Cabezuela – Senda de los Caños, Religious Art and Pine Forest

The Senda de los Caños runs alongside the Cega River, through pine and poplar groves and areas inhabited by black storks. The route also provides access to Los Porretales and the Lagunas de Cantalejo. The Senda de los Caños is an easy 17-kilometre circular route that can be completed on foot, by bicycle or on horseback. At the crossing of the Cega River, there is a picnic area with a table and benches.

Nature

Los Porretales lies between Cabezuela and Lastras de Cuéllar. During the rainy season, the area is flooded by the watercourses that run through it, encouraging biodiversity. Black storks live there and feed on fish and amphibians. The western part of Cabezuela’s maritime pine forest belongs to the Lagunas de Cantalejo SCI and SPA. Cabezuela’s western forest is also designated as an Important Area and a Critical Protection Area for the black stork. The Comunes of the Comunidad de Villa y Tierra de Sepúlveda are an extensive pine forest in the western part of Cabezuela’s municipal area.

Culture

The parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Cabezuela was built on a cruciform floor plan. Inside, it contains a Neoclassical altarpiece with paintings by Alonso Herrera, as well as a preserved Romanesque baptismal font. To the north, outside Cabezuela, stands the Ermita del Santo Cristo del Humilladero, regarded as the sanctuary associated with Cabezuela. Casa de la Panera, a 17th-century building, is located in Plaza de España.

History

On the edge of Cabezuela’s built-up area, on the road to Cantalejo and situated on a small roundabout, stands an old potro de herrar, a traditional farriery structure. It consists of four upright stone posts with wooden beams above them, to which draught animals were secured for shoeing or treatment. Several stone crosses in the vicinity of the Ermita belong to an old Stations of the Cross that once ran along the Camino del Calvario. An old mill stands on the Cega River in the Puente Mesa area; it dates back at least to the 19th century. Near Cabezuela, a slender surviving brick chimney recalls the former resin factory.

Traditions

The main Santo Cristo del Humilladero festival in Cabezuela takes place on 14 September and includes offerings at the Ermita, rural bull runs and communal meals. The Fiesta de la Octava del Señor follows on the weekend after Corpus Christi and lasts from Saturday to Monday. The Hacenderas of Cabezuela take place on Shrove Tuesday and involve communal work for the benefit of the village. Cabezuela’s traditional dances, including the Paloteo, have been documented since 1719 and remain vibrant to this day. The Jota de Cabezuela also continues as part of the traditional folklore.

Active Days

Club de Golf Valdemazo has been affiliated with the federation since 1996. The course has nine holes and a par of 35, and lies within the municipal areas of Cabezuela and Puebla de Pedraza. It is a rustic course that combines golf with traditional sheep grazing; no water is used for its maintenance. The address is Ctra. Segovia–Sepúlveda, SG-231, kilometre 45.

More destination pages: Valverde Del Majano, Mudrián, La Matilla, Escobar De Polendos, Castroserracín, Valdesimonte, Cerezo De Arriba, Tabanera del Monte

To the overarching travel overview: Segovia.