Net of Natural
Trails
Stage 11: Mantiel - Alocén
Description
The olive tree path
Olive groves have been grown in plantations along the Tagus for over 600 years ago. The difficulty in mechanising farming terraces, emigration and labour shortage in rural areas, have led to the abandonment of these farms.
This Stage begins in the lower sector of the town of Mantiel, next to the sign indicating the starting point of the route. The Trail winds through old houses and a stone wall on the left, and olive, apple, cherry and other fruit trees on the right.
The Trail becomes gradually steeper with fantastic views of Entrepeñas Reservoir. Olive farms, abandoned some years ago, still preserve the silhouettes of the trees that once yielded many kilos of olives.
During this first part of the Stage, the Nature Trail runs parallel to a local path; therefore, it is common to find green and white marks on trees and rocks.
The woods surrounding the trail are dominated by Aleppo pine (Pinus halepenis), with rockrose (Cistus spp.) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis).
The Trail reaches a widening and becomes a path. For about 100 m, the route continues along this path, but immediately turns onto a slightly wider track.
Attention must be paid to the signs here, as the route will continue along a narrow path to the right.
The Trail rapidly proceeds to the town of Chillarón del Rey, protected by a modern, well-kept fence. During the descent, it is possible to see hundreds of mica crystals, a mineral characterised by easy exfoliation into thin, flexible, elastic and very bright sheets.
The Nature Trail leaves Chillarón via Mayor Street, through bushes and walnut trees (Juglans regia) and arrives at San Roque Shrine, where a rest area and an information panel on this long-distance footpath can be found.
A sign alerts that, from here, the path runs parallel to a road, but only for a short distance (300 m), at which point it crosses the road to La Puerta and ventures into an olive farm.
The Trail climbs up the hillside surrounded by holm oaks (Quercus ilex) and Portuguese oaks(Quercus faginea). Leaving behind the streambed, the slope disappears almost completely and the path becomes easier to walk.
Following a rapid descent, the route reaches the N-204. Running parallel to the road, the Trail approaches the shore of Entrepeñas Reservoir.
This Stage is interrupted when it arrives at Pareja Bridge, and continues on the opposite shore, after crossing the viaduct, where the road turns left and proceeds along the contour of the reservoir until it reaches the GU-999. For safety reasons, it is advisable to use a vehicle in this stretch. The route passes through the Sierra de Altomira Site of Community Importance (SCI) and Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA).
The path continues several hundred metres along the paved road until it reaches a bend, where it turns onto a narrow path that climbs through the forest. A larger path appears soon after that leads the Nature Trail to the village of Alocén, and the endpoint of this Stage.
Sites of interest
Profile
Harshness of natural environment- 1. The environment is not risk-free
- 2. There are more than one risk factors
- 3. There are various risk factors
- 4. There are quite a lot of risk factors
- 5. There are many risk factors
Guidance along the route- 1. Well defined trails and crossings
- 2. There is a clearly marked trail and signage
- 3. Requires the identification of geographic features and cardinal points
- 4. Requires off-path navigation
- 5. The trail is interrupted by obstacles that have to be gone around
Route difficulty- 1. Walking on a flat surface
- 2. Trails with different types of path
- 3. Walking on stepped paths or irregular terrain
- 4. The use of hands or jumping over the terrain is necessary
- 5. The use of hands is required to progress
Amount of effort needed- 1. Up to 1 hour of continuous walking
- 2. Between 1 and 3 hours of continuous walking
- 3. Between 3 and 6 hours of continuous walking
- 4. Between 6 and 10 hours of actual walking
- 5. More than 10 hours of continuous walking
Highlights
Further information
The olive tree and olive oil
Olive groves have covered much of the plantations along the Tagus for over 600 years.
They were a fundamental part of the area's economy, where olive oil was used for local consumption and for trading with the other towns of the Penillanura and both Castiles.
This trade contribute to the sustained growth of olive farms, while the new times called for greater specialization. Thus, in the mid-twentieth century, olive groves alternated with orchards and, in some towns, terrace farming and hunting reserves predominated.
Nonetheless, given the labour-intensive nature of olive production, and despite the income earned from its trade, it was greatly affected by emigration. Like the rest of the crops grown on terraces, they were abandoned or neglected due to labour shortage and the physical impossibility of using machinery.
Holm oak
The holm oak is a symbol of adaptation to the Iberian Peninsula's climate. Its leaves, thick and hard, are dark green above and whitish beneath. When the trees are young, the leaves have spikes to prevent herbivores from foraging.
Rarely do they reach great height, although this region boasts several large trees.
The scrubland on the slopes, where there are fewer holm oaks, is home to many herbs that infuse the famous Alcarria honey.
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