A walk along the Tagus Eco Trail
Unfolding before your eyes is the river plain of the Tagus, the great river that laps the banks of Villamanrique de Tajo. It makes this town one of the richest in orchards and crops in the Las Vegas district.
We invite you to take a beautiful walk along the Tagus Eco Trail that starts in the Tagus River Park. By the cool waters of the Tagus River, this trail will take you through a gallery forest with white poplars, elms, willows and tamarisks. You can also get up close to the fields of corn, asparagus and grain that make Villamanrique famous across the whole Madrid Region. Among lush greenery that includes a variety of reeds and bulrushes, you will be able to hear coots, moorhens and mallards. In the river scrub, it is easy to spot the movements of reed warblers, Cetti’s warblers, turtle doves and goldfinches.
This is a fairly easy circular route of 4 km, completed on foot. It is well signposted and takes about 2 hours.
Albuher Castle
From here you can see the outline of the ruins of Albuher Castle. It is well worth climbing the short but steep path that leads to these ruins. This castle was very important during the Muslim rule and the Reconquest, as it was an important site for defence, keeping lookout and communication. Its exact origins are unknown, although it is thought to be a sister castle of the Oreja castle (Toledo) and the Alharilla castle (Fuentidueña de Tajo). Of Muslim origin, it passed back and forth between Christian and Moorish hands during the struggle of the Reconquest. Cited in documents as early as 1099, it remained standing until well into the 15th century. It was during the War of the Castilian Succession (1474–79) between the sisters Isabel and Juana, when Pedro Manrique, Count of Osorno and supporter of Isabel, conquered and destroyed the castle. Philip II’s Relaciones Topográficas (1575) describes the castle as ruins.
Today, only the remains of what was once an Almoravid castle, sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Tagus river plain. The views from here make it worth the climb to take some beautiful photos.
It is located in the outskirts of the town, exiting via the M-319. You must leave your car at the TO-2580 crossroads, where the path starts that leads to the bottom of the hill where the castle remains are.
