Our favorite hiking route, starting from the Corregidor Mill, is undoubtedly the one that leads to the abandoned village of Santa María, passing through the San Román pasture and the Santa María beech forest and ravine.
The route departs from the mill, and after 300 meters of road heading toward San Román. Take the track that climbs toward the San Román pasture, following the signs for “Laguna” along the GR trail (white and red). Continue uphill along this track for about 10-15 minutes until you reach the entrance to the pasture, where the remains of the large entrance gate that protected it from livestock and wild animals remain. As soon as you cross the gate, turn off the track to the left and climb along a path among the ancient oak trees.
Follow the most obvious and cleanest path parallel to the ravine until you reach a watering hole with a fountain for livestock. From there, continue the climb following the white and red markings, paying attention to the turns so as not to make the direct climb, which is harder and less attractive.
You reach the upper part of the pasture where you find the exit gate, which you leave closed to prevent the livestock from escaping. Now leave the forest to walk with good views of Torre, Muro, and the Sierra Ceballera in the background. After a few minutes, you reach a hill where a sign indicates the detour down to Santa María. Look for the gate in the fence and cross it to enter the beech forest and descend steeply but safely, enjoying the forest.
After this descent, cross the ravine, which can only be somewhat difficult in spring, although this is also when the waterfalls in this area are at their most beautiful.
Continue along a flat track, already seeing the village of Santa María, which you’ll have to climb when you reach a wide bend with a sign explaining the uninhabited areas in the area. The climb is now short, and in just over 5 minutes you’ll be entering the church ruins. Be careful, as there may be cattle inside, and it’s best not to scare them.
You can walk through the village, climbing towards the upper part along the clear path, or use some of the stones and walls to rest and have a drink. The descent will first follow the same climb and then continue straight ahead along the crest of the hillside until you reach the main stream. Here take the track that will take you gently downhill to San Román.
You can return to the mill along the poplar grove path, avoiding the road. This route is about 10 km long and has a 350 m elevation gain, with a low difficulty and a duration of between 2:30 and 3:30, depending on your pace.
You can also follow the route with GPS on Google Maps.
