A 12.7-kilometre circular route connects Cepeda, Madroñal and Herguijuela de la Sierra. Buildings and customs also give a stay in Cepeda a historical and cultural focus.

Hiking trails: compare distances and landscapes

The Sendero micológico Cepeda-Madroñal-Herguijuela de la Sierra is a circular route that offers insights into mushrooms and their relationship with people. Its route passes through two valleys that historically served as access routes from the Sierra de Francia to the Las Hurdes region and were traditionally used as mule tracks. The trail thus combines a nature theme with the history of old connections between the regions.

The Senda de los Mil Colores offers a different distance: this easy circular route is about 10 kilometres long and passes through the forests of Cepeda and Madroñal. Together with the 12.7-kilometre trail, it gives you a sense of the lengths of two different circular routes; only the Senda de los Mil Colores is also described as easy.

The Dehesa de Cepeda offers up to ten different routes. Which one may be suitable can depend on hikers’ ability and experience. As route conditions can change, it is advisable to check them before setting out.

Buildings and layers of history

The Church of Cepeda was built between the 16th and 18th centuries, with Baroque features predominating. The Ermita del Humilladero stands at the entrance to the village. It houses a Renaissance altarpiece from the 16th century. These two sites offer different insights into the village’s architectural history.

The Torre de Cepeda is a freestanding civil and religious tower dating from the 17th century. In the past, residents were summoned from there to council meetings by the ringing of bells. The ruins of the Casa de los Judíos tell a different story: they preserve a Gothic arch from the 15th century and recall the former presence of Cepeda’s Jewish community.

Outside the village centre is the Ermita de San Marcos, which dates from the 15th century. The Molinos del Coso are grain mills on the Arroyo del Coso and date back to the 10th century. Cepeda’s history reaches back even further: the village is built above the remains of a pre-Roman Castro, a fortified hilltop settlement. The sites mentioned therefore span the period from the pre-Roman settlement and the 10th-century mills to buildings from later centuries.

Traditions and occasions

The celebration of San Marcos in Cepeda includes a procession from the Humilladero to the church, an offering ritual and Las Relaciones, a tradition of verse composition. La Alborada, by contrast, is associated with the eve of a wedding: friends and neighbours sing verses to the bride and groom’s household, then share food and drink.

El Ramo is observed in Cepeda on Holy Saturday. Decorated branches are placed on the balconies of chosen fiancés or people who are being courted. The three customs thus mark different occasions: the celebration of San Marcos, a wedding and Holy Saturday.

Limón serrano from Cepeda

Limón serrano is a dish from Cepeda: a salad of lemon and orange with egg and meat or chorizo. It is seasoned with salt, oil, wine, vinegar and a few pennyroyal leaves. The combination of citrus fruit, egg and a savoury ingredient makes the dish’s composition easy to understand.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Lumbrales, Cordovilla, La Peña, Tamames, Villares De La Reina, Villanueva Del Conde, San Pedro De Rozados, Moriscos.

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