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The Aracena Sierra
Posada de Alájar, AlájarYou are enthusiastically welcomed to the Posada de Alájar in the village of the same name by Lucy and Ángel, who are attentive hosts and who have lovingly converted the house, decorating the bedrooms and sitting areas in warm colours to enhance the sense of cosiness and intimacy. Featuring a range of local specialities, breakfasts here are a particular treat, and we also include dinner at the Posada on your first night. On your other nights we recommend that you dine in the town – Alájar boasts three wonderful restaurants where you can sample dishes incorporating local produce such as jamón (ham), wild asparagus, caracoles (snails), chestnuts and mushrooms according to season. Walking and sightseeing Peña de Arias Montano: starting and finishing in Alájar, this route ascends to the cliff-top shrine of Peña de Arias Montano which overlooks the town, then winds uphill along an ancient muleteers' path to another viewpoint before circling the hills to the north. (9.5km, 3h30) South of Alájar: this is another walk direct from Alájar, and is shorter and easier than the first, exploring the cultivated area to the south of the town. (6km, 2hrs) Along ancient trails: starting with a taxi to Almonaster (pay locally) this is a beautiful walk that follows the southern flank of the sierra's main range. Old trails lead through wooded valleys of cork and holm oak and pass through two tiny hamlets before arriving in Santa Ana - a large, sleepy village where you can stop for lunch or a drink. From here, your route continues to Alájar through a pretty river valley where oleander and mixed oaks line the riverbank. (14km, 5h)
Prices & travel 2008
*Price includes: 3 nights' bed & breakfast, plus 1 dinner; 3 days' category A car hire from Seville airport > Any queries? Let us call you back  |
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Andalucia’s Aracena Sierra is a land of glorious woodland and far-reaching views, of soft, rounded hills and crystal-clear streams. Tucked away close to the Portuguese border, it is dotted with small, workaday villages whose inhabitants live in harmony with the land and, as you walk along inviting paths through mature woodland and picturesque valleys, you get a glimpse of Spanish rural life – men leading donkeys laden with shining chestnuts, workers preparing for the cork harvest, and farmers tending the sleek black pigs which provide the region’s prized air-cured ham. 
The region’s gently rolling hills are a paradise for walkers, with no shortage of easy paths through chestnut forests, cork-oak woods, farmland and fields of vegetables. We provide route notes for four gentle walks (see below), but you will probably wish to spend some of your time exploring - the friendly villages all seemingly hide an architectural treasure, be it the 16th-century chapel of Nuestra Señora in Alájar itself, the Knights Templar church in Aracena, or Spain’s oldest mihrab in the 9th-century mosque in Almonaster. With its twelve caverns and extraordinary stalactites and stalagmites, the Gruta de las Maravillas ('Cave of Marvels') in Aracena is also worth a visit, while flamboyant Seville is only a 90-minute drive away.
Different faces of the sierra: for this wonderful walk which reveals the region's varied landscapes you will need to drive to Castaño del Robledo and from there take a taxi (which your hosts will be happy to help you arrange; pay locally) to the unspoiled hamlet of Navahermosa. From here, your route follows a pretty stream
through a narrow valley that is home to numerous hawfinches and warblers.
You then emerge into a startling landscape of steep gullies and wide valleys
where the 13th-century village of Valdelarco makes a good lunch stop. Take time to
explore its cobbled streets before continuing through yet another landscape
in which rocky paths lead across hillsides coated with cork oaks. After passing a communal threshing floor where villagers used to shell chickpeas and other pulses, your path joins a route shaded by poplars and conifers which takes you back
to Castaño del Robledo. A shorter version of the walk starts and finishes in Castaño del Robledo, so does not require a transfer. (14km, 5h or 10.5km, 3h30)