playa fluvial de Sopeña de Carneros is designated as a natural area. The river swimming area is located in the middle of the village and continues the area's bathing tradition.

On a booking page, you can first compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation conditions for a holiday apartment in Villaobispo de Otero.

Nature

The Playa fluvial de Sopeña de Carneros lies beside a wide reservoir area of the Tuerto covered with meadows, near the confluence with the Argañoso stream. Poplars and willows provide shade there. Presarrey is an inviting place shaped by native ash trees, located directly below the weathered hill fort, and was formerly a popular bathing spot.

The ancient hill fort above Presarrey is considered a viewpoint overlooking the Argañoso, Porcos and Tuerto rivers. The combination of river landscapes, wooded banks and historic high points gives the surrounding area a variety of attractions.

History

The iron bridge over the Tuerto near Sopeña de Carneros was inaugurated on 3 November 1919. At the exit of Sopeña de Carneros towards La Carrera are the remains of the La Forti bathhouse, which operated until 1934.

Carneros preserves the remains of a historic hill fort in the nearby area. On its eastern side, a striking natural wall slopes down towards the railway line. A path lined with walled orchards leads in Carneros to the Fuente del Pueblo. The remains of the Batanes de la Encorralada also lie near Villaobispo de Otero in densely overgrown terrain; the year 1803 can be seen on a surviving opening.

Culture

The chapel of Otero de Escarpizo, popularly known as the Chapel of Pernía, houses a 16th-century Mannerist altarpiece, paintings and two tomb slabs. The Torreón de Pernía was a heraldic palace built in the 16th century and founded by Antonio Álvarez Escarpizo; after its restoration, it serves as the cultural and ethnographic centre of La Cepeda.

The Church of San Esteban in Brimeda has a very large bell and a portico decorated with coffers. Between the Moldera Real and the railway footbridge farther below stand eight grain mills, some with attached living quarters. The Moldera Real is still in operation: turning a wheel opens it so that it can power mills that are subject to a special set of rules.

Services are held twice a year in the Chapel of Santo Tirso in Carneros. One of the traditions of Villaobispo de Otero is searching for the Three Kings at Christmas with straw torches known as “paizos” or “mechizos”; the direction changes every year. Villaobispo and La Carrera have an active Cofradía de Las Ánimas with an artistically designed badge.

La Carrera de Otero had two pendones, one of which was larger; both date from 1600. The recovered Pendón of La Carrera de Otero has a 6.50-metre-long pole made by a local craftsman, as well as a five-striped cloth embroidered in Zamora with gold passementerie. The feast of the Cofradía del Santísimo is celebrated on the third Sunday in June.

Routes

The circular route “Through the Heart of La Cepeda” can be completed on foot or by bicycle and starts and ends in Otero de Escarpizo. It is approximately 20 kilometres long and passes through the municipalities of Villaobispo de Otero, Magaz de Cepeda and Villamejil. Its approximate length and the two modes of transport provide different points of comparison for personal planning.

Other places: San Justo de la Vega, Vegacerneja, Astorga, San Emiliano, Valdelaloba, Trabadelo, San Cristóbal De Valdueza, El Valle

To the higher-level travel overview: León.