El Cortijo: Ebro Landscapes, Trails and Culture

The Vía Verde de El Cortijo follows the former railway line between Logroño and El Cortijo and is now adapted for walkers and cyclists. The Ebro meander associated with El Cortijo is a protected natural area and is designated within the Natura 2000 network as “Sotos y riberas del Ebro”.

Nature

The Ebro riverbank landscape near El Cortijo includes poplars, willows, ash trees and tamarisks along the river. This riverbank landscape provides a habitat for numerous birds and small mammals; herons, cormorants and ducks are frequently seen there.

A hiking trail leads around the Meandro de El Cortijo.

Trails and Routes

The Vía Mantible is a 3.2-kilometre route that begins in El Cortijo and ends at the tip of the meander. The Vía Verde is 2.9 kilometres long, begins where the LR-441 reaches El Cortijo and ends next to the dam.

The El Cortijo – Torre Fuerte – La Presa – Cerro El Rincón circular route is 10.72 kilometres long and takes 2 hours and 30 minutes. It begins in the village of El Cortijo and runs between vineyards, along the river and to viewpoints.

The Caminos de El Cortijo project envisages a network of cycling and walking paths intended to connect El Cortijo with the Valdegastea and El Cubo neighbourhoods and their surroundings. The paths in this project were designed for continuity, accessibility and integration into the landscape.

At various points in the path network, the project includes the creation of nine rest areas and three viewpoints. The Vía Verde de El Cortijo has two car parks and two viewpoints. The Camino de El Cortijo runs through El Cortijo.

The different route lengths and the stated durations provide several points of comparison for personal planning.

More local pages: Aldeanueva De Ebro, Anguiano, Grávalos, Lumbreras, Agoncillo, Viniegra de Abajo, Hornos de Moncalvillo and Zaldierna.

Culture

Puente Mantible, located between El Cortijo and the Alavese settlement of Assa in Lanciego, was protected in 1983 as a Bien de Interés Cultural in the category of “National Historic-Artistic Monument”. It currently consists of two arches made of ashlar stone; one is in La Rioja and the other in the Basque Country.

The Church of Santa Margarita has a single-nave body with two bays and an octagonal apse; both sections were built between the 16th and 18th centuries. Its star-ribbed vaults are particularly prominent in the crossing. Its furnishings include a wrought-iron pulpit dating from 1758.

El Guardaviñas is a small rural shelter made of dry-stone masonry with a conical vault. It is regarded as a symbol of rural life and the connection between people and the land.

The Torre Fuerte de El Cortijo is an old defensive structure that dominates the landscape and offers wide views over vineyards, orchards and the Ebro Valley.

The old bridge that connected Assa and El Cortijo is described as one of La Rioja’s literary monuments.

To the main travel overview: La Rioja.