Cabezuela: Hiking, Nature and Living Heritage

For a stay in Cabezuela, you can plan different activities around the outdoors, local history and golf. Specific highlights include the Senda de los Caños, woodland and wetlands, local buildings and traditional festivals.

Hiking Route and Landscape

The Senda de los Caños is an easy 17-kilometre circular route that you can follow on foot, by bicycle or on horseback. Along the route, you’ll find the River Cega, pine and poplar groves, and areas inhabited by black storks. It also provides access to Los Porretales and the Lagunas de Cantalejo. At the River Cega crossing, there is a rest area with a table and benches. Route conditions and facilities may change; check both before setting out.

Los Porretales lies between Cabezuela and Lastras de Cuéllar. During the rainy season, the area is flooded by the watercourses that run through it, encouraging biodiversity. Black storks live in Los Porretales, where they feed on fish and amphibians. The Comunes of the Comunidad de Villa y Tierra de Sepúlveda are an extensive pine forest in the western part of Cabezuela’s municipal area. The western part of Cabezuela’s resin pine forest belongs to the Lagunas de Cantalejo ZEC and ZEPA protected area. The western forest is also designated as an important area and critical protection zone for the black stork.

Buildings and Traces of Local History

The parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción was built on a cruciform plan. Inside is a Neoclassical altarpiece with paintings by Alonso Herrera; a Romanesque baptismal font has also been preserved there. North of Cabezuela, outside the town, stands the Ermita del Santo Cristo del Humilladero, the sanctuary dedicated to the town’s patron saint. Several stone crosses in the surrounding area are part of an old Stations of the Cross route, which once ran along the Camino del Calvario.

Casa de la Panera, a 17th-century building, is located in Plaza de España. At the edge of the built-up area, beside a small roundabout on the road to Cantalejo, stands an old potro de herrar. This traditional structure consists of four upright stone posts with wooden beams above them. Draft animals were secured to it for shoeing or treatment.

In the Puente Mesa area, an old mill stands by the River Cega; it dates back at least to the 19th century. A surviving slender brick chimney near Cabezuela is a reminder of the former resin factory.

Festivals and Traditional Dances

The main festival, Santo Cristo del Humilladero, takes place on 14 September. It includes offerings at the Ermita, rural bull runs and communal meals. The Fiesta de la Octava del Señor falls on the weekend after Corpus Christi and lasts from Saturday to Monday. Hacenderas, communal work undertaken for the benefit of the town, take place on Shrove Tuesday. If you are planning your trip around one of these festivals, check the dates for your chosen year.

Cabezuela’s traditional dances, including the Paloteo, have been documented since 1719 and are still performed today. The Jota de Cabezuela is also part of the town’s traditional folklore.

Golf as Another Highlight

Club de Golf Valdemazo is located within the municipal areas of Cabezuela and Puebla de Pedraza. The 9-hole, par-35 course has been affiliated with the relevant association since 1996. A rustic course, it combines golf with traditional sheep grazing and uses no water for its upkeep. The address is Ctra. Segovia–Sepúlveda, SG-231, kilometre 45. Check operating conditions before setting out.

Discover more destinations: La Losa, San Miguel de Bernúy, Zarzuela del Pinar, Domingo García, Cuéllar, Otero De Herreros, Aldea Real, Fuentepelayo

For the broader travel overview: Segovia.