Villaviciosa: Castle, Ulaca and Granite Landscape

A trip to Villaviciosa can be planned around different interests: topics range from Ulaca and other archaeological sites to the granite formations near Pico Gavilán. Two routes start in Villaviciosa; reaching the Castro de Ulaca involves an ascent that must be completed mostly on foot. These differences can help you weigh cultural sites, landscapes and hikes when planning your trip.

Cultural Monuments and Archaeological Sites

The Castillo de Villaviciosa, also known as Castillo de Nuño González del Águila, was built between the 15th and 16th centuries. It was converted into a restaurant and hotel. If you are considering staying at the Castillo, check in advance whether the hotel is currently operating; its commercial use may change.

Ulaca was a fortified Vetton settlement covering an area of about 70 hectares. Its oval defensive wall is more than three kilometres long. The two figures convey different scales: the area describes the extent of the settlement, while the wall’s length describes that of its fortifications. This allows you to consider the size of the archaeological site in terms of both its area and the course of its defensive structure.

A second verraco sculpture from the Ulaca area is 1.6 metres long and headless. It is made of granite and is kept beside the Castillo de Villaviciosa. La Cabeza de Navasangil is a Hispano-Visigothic fortified archaeological settlement in Villaviciosa (Solosancho). At Las Antas, a tomb carved into granite can be seen at an archaeological site. These places represent different historical and archaeological topics, each of which can be considered separately when planning your trip.

Routes and Visiting Conditions

The approach to the Castro de Ulaca from Villaviciosa involves climbing a hill, most of which must be covered on foot. Check the trail conditions before setting out. The route “History and Nature on the Same Path” starts in Villaviciosa. The “Ulaca Surroundings” hiking route also starts there. The information about the starting points distinguishes these two routes from a visit that requires planning for the ascent to the Castro de Ulaca.

To visit Navasangil, you must request a key from Solosancho Town Hall. Before your trip, check whether this procedure is still in effect. This lets you include this specific visiting condition in your plans without confusing it with information about the routes or the ascent to Ulaca.

Granite Landscapes and Travel Dates

The granite formations near Pico Gavilán in Villaviciosa include extensive boulder fields, large rounded granite boulders and rock basins where water can collect. The landscape can be described in terms of both its broad expanses of boulders and its individual rounded rocks and basins. On the Sendero de Las Veredas de Solosancho, hikers can see and walk among granite formations created by the weathering and erosion of Paleozoic granite. The rock’s geological history therefore offers a different focus from the archaeological sites.

A report from August 2026 describes Luna Celta as a three-day festival held on the penultimate weekend of August and also celebrated in Villaviciosa. If the festival is important to your travel plans, check the programme for the relevant year. This lets you take a possible festival date into account when deciding on your stay without assuming that the dates remain the same in another year.

Discover more destinations: Robledillo.

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