El Espinar: Holiday Apartment Between Nature and Culture

El Espinar is one of the two municipalities that make up the Real Sitio de San Ildefonso-El Espinar Biosphere Reserve. The paths and trails in this reserve originated from their use by lumberjacks and gabarreros and are now used by hikers and forest enthusiasts. The Garganta del Río Moros route follows the Río Moros to the Embalse del Tejo, also known as Las Tabladillas.

The La Panera recreational area is located in the municipality of El Espinar next to the Río Moros.

When choosing a holiday apartment in El Espinar, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies side by side. For personal travel planning, nature trails, local history and festival culture can be noted as different areas of focus. Which of these details you give greater weight to remains up to you and your own planning.

Nature and Trails

The Paseo de la Dehesa begins in El Espinar and passes through a bird protection area. The Spanish imperial eagle and the black stork are considered endangered species there. The trail then continues through the Dehesa Chica, also known as Dehesa Boyal, where livestock pastures with downy oaks and ash trees can be found.

The Ruta del Arcipreste de Hita leads to the Peña del Arcipreste de Hita, a natural monument made up of large granite blocks with a viewpoint. During the official hike along this route, a passage from Libro de buen amor is recounted at a stop by the Río Moros. Different types of trails and landscapes thus stand side by side: from the river course to pastureland, granite blocks and designated natural areas.

Culture and History

The original church of El Espinar burned down in 1542–1543; its remains were reused in the construction of the Iglesia de San Eutropio. This church was protected as a Bien de Interés Cultural in the Monument category. Its organ was built between 1709 and 1712 by Pedro Liborna Echevarría and has more than 1,000 tin pipes.

The ruins of the Convento de Santa Isabel are located in the centre of El Espinar, next to the Iglesia de San Eutropio. The Palacio de los Marqueses de Perales was built in 1728 as a manor house and sheep-shearing building and is classified as a Bien de Interés Cultural. The Ermita del Cristo del Caloco stands on the remains of Romanesque buildings from the 11th and 12th centuries; in 1955, it served as a filming location for the film Marcelino pan y vino.

The Estación de El Espinar, built in 1904, now houses an exhibition of old objects from railway craftsmanship. A monument in El Espinar commemorates the traditional craft of the gabarreros.

Festivals and Traditions

The Fiesta de los Gabarreros takes place every year on the second weekend of March in the municipality of El Espinar and has been recognised as a festival of regional tourist interest since 2003. It includes exhibitions, talks, commemorative events, gastronomic competitions, colloquia and concerts on the subject of traditional forest occupations.

The Romería del Santo Cristo del Caloco includes a sung mass, an outdoor mass, music with dulzaina and tamboril, and the communal serving of garlic soup.

More Destinations

More destinations: Los Angeles De San Rafael, Castroserracín, Valdesimonte, Casla, Ayllón, Gallegos, La Velilla, Tolocirio.

Information

The municipal Oficina de Turismo of El Espinar is located in the town centre at Plaza de la Constitución. It provides personalised information about sights and possible routes and organises the guided tours “Presume de pueblo”. Groups can request a guided tour of the Iglesia de San Eutropio through the Oficina de Turismo of El Espinar.

For the overarching travel overview: Segovia.