The best traffic-free bike rides in Valle De Alcudia Y Sierra Madrona

At the entrance to the town Cabezarrubias del Puerto we can see this small stone construction with a broom (straw) roof. In the past, shepherds and farmers used this type of shelter to protect themselves from rain and cold. Nearby is also an old laundry room.

Puertollano is a Spanish town in the province of Ciudad Real, in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha. Traditionally, it has been associated with oil shale and coal mining and industry. The area in which Puertollano is located has been inhabited since prehistory, with archaeological remains found that correspond to Homo heidelbergensis and Homo antecessor. During the Middle Ages the city was born, linked to the repopulation process of Castile during the 13th century. In the 16th century, Puertollano received the rank of town, a privilege granted by Philip II. At that time Puertollano was an important agricultural and livestock center. The demographic consolidation of the city occurred at the end of the 19th century, with the development of coal mining and the inauguration of the train line between Madrid and Badajoz. Its cultural heritage It corresponds mainly to religious buildings, such as the church of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (14th century), the church of the Virgen de Gracia (15th century) and the church of the Asunción (16th century). There is also a mining museum, and an old medicinal sour water spa, known as the Bath House, which today is a municipal service to citizens.

To the south of what is called the Sierra de Puertollano there is this town located at the foot of the same massif. The narrow streets run by the Parish of San Bernardo.

This district belongs to the municipality of Almodóvar del Campo (Ciudad Real). Between the end of the 19th century and the middle of the 20th, this population center served to house the workers of the silver mine that was 600 meters deep. At its peak, the Minas del Horcajo had 4,500 inhabitants. Today there is only a half-ruined church, remains of old facilities, and some rural and holiday houses that continue to serve. The route that connects this small town with the town of Conquista is more than interesting, the first to appear when crossing the border with Andalusia, through the province of Los Pedroches, being one of the 17 towns in the Comarca de Los Pedroches, period pass of the Al-Ballut cycling route. In the same way, this town is the protagonist of the Kilometer Zero route, on its journey from Madrid to Tarifa, connecting Castilla La Mancha with Andalusia. Along the way, you cross a private farm, but the track is totally public, and its passage is allowed as announced by the signs. It is usual that the guards of this farm want to escort you, to make sure that you do not get lost or that you do not leave the marked path. They are generally friendly. But this time I found a car with 3 women inside who tried to dissuade me from cycling on the track by saying "You shouldn't go this way, blablabla...". It is probably a slogan of those who try to put gates to the field and bother those who visit the mountain. The estate in question is owned by the Duke of Westminster, perhaps that is where the suspicion comes from. Royalty and its royal things...

Located at the foot of the Monument to the Miner, an imposing bronze sculpture, the work of Pepe Noja, which represents the mining history of the city, borders the volcanic area of Campo de Calatrava and in its vicinity is the Valley of Alcudia. Mining activity is of special importance with the Mining Museum, a building that surrounds an old headframe and simulates a coal selection workshop. On its two floors, the museum discourse addresses the transformation of Puertollano into an industrial city due to the discovery of coal. The mining tradition of this town is very present in its different corners, such as the Castillete de Santa María, which welcomes its visitors at the entrance to the city. It is also worth seeing the Monument to the Miner, mentioned above and located on the Cerro de Santa Ana, from which we will obtain a fantastic panoramic view of the city and its surroundings.

Hinojosa's de Calatrava is a small town at the entrance to the Valle de Alcudia and Sierra Madrona Natural Park. If you need a break, stop under the shade of the trees in the Plaza de la Iglesia.

Very close to the border with Andalusia, in Sierra Morena, and within the Natural Park of Valle de Alcudia and Sierra Madrona, is the municipality of Fuencaliente. It is famous for housing the cave paintings of Peñaescrita and La Batanera, declared a National Monument. It also owes its name to the hot spring that rises below the church of the Virgin of Baños, and which in its day attracted many pilgrims called for the healing power of its waters.

The Tablillas reservoir is located on the river of the same name, it is really one of the tail reservoirs of the Montoro reservoir. It is a sanitary swamp built in 1950.