Alfonso Onceno Trail (GR 117)

What It Is

The long-distance trail that crosses the Villuercas to Guadalupe and takes its name from King Alfonso XI, who hunted bears in these sierras. The traditional route was the bridle path from Navezuelas to Guadalupe; the GR 117 traverse extends it westwards to link up with the Camino de los Jerónimos (GR 118) beside La Avellaneda. The Geopark gives it 59 km in its technical sheet (58.3 km in the text of the topoguide) and about 18 and a half hours of walking, to be split into at least three stages. It climbs from the 411 m of the lowest point to the 1,237 of the Collado de la Arena, with 1,921 m of ascent and 1,793 of descent.

The Route by Sections

The traverse begins 500 m north-east of La Avellaneda and crosses the Ibor river to Fresnedoso de Ibor. From there it goes to Robledollano by the Collado de Carboneros, in the Sierra de la Madera, and continues to Roturas by the Navazos path. From Roturas it climbs the Sierra de la Ortijuela on its sunny side, among big scree slopes with cork oaks, goes up the Santa Lucía valley and reaches Navezuelas among chestnut trees after the Collado de las Carretas. Before that pass the link with the PR-CC 144 to Cabañas del Castillo leaves, a good option for sleeping or seeing the remains of its fortress.

At Navezuelas the classic and most mountainous stretch begins: the bridle path crosses the Sierra de las Acebadillas and the valley of the Viejas river, with its Portuguese laurels (Prunus lusitanica) on the banks, passes the Collado de la Arena and descends among Pyrenean oaks to the Ermita del Humilladero and, at last, to Guadalupe. Along the way you may see griffon vultures and golden eagles, and on the summits, black wheatear and blue rock thrush.

Difficulty

The topoguide rates it as demanding for its length and ascents. On the MIDE scale it scores 3 for severity of the environment, 2 for orientation, 2 for difficulty of travel and 5, the maximum, for effort. It is not for beginners: there are scree slopes on the Ortijuela path. Carry plenty of water, a map and the track on your phone. Plan it for spring or autumn.

For One Day

If you only have one day, do the Navezuelas to Guadalupe stretch and arrange the return by car, because it is a traverse and does not return to the starting point. Download the topoguide and track beforehand from the Geopark website, which publishes them by section. On reaching Guadalupe you have the monastery and the walk through the Puebla for the next day.