La horca de la Ojeda

In the Ojeda region, there’s a central strip where the San Andrés and Cozuelos streams, along with the Burejo River, flow. This area is like a gallows or trident, rich in agricultural fertility and dotted with a concentration of Romanesque art. It looks like a stick with overlapping prongs used by farmers to gather crops, load them onto carts, move straw, or stack things.

We start by heading towards Santibáñez de Ecla on the road, but as soon as we come across the first forest track, we’ll take a detour following the signs of the Natural Path. We’ll go up through a pine forest and then descend to Moarves de Ojeda. We’ll continue following the signs of the Natural Route of Romanesque Art in Palencia until we reach a plateau offering beautiful views of the Montaña Palentina.

A quick downhill section will lead us to Olmos de Ojeda, where we’ll pass through its main street until we reach the P-227 road. We’ll travel along this road for about 200 meters before taking a path that leads to the Santa Eufemia de Cozuelos farm. From there, we’ll continue towards the edge of a small meadow and face an uphill climb through cultivated fields. After descending, we’ll arrive at Villaescusa de Ecla, where we can take a moment to approach and admire the charming medieval bridge as we cross the Culada del Diablo pass.

Leaving Villaescusa behind, we’ll reach a small quarry via the road, and a few meters ahead, a track on the left will guide us to Santibáñez de Ecla. Once we reach this village, we’ll only have a short stretch on the road left before returning to the starting point.

Note: Along this route, you may encounter signage for the Natural Route of Romanesque Art in Palencia, which overlaps with our path.