Gisela Radant Wood - The Sierras of Extremadura: 32 half and full-day walks in western Spains hills

Walking down to Puente Sacristn (Walk 10)

What does exist, in abundance, is open countryside, mountains, hills, valleys, lakes, rivers, forests, pasture and thousands of kilometres of paths criss-crossing the region. These paths are perfect for walking: some are part of an ancient communication network from the days when people walked everywhere; some are delightful meanderings around the agricultural areas that surround every village. The oldest are paved with granite, others are soft earth. Many are shaded with trees and have verges profuse with flowers, in season.

The untouched countryside is a haven for wildlife and birds, and Extremadura has many protected areas. Monfrage National Park lies at the heart of where the Titar and Tajo rivers meet; the area is covered in forest and is famous as a nesting site for many species of raptor. Further west, where the Tajo crosses into Portugal, the Tajo International Natural Park has been established where the rivers Erjas and Sever join the bigger river. The oldest rocks in the peninsula sit in the middle of the Cceres plain, and the Monumental Park of Los Barruecos has spectacular granite rocks of at least 575 million years old. Its lakes attract birds year-round.

Cornalvo Natural Park is, in reality, a huge area of dehesa open parkland covered with spaced-out evergreen holm oaks. Its lake, formed by a dam built in Roman times, attracts birds and wildfowl year-round. La Garganta de los Infiernos Natural Park in the Jerte valley incorporates part of the southern slopes of the Sierra de Gredos, while as recently as 2011 a GeoPark was formed uniting the areas of Las Villuercas, Los Ibores and Jara.

All of these parks have hundreds of kilometres of designated and signed walking paths and are testimony to Extremaduras continuing commitment to preserving its natural environment.

A chance meeting in the Sierra de Gredos in June

The biggest Protection Areas are, without doubt, for birds. These have the acronym ZEPA (Zona Especial de Proteccin para Aves); the Sierra de Pela and the Sierra Grande de Hornachos, both featured in this book, are ZEPA areas. The Sierra de San Pedro and much of the area around Cceres are also designated ZEPA.

Quite apart from its natural heritage, Extremadura also boasts three World Heritage Sites: Roman Mrida, Renaissance Cceres and Guadalupe. These cities, along with Trujillo, Coria, Plasencia, Badajoz and Jerez de los Caballeros, to name but a few, are wonderful places to explore on foot and soak up the atmosphere of past centuries. However, Cceres, Mrida and Badajoz also have their dynamic, modern sides, which can add a different dimension to a walking holiday.