Robledillo is the village where our cottages are: a small, quiet village in the Amblés Valley, 23 km from Ávila on the N-502, right where the Sierra de la Paramera begins. People come here to rest and get away from the city, and from here Ávila, the Castro de Ulaca hill fort and the Sierra de Gredos are all close by.
Where Robledillo is
The village looks out over both sides of the valley. To the north lies the plain of the Amblés Valley, where the river Adaja flows, with the Sierra de Ávila in the background. To the south rises the Sierra de la Paramera, the first foothills of Gredos. To the west, the Paramera and the Serrota ranges meet at the Puerto de Menga pass, the gateway to the Sierra de Gredos, about 35 km away.
The N-502 road from Ávila runs through the village from east to west, so it is easy to reach by car.
Walks from the cottage
The land around Robledillo is part of the Natura 2000 network. You can walk in the hills or across the valley floor, and these three walks start from the village itself. Ask us when you arrive and we will show you the way.
- La Pisada del Niño (the Child’s Footprint). A walk through the dehesa (oak pasture) to a rock with a hollow shaped like a child’s footprint. Leave the village towards the hills on the right-hand track.
- La Garganta (the Gorge). A small valley about 2 km south-east, between the slopes of the Paramera, with two streams and riverside vegetation. With luck you will see griffon vultures.
- La Cueva de los Moros (the Moors’ Cave). A natural cave just over a kilometre south of the village, up in the hills at about 1,350 m. Bronze Age and Visigothic pottery has been found in it.
A walk around the village
You can walk around Robledillo in no time, and every corner tells you how people used to live here. Country life is still very present: livestock and farm work are part of everyday life.
- The fountain in the square. Built in stone by the villagers themselves, with a central column of spouts and a trough. The water is drinkable and good.
- The church of Santa Teresa. A simple exposed-brick church, also built by the villagers.
- The shoeing frame. Four stone pillars joined by wooden poles, where livestock were shod.
- The bread oven. This is where the bread that women kneaded at home was baked. It is in ruins today, but you can still picture how it was.
- The Corral del Toro (bull pen). Where the village stud bull was kept, fed each day by a different villager. Today it is a community space.
Festivals in Robledillo
- Las Candelas, 2 February. The feast of the village’s patron saint: mass, a procession through the streets with a traditional pipe player, stopping to dance jotas, and then lemonade and local sweets for everyone. The pipe player returns at night.
- Summer festival, last weekend of July. Activities during the day and an open-air dance on Saturday night.
- Santa Teresa, first Sunday after 15 October. The church’s feast day, dedicated to Santa Teresa: mass, a procession with pipe music and jotas, lemonade and sweets.
