Hoces del Duraton - Have a great day!

Alberto (NA):

Last Sunday J. Luis´s family, my girlfriend and myself went to the wonderful Natural Park named “Hoces del Duratón”, sited in the marvellous province of Segovia, where I come from, and which I invite all of you to visit. I’m not looking for any publicity because I don´t work on commission, but seriously, if you have the opportunity to go, do not miss it.

The weather on Saturday was horrible, as it rained all day. However on Sunday it was much, much better, even better than we expected. The day started early in the morning because Salamanca is a little bit far away from Sebúlcor (the place where Hoces del Duratón is). We arrived at 10:15, left the car and drove an off-road to “Monasterio de la Hoz”, nothing to do with the “wizard of Oz”. We put on the right equipment (a life jacket and a paddle), and after a short explanation of “How to manage the kayak”, we went to visit the natural park.
Yes, dear readers! Kayaking, we went kayaking! It is not very difficult due to the fact that there are no white (“brave”) waters, waterfalls, rapids, etc. and because the kayak is very stable. We saw a lot of griffon vultures, Egyptian vultures and other kinds of birds whose right name is impossible to know in English.
We also could see Saint Frutos shrine, whose style is Romanic, and the “Monasterio de la Hoz”, which, though not as famous as Saint Frutos, is still in ruins.

After this amazing journey through the canyon of “Hoces del Duratón”, we decided to have a mouth-watering suckling lamb (lechazo, I didn´t know the word) and chops (chuletas) for lunch, of course with wine and a little water … or was it the other way around?

Finally, we visited Sepúlveda, a lovely, picturesque village in the southwest of Segovia. It´s not a very big place, about 1,200 inhabitants, but you can find 7 churches, 35 restaurants and a lot of people from Madrid. Sepúlveda is known for its awesome views, delicious gastronomy, a rich cultural heritage and its ancient fueros. The fueros are special laws by which this place had some advantages with respect to other places, and that´s why it was the border with the Muslim area, which means that a thousand years ago it was a very dangerous place and to attract people to live there the king had to give the population some privileges.

If you like the countryside, nature, cuisine, birds, silence and peaceful places, I strongly recommend a nice walk in Sepúlveda, where you will discover very special corners and charming places, just step by step.

Come on, try this unforgettable experience. I do not mind being your guide there. It will be a pleasure and we can try to speak in English if you want.