18th century building, used as wool scouring house. It has been carefully rehabilitated using wood, stone and recicled materials. It is located in the municipality of Navaescurial, along the bottom of the Villafranca hills and 5 km from Piedrahita.
It sleeps 7 people distributed in one double bedroom, one twin and one triple (double+single bed). There are two bathrooms and a toilet, kitchen, living room whith a fireplace and an independent dining area. It features an indoors patio with a fresh water spring as well as a garden, a vegetable garden and a barbacue. It has heating, washing machine, dishwasher, television, dvd player, hair dryer and babies' cot. In the kitchen you can find a hob, extractor fan, fridge, microwave, dinner service, cutlery, glassware, table linen and cleaning utensils. There is also bed linen and towels in the bedrooms. Free wood, coal for the barbacue and firelighters. Free Wifi 4G.
Disinfection protocol and preventive measures to avoid transmition of Covid-19
This rural accomodation, “Corral de las Pilas”, has taken on a firm compromise of risk management and has therefore implemented a contingency plan with an action protocol.
• Aceptance of security measures adopted by the premises will be required at the time of booking.
• The person in charge of welcoming guests will do so while wearing a mask and maintaining the required interpersonal distance.
• This lodging will supply masks for the guests if they are required.
• Disinfectant gel is also available at the guests disposal.
• Information related to the local area: restaurants, tourists atractions, etc., will be provided by computer and/or telephone. All paper leaflets have been moved away.
• Cleaning will be done more thoroughly, specially on contact surfaces such as door handles, toilet bowls, water taps, light switches, doors, keys, furniture, tv remote, etc.
• We use authorised and tested disinfectant products for the house cleaning. These products are used according to their specified safety instructions, and they are also available for guests to use during their stay.
• All textiles are washed with disinfectant products.
• Spare blankets and pillows have been taken away from the bedrooms and are at the guest’s disposal if requested.
• A list of emergency numbers can be found at the accommodation. If one of the guests shows symptoms compatible with COVID-19, health authority guidelines will be followed.
Costs:
Weekend Low season 360€ €800
Week High season 420€ €850
Getting here: From Madrid take the A-6 to Avila; in Avila take the N-110 towards Plasencia, and when you reach the village of Piedrahita take the exit to Zapata at the first roundabout.
You will find El Barrio within 5Km along this road.
WALK
Walk Title La Casa del Cabrero (The goater’s hut).
Short Description
Over 25Km long, 900m high and flat on top, the “Sierra de Villafranca” is like a giant step from the Castilian plateau to the mighty peaks of the Gredos Mountains. This charming walk is a journey into the past following the trails of the old shepherds.
Long Description
We are located at the council of Navaescurial, which lies on the easterly side of the long ridge that is known as Sierra de Villafranca. The mountain offers some fantastic views over the Spanish central plateau, and it is very rich in wildlife, from its grassy fields near the bottom of the hills to the moors of broom bushes on the top. This particular walk is somewhere in between, across the lush oak forests that cover the slopes.
The trail takes us to an old hut that used to be the home and refuge of the shepherds that came to these latitudes in the summer from further south looking for greener pastures for the animals. They spent a couple of months here and at the end of the season walked back towards the south of Spain with their herds.The route is listed as SL (Sendero Local: local trail) and is signalled all along the way with green and white signs a bit faded in places. It is pretty much circular except for two little branches, at the beginning and at the end, and it can be walked in either direction.The track is easy to follow. Some of the waypoints will clarify the route when it is needed, but others are there to point out interesting details which are easy to miss and worth a look.The terrain varies from wide sandy tracks to stone paved ones (with loose stones in some areas that can be treacherous) but it is never demanding. The main problem is the water, which makes us slow right down at times, as it floods the path and makes it really muddy.
Walk Length 6Km
Walk Duration 1h 45min.
Height Gain 125mWalk Type easy walk
Additional Info. (points of interest on the walk)
The village of Navaescurial has several “suburbs” scattered all over the base of the mountain, each one not much more than a dozen houses. This route starts in the most populated of them: “El Barrio”, popular because of its clear water springs. It has a fountain, where you always find a queue of people with water containers, as the quality of the water is renowned.
This walk is lovely in the autumn, because of the tree colours and the warm temperatures, but it is at its best during the spring. The fields are beautifully green and the smell of the wildflowers is overpowering: lavender, thyme, chamomile, yellow broom, etc. You are also more likely to see many species of birds and other animals. Reptiles are especially abundant, with some big lizards that look like modern dinosaurs.
If I had to choose a time in the day, I would say before sunset is by far the best, when the sun is low over the horizon and the light is particularly beautiful on the mountain.These hills are also home of one of the best well known paragliding sites in the world so is easy to see lots of multicoloured wings over the ridge, sharing the sky with vultures and eagles. The closest village which offers all possible services is Piedrahita, 5Km down the road. A town with a lot of history, it has some very interesting buildings, including a palace, a church attached to the ancient fortress and a beautiful main square full of bars.
Features
Ancient Monument
Birds
Butterflies
Church
Flowers
Good for Kids
Great Views
Mostly Flat
Mountains
Nature Trail
Wildlife
Woodland