To the north-east, in Toledo province, on the border with Madrid and Ávila, the San Vicente mountains rise up. Located in the valleys between the Tiétar and Alberche rivers, it names a region made up of around 20 rural towns. You can still enjoy calm contact with nature, with no large towns and an increasingly interesting range of accommodation and dining options.

These lands are bursting with oak trees, chestnut trees, holms and junipers, with thousands of streams running by. The local pastures and meadows are home to grazing cattle and sheep.

The GR 63 winds through the area, a long path –signposted with red and white signs– known as the Viriato Path; legend goes that the Lusitanian warlord, who battled against the Romans, found refuge in these lands. It has now been recovered and the old roads, paths and glens that used to connect the region’s towns have been linked back together. It is usually done on foot or mountain bike, and allows us to visit these lands at a more leisurely pace, without missing anything.

Pelahustán is a small town built in a former border area between the Christian and Almohad kingdoms and is the natural entrance from the mountains from the east. A little more than 10 kilometres later, we arrive in El Real de San Vicente, an interesting starting point for excursions to the Piélago Convent, the Tejea Mills, the snow wells, the peak of the Crosses –which has stunning views of the Tiétar valley–, the San Vicente castle or “lose ourselves” in its splendid chestnut tree forests.

Among the San Vicente and Gredos mountains lies Almendral de la Cañada, where the León Royal Livestock Trail passes, giving the town its name, and which has interesting megalithic monuments such as “los Majanos”, and cave tombs from the Middle Ages, known as “las Artesas” (the troughs). Further north, very near the border with Ávila province and the course of the Tiétar river, lies La Iglesuela, a typical mountain town in a privileged natural environment and with two Roman-origin bridges in its surroundings. We highly recommend taking a break and resting here.

Along a windy road flanked by holm oaks, and with the backdrop of the Gredos mountains, the road leads to Sartajada –with its three-span Roman bridge that crosses the Torinas gorge – Buenaventura and finally to Navamorcuende, which is home to the monumental parish church of Santa María de la Nava.