San Frutos Car Park

The San Frutos car park is the start and finish of the path to the hermitage of San Frutos, the best-known visit in the Duratón River Gorges Natural Park. It is on the moorland plateau, above the canyon, in the municipality of Carrascal del Río, and is reached by car from Villaseca. It has no facilities of any kind: it is an open area for leaving the car and setting off on foot.

Getting there

From Sepúlveda you drive to Villaseca, and from there the access to the car park leaves, signposted as the start of the path. The park leaflet does not give details of the state of the track, so go slowly, especially with low cars or motorhomes, and ask first at the Sepúlveda Park Centre (921 540 322) if it has rained a lot. There is no public transport to here.

The path from the car park

A linear 925-metre path crosses the plateau of junipers to the old priory of San Frutos, above one of the tightest meanders of the canyon. You return the same way: in all, about 1.9 km, an hour and 80 metres of climb, with low difficulty. Halfway along there is a viewpoint over the river and the Burgomillodo reservoir, with walls of up to 100 metres, and you enter the hermitage complex by an 18th-century stone bridge over the Cuchillada crack.

This path needs no permit at any time of year, unlike other stretches of the park that close during the birds of prey breeding season. Griffon vultures, Egyptian vultures and red-billed choughs fly overhead.

Before leaving the car

Bring water: at the car park and on the path there is no fountain or facilities, and in the canyon there is no mobile signal from any operator. In summer there is no shade along the whole route, so it is better to go first thing or at dusk, when the light also falls on the meander and there are fewer people than at midday. Do not leave the path, do not light fires and keep your dog under control. As throughout the natural park, you cannot camp or spend the night.

Leave the car only inside the car park, never on the access track or on the plateau: the park asks you to park in the signposted areas. If there is no room, come back later or start the day with another route, such as the Two Rivers Path from Sepúlveda.

What to combine it with

Read the page on the path to the hermitage of San Frutos before going. To see the canyon from below, the canoe trip covers the same stretch on the water. Back in Sepúlveda, the Park Centre explains the griffon vulture and the history of the hermitage, and the town can be walked in an hour and a half. The tourist office on plaza del Trigo (921 540 425) gives information on routes, accommodation and restaurants in the area.