Logbook · 7 places

What to see and do in Robledo del Mazo

What to see and do in Robledo del Mazo (La Jara, Toledo): 7 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 1 Monuments · 2 Nature · 2 Curiosities · 1 Food and drink

How far each place is from the centre of Robledo del Mazo

Las Lanchas Gorge 4.3 km
Hermitage of Piedraescrita 13 km

Towns near Robledo del Mazo

Spain › Castilla-La Mancha › Toledo › La Jara › Robledo del Mazo

What to see and do in Robledo del Mazo

Robledo del Mazo
Village
Municipality of the comarca of La Jara, in the province of Toledo, of scattered settlement: it groups the hamlets of Las Hunfrías, Robledillo, Navaltoril and Piedraescrita, where a chapel of Mudéjar origin of the twelfth century is preserved with Renaissance tilework, wall paintings and Baroque additions; its surname comes from a water-driven hammer installed to frighten off the bears drawn by the hives of the first settlers, and the district, crossed by the Gévalo, protects the gorge of las Lanchas and its system of waterfalls.
Hermitage of Piedraescrita
Monument
Hermitage of Mudéjar origin from the 12th century located in the hamlet of Piedraescrita, which preserves Renaissance tilework, mural paintings and Baroque additions. The building, dedicated to Nuestra Señora de Piedraescrita, has three naves, access on the north side and an apse; it houses Talavera Renaissance tilework, Romanesque and Baroque frescoes, a baptismal font of possible Palaeo-Christian origin and a Baroque crucified Christ. Tradition links the origin of the hamlet, believed to be older than Robledo del Mazo itself, to the 12th-century Knights Templar.
Las Lanchas Gorge
Nature
The Garganta de las Lanchas is a 436-hectare natural area in the Montes de Toledo, in the municipality of Robledo del Mazo, La Jara district, declared a natural micro-reserve under decree 71/2003 of Castilla-La Mancha. Its rainfall, more abundant than in the surrounding area, and its mild temperatures have allowed the survival of plant formations typical of oceanic and even subtropical climates, true relics of the laurel forests that covered the peninsula 300 million years ago; among them the lorera laurel groves stand out, with around 150 catalogued specimens. At the bottom of the gorge grows a mixed forest of ash, birch, holly, strawberry trees, oaks, Portuguese oaks (quejigos), willows, maples and hawthorns. As it descends, the stream forms the waterfalls known as Las Chorreras.
The Hammer That Scared Away the Bears
Curiosity
The municipality's surname (Mazo, meaning 'mallet') comes from a water-driven mallet that was installed to scare off the bears attracted by the beehives of the first settlers. According to the municipality's article, the device was driven by the water of the Arroyo del Endrino and produced a loud rhythmic sound; it was devised by cowherds and beekeepers to frighten off the bears that came attracted by the honey.
The Hamlets of Robledo del Mazo
Curiosity
The municipality of Robledo del Mazo comprises the hamlets of Las Hunfrías, Robledillo, Navaltoril and Piedraescrita, a scattered settlement pattern typical of the Jara mountains. Las Hunfrías sits in the valley of the Gévalo river, while Robledillo and Navaltoril occupy higher ground, wedged between hills. Piedraescrita is the oldest of the four and preserves the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de Piedraescrita, of Mudéjar origin from the 12th century, with Renaissance tiles, Romanesque frescoes and Baroque additions.
The Gévalo River in Robledo del Mazo
Nature
The Gévalo rises in the Montes de Toledo, near Piedraescrita, at around 1,100 metres above sea level, and runs about 53 kilometres east to west through the La Jara district before flowing into the left bank of the Tagus, at 390 metres. It crosses the municipality of Robledo del Mazo, hemmed in between the western sierras of the Montes de Toledo, forming pools and stretches of great environmental value, and waters its four settlements -Las Hunfrías, Navaltoril, Robledillo and Piedraescrita-, with orchards and meadows along its banks. Its upper course protects the 435-hectare Garganta de las Lanchas micro-reserve, with threatened vegetation.
Venison and wild boar cured meats
Food and drink
The abundance of big game in the sierra has given a repertoire of chorizos, loins and cured meats made with deer and wild boar meat, cured in the cold in the houses of the village and of its outlying villages, alongside the migas with pork rashers.