5. El Cerro to La Maside

From the Castilla tablelands down to the plains of Extremadura.

On the edge of the Salamanca province, near Béjar, there is a small village called El Cerro. 1.3Km past the village, on the road to Lagunilla, a small tarmac road heads down towards the SW through dense forest first and then Mediterranean shrubland. It is a big drop from the high plains of Castilla (900m), to the lower plains of Extremadura (500m). The altitude difference translates into a temperature difference, so the flora and fauna within just 8 Km distance are worlds apart: Colder and humid on the high slopes, with lush forests of old deciduous oaks and sweet chestnuts, drier and warmer at the bottom of the valley, where olive and cork trees are the dominant species.

Cork Tree

The route starts at the top of the tarmac road that leads nowhere, it is what is called “camino forestal”, used by locals and forest wardens. The first trees around us pines, relics of old plantations, but soon they are replaced by the original oak forest, with beautiful old specimens.

Clear water streams follow our path, flowing over rocks and boulders covered in moss and, as the track zigzags down the forest, views of the whole valley can be enjoyed. If you visit the area in the spring, you can find some fantastic little flowers amongst the grass, like the bee orchids (Ophrys). About 3 Km down the road, olive trees and vines start to appear, and later on the landscape is mainly dominated by shrubs of lavender, broom and gum rockrose (Cistus ladanifer).

La Maside Reservoir

In the early spring (April) all of them are in magnificent bloom, so the smell and the view are overpowering. Then the cork trees started to appear, with its blood red trunks. The tarmac turns into dirt track approx. in Km 5.5, and the cork trees and Cistus bushes between them are from now on our main companion. On the Km 7, a small pretty lake appears amongst the trees, the La Maside Reservoir. It is worth leaving the track to have a look at it and its old dam.

By now the snowy mountains of the Ambroz valley will start to appear, and the views are magnificent, with open wide spaces and clear air. At the end of our journey we will reach the half abandoned farm of La Maside. On the farm grounds the owners had build a small church some years ago, which still offers services and mass occasionally. It can be reached from the village of Aldeanueva del Camino. To end the day the nearby village of Herv౬ with its charming and well preserved Jewish quarters, can be visited.