The best cycling routes in Sierra De Híjar

Here is the "official" source of the Ebro, even though it was proven about 40 years ago that only the water of the Rio Hijar, which seeps away at Paracuelles, re-emerges here. Strictly speaking, it is a karst spring. Not far below the spring, the Ebro is dammed by a small weir, creating a beautiful little pond here, which is obviously also popular with ducks. The circular path around the pond from the spring to the weir is only a few hundred meters long walk, a large visitor car park is directly above, so you don't have to make a long hike to visit - but you can, of course, also start the GR99 here and walk to the Mediterranean...

The Plaza de España in Reinosa is, like in so many others, a meeting place and a venue for celebrations. Don't miss visiting it and, if you have time, relaxing on one of its terraces trying some of the local tapas.

It is a small bridge that crosses the waters of the Rubagón river. On one side there is a clearing with information panels. A perfect spot for a short stop on your route.

At the foot of the road you begin to see the water from the Ebro reservoir

We set out with the hope of ascending to the summit of Tresmares, where the Hijar-Ebro River begins and flows into the Mediterranean, the Pisuerga River (a tributary of the Duero River) flows into the Atlantic, and the Nansa River flows into the Cantabrian Sea. But a thick, damp fog covering the landscape forced us to give up and head back down the same way we came up. The road is partially covered by a bike lane and very little traffic. A steady climb of around 10%. Absolutely recommended. A few years ago, the Alto Campoo pass was the final stage of La Vuelta a España.

Officially, it's the source of the Ebro River, in Fontibre. However, according to what we were told at the tourist office, the waters of the spring pools come underground from the Hijar River, which rises in Alto Campoo. Specifically, in Tresmares, where the Hijar-Ebro begins, flowing into the Mediterranean; the Pisuerga (a tributary of the Duero) flows into the Atlantic; and the Nansa flows into the Cantabrian Sea.

The visit to the neighborhoods of San Pedro and Santa María is worth it for the heritage and landscapes but it has a price on the legs, you have to climb Monte de la Ruya again to connect with the main itinerary and overcome the infernal slope that We saw before the detour, which also has a trap because after a short descent there is another similar section to a hill, the prize is fantastic views of the Palentina Mountain. The road enters the meadows and mountains of La Ojeda again and there is a fun stretch, climbing the GPS average for several kilometers until Dehesa de Montejo, where the detour for the Perazancas variant comes out on the left. The route continues to the right, crosses the Cervera de Pisuerga road and climbs the slope of Peña Umoma to a hill that finally marks the entrance to the Pisuerga valley through the beautiful valley of Valdeados. The descent ends in Vado, it is noon, time for a snack but there is no bar or grocery store. Cervera is three kilometers away but it is the place where we plan to finish the stage and we decided to continue and spend the afternoon with the energy bars. The path continues along the charming bank of the Pisuerga River, favorable terrain, river landscape, good climate and change of environment. On the route there are yellow arrows of the Camino Olvidado or Camino de la Montaña, a Camino de Santiago very popular in the 12th and 13th centuries, starting from Bilbao, running along the southern slope of the Cantabrian Mountains and connecting with the Camino Francés in El Bierzo. In Barcenilla de Pisuerga, the milestones of the Natural Trail cross the Pisuerga River via a pedestrian walkway and change course, beginning the climb through the Mudá valley until the connection with the GR-1. The climb begins in Rueda de Pisuerga, the route passes by the church of San Cristóbal, which preserves the Romanesque doorway from the 12th century, and continues through Vallespinoso de Cervera to San Cebrián de Mudá, a town with a mining tradition and the last town on the Natural Trail of the Palentine Romanesque. In the square there are some wagons from the mining era, when the Cok Coal Route was the main economic channel of the valley. The church of San Cornelio and San Cipriano is on a hill, is Romanesque from the 13th century and was declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1993. The climb to the Historical Trail passes through the European Bison Interpretation Center, runs through a mountain oak grove and ends at a small hill below the imposing Valdecebollas (2,143 m), entrance to the La Pernía valley and the upper Pisuerga. The views are stunning. The end of the stage is Cervera de Pisuerga, with accommodation, camping and complete services. The final stretch to complete a great day of gravel cycling continues through the Castillería valley and at the Estalaya crossroads, where the climb to the Verdeña Fossil Forest is, a path leaves on the left that leads to Vañes off the road. In this section it is important to have the track downloaded because there are no milestones on the route. You must continue along the road for about 500 meters towards Cervera and at the fork of the road take a detour to the left towards Rabanal de los Caballeros and Valdasornín. The rest of the way follows the road that goes down to the urban complex of Cervera de Pisuerga.

Interesting to visit, if you are in the area.