The Roblón de Estalaya Path

The Roblón de Estalaya, hiking in the Mountain Palentina

Not far from Cervera del Pisuerga, in the heart of Mountain Palentina, awaits us one of those lords of the forest that have been watching us for centuries, treasuring history and legends in almost equal parts. On the hillside of Mount San Cristóbal, bathed by the waters of the Requejada reservoir, the Roblón de Estalaya has been growing for hundreds of years, 800 according to official data. This majestic grandfather of the forest of singular size, more than 12 metres high and between 11 metres of trunk at the base and 9 metres in the central area, is surely the longest-lived and largest in the Mountain Palentina. The Roblón de Estalaya Path leads to it, a simple route that allows us to visit this grandfather and enjoy the landscape and hiking in the Mountain Palentina.​

How to get to the Path of the Roblón

To reach the starting point of the Roblón de Estalaya Path, follow the road that links Cervera de Pisuerga with Potes and Puentenansa. Not far from Cervera de Pisuerga, at the Requejada reservoir after crossing the village of Vañes, we will find the turning that leads to Estalaya and shortly after passing the crossroads that leads to this town, the parking area awaits us from where this beautiful hiking route begins.

Enter your place of departure

Itinerary of the Roblón de Estalaya Path

From the parking lot to Roblón de Estalaya 1.75 km

The parking area next to the road that leads to the town of San Felices de Castillería is our starting point for this route that will take us to the Roblón de Estalaya. An information sign explains some of the singularities that we are going to find, as well as marking the beginning of the route. The route follows the marks of the PR-P4 and the conditioned path along which it runs. We quickly cross the Castillería stream before it flows into the nearby reservoir.

Here we follow the path to our left, leaving aside the path by which we will return. Little by little we approach the dense forest where grandfather lives. The slope is noticeable at every step, but for the moment it is not a big problem. Shortly after entering the forest, a small shelter awaits us, inviting us to take a break, knowing what awaits us ahead. After the stop, we resume our walk, arriving almost without noticing it, at a new fork. Here we follow the path to the left, facing the steep slopes that separate us from our objective. After the effort we are rewarded with the reward of the Roblón de Estalaya (0h 40min), a specimen of sessile oak (Quercus petraea) that is impressive to look at.

Del Roblón de Estalaya al aparcamiento 2,95 Km

Once we have enjoyed this emblematic grandfather of the forest, we will return to the starting point. We can do so by following the steps that brought us here, or also by extending this route a little to get even more out of this area of the Mountain Palentina. To do so, at the fork that brought us to El Roblón, we follow the marks that lead us towards the reservoir and the nearby village of Vañes. The forest continues to accompany us, giving way to a beautiful beech forest. Little by little we descend until we leave the forest that protected us from the sun. After leaving behind a watering place, we reach a new crossroads from where we can enjoy a beautiful view of Vañes and the Requejada reservoir. At this point our route coincides with the GR 1 markings that will accompany us on this part of the route. This route takes us along the edge of the reservoir, going up the arm that enters the Castillería valley. After a while we reach the fork that we passed at the beginning of the route, from where we only have to walk the stretch of path that separates us from the parking area (1h 30min) from where we start the Path of El Roblón.

Coordinates UTM Datúm WGS84

Profile of the Roblón de Estalaya Path

Cartography

This schematic with the path is approximate and has been created from the derived cartographic base © Instituto Geográfico Nacional "Cuadrante 107-1 y 107-3 1:25.000".