Portal de Turismo de Castilla y León

Welcome to the Iruelas Valley "Las Cruceras" Nature Reserve Park House.

You are in front of the entrance gate to the Park House. Before starting the tour, you should know that there are different spaces inside and outside. This audio guide is divided into audio tracks with the information contained in the different rooms. The end of each track is marked by a single beep like the one you will hear now when the information changes:

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And a double beep when there is a space change.

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After the beep, you can choose to skip to the next audio track.

As in the rest of the houses of the park spread throughout the Castilla y León region, it is the recommended gateway to these natural areas. At this interpretation centre, the educators will inform you about the Nature Reserve and help you plan your visit.

Here, information on emblematic species and habitats is provided to facilitate the identification and highlight the cultural and natural heritage of these places, in a respectful manner and promoting the conservation and appreciation of biodiversity and cultural heritage.

The Park House located in Iruelas Valley Nature Reserve, also known as "Las Cruceras." It is located at the old Iruelas Valley resin mill, where the resin from pine trees was brought in the past to be processed. The entire fenced enclosure is considered part of the House, the reception building being the one in front of the entrance. The buildings have been refurbished, maintaining the existing structure and spaces, which is why the buildings have an industrial feel.

It is a fenced enclosure, inside which there are gardens and several buildings. The reception building is in front of and near the entrance to the site.

The Iruelas Valley was declared a Nature Reserve in 1997 and focuses on the protection of the black vulture, the largest bird of prey in Europe with a wingspan of almost three metres. This valley is home to the most significant population in Castilla y León, with around 150 pairs registered in the last census.

Despite its small size, only 8828 hectares, this natural space is characterised by its unique orography, which favours a range of orientations and exposures that create microclimates, capable of hosting a very varied vegetation that contrasts with the rocky peaks and small snowfields.

In front of the entrance to the house, there is an information pillar with a sign in relief and Braille. This is a map of the location of the house in the nature reserve.

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To enter the house, you have to cross a fully glazed entrance hall. You then arrive at the reception area, a long, rectangular room.

On the right, there is a large round table with a map of the Iruelas Valley nature reserve. This table is close to the windows that run all the way along the wall to the back of the room.

A wooden pillar contains screens showing documentaries on the fauna and flora of the area, and the reception desk is right beside it. A wall, perpendicular to the windows and lined with wood, encloses the space. It contains the green shop display case, with products and souvenirs from the area. In the display case closest to the reception desk, there is a vulture egg and a skull, as well as a representation of some of the park's mushrooms.

To the left of the entrance door, a sculpture depicts a man photographing the photocollage near the wall, three metres from the entrance. The photocollage simulates an area of forest with animals. Next, there is a square wooden pillar with screens showing silent documentaries on the fauna and flora of the Network of Natural Spaces of Castilla y León. A background drawing shows, from left to right, a vulture perched on a high branch of a tree, a genet on a rock, with a photo hole, green soil, a leafy tree, and blue sky with white clouds. There is also a deer and a wild boar, with holes in their faces so you can peek through and have your picture taken.

Next to the photocollage there is another pillar with wildlife documentaries.

On the left wall, there are temporary exhibitions.

If you are looking for more information, you can go to the reception area where the educators offer free information about the Nature Reserve, its location, the reasons why the Iruelas Valley has been protected, what you can do and visit, even where you can eat or what routes you can take. This welcome is usually done next to the pillar on the left, next to the photographer and in front of the sign with information on the location of the Park House, within the network of natural spaces of Castilla y León.

Walk to the back wall. On the left, at the end of the display cases containing the green shop’s items, a door leads to a temporary exhibition room.

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In the temporary exhibition hall there is a documentation centre, where you can read any of the books on the shelves.

It is a rectangular open-plan space. To the right of the door, two shelves divide the space into two parts. Behind them, the back of the room is occupied by the display cabinets containing the library and a long table in the centre with chairs around it and seating for 10 people. There’s a monitor on the tables, with its back to the window on the right wall of the room.

A monitor shows short videos about the black vulture and the Iberian imperial eagle, which are the main reasons for the protection of the reserve.

There are also vulture feathers and photos showing the differences between a black vulture, a griffon vulture, and a bearded vulture.

The black vulture has a mostly brown plumage with dark shades on the back, highlighting a featherless neck and part of the head, although with some black down on the face and crown. Its beak boasts a bluish-purple hue with a black tip. Like most vultures, the black vulture hovers in the air and rarely flaps its wings, keeping its head back and wings spread, using its tail as a rudder. Its habitat includes rocky crags and ravines with abundant vegetation, preferring areas of Mediterranean forest. This vulture tends to live in loose colonies and rarely migrates.

Return to reception and go outside.

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Leaving the reception, you can visit the other buildings of this park house, which was the former resin factory. It is the old factory where the resin was brought from all the surrounding pine forests.

Leaving the reception area, in the porch on the left, there is a pine tree trunk, in front of the relief and Braille panels of the park house enclosure. A sign, showing the rings of a pine tree, reads: "Their rings tell us about their years and our history." The rings of a cross-section of a pine tree are labelled with years and the ephemeris of that year, from 1910 to 2005.

There are three types of pines: the resin pine, the limber pine, and the Scots pine.

The first, the resin pine, is the most abundant and important. It is a medium-sized tree, 20 to 35 metres high, with orange-brown bark and an irregular top. The needles are thick and long, greenish blue to greenish yellow. The conical pine cones turn from green to reddish brown in 24 months, opening and widening.

The second, the black pine, is also a medium-sized tree, varying in height from 20 to 55 metres, with ash-white, brown to dark grey bark with grooves and plaques that crack with age. The needles, grouped in pairs, are strong, dark green in colour. This tree is remarkably long-lived, with specimens that can live up to 1000 years.

The last species, the Scots pine reaches a maximum height of 30 metres. Initially, its crown is conical, but as it matures, it becomes irregular and widens, with a trunk that changes from covered to bare. The needles are small, stiff and sharp, with a semi-circular shape, and serrated edges. This pine thrives in full sun, but does not tolerate shade. It prefers fertile, deep soils, but withstands drought and very cold winters.

In the garden, there is an arboretum in which we can find three types of pine trees.

In the space before the house, next to the trunk of a resin pine, there are the pots in which the resin was collected, the wedge that was placed to direct the resin towards the pot and the three types of pine cones from the three types of pines.

The facilities of the site form the former resin factory. All the resin from the surrounding pine forests was brought here and the building you are about to visit now, the exhibition hall, was where it was transformed. Two by-products are extracted from the resin: a solid part, which is rosin, and a liquid part, turpentine. Turpentine was collected in two water tanks in the garden between the buildings.

Resin production was so important between 1936 and 1975 that houses were built for the resin and wood workers. Two settlements, Las Cruceras and La Rinconada, were built in this area. This product exuded slowly from man-made cuts to the pine trunks. It was collected in barrels and brought down in mules to the Las Cruceras distillery, where up to 50 families lived from exploiting the resin. The demand for labour and the exclusive dedication of the resin workers favoured the villages of Casillas and La Rinconada, the closest ones to the valley. Other traditional resources of the forest include timber, firewood, pasture for livestock, hunting and fishing, honey and mushrooms harvesting, which are still done today. Until 1990, all the wood cut in the valley was sent to the Las Cruceras sawmill.

These villages preserve examples of their past splendour, such as the 15th century church of El Barraco; the church and chapel of Our Lady of Mercy in San Juan de la Nava; the Baroque chapel of Anthony of Padua, the monastery of Los Jerónimos in El Tiemblo; the Crucero de San Marcos, the Romanesque bridge, and the church of Our Lady of Villares in Navaluenga.

In addition, this forest was one of the first in Spain to be ordered, back in 1886. Its excellent forest management has favoured the presence of numerous centenary pine trees, which are essential for maintaining a significant population of black vultures, as these large birds of prey nest in trees and need large treetops.

On the other side of the road, in a fenced enclosure opposite the park house, was the old sawmill. The resin was brought here and the wood was taken there. All that remains of the sawmill is in this garden.

Walk to a building containing the exhibition hall. To the right of the building containing the exhibition hall is the toilet building, approximately thirty metres away.

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Enter the exhibition hall building through a double metal door. The foyer is a rectangular space. On the long-left wall, there is a map of the nature reserve. In the centre of the room, there are two tables with two different scale models of the reserve. The first is small and rectangular. It is embossed and can be touched. The second, square and larger, is protected by a glass urn.

The first model has the limits of the Iruelas Valley space marked with a brown cordon. The area is spread over four villages: the one closest to this house and slightly larger is El Tiemblo, then there is El Barraco, San Juan de la Nava, and Navaluenga, which is located at the tail of the reservoir. These are the four villages whose municipal boundaries are within the protected area.

From the Park House, located on a peninsula of the reservoir, the Enebral route starts in an area full of junipers. It is a wooden walkway, so it can even be crossed with wheelchairs. The Iruelas gorge, which names the area, is marked on the model. At the end of the road that crosses Las Cruceras is the village of La Rinconada, which belongs to the municipality of El Barraco.

The whole forest is an intense green, due to the pine forests, although the Castañar del Tiemblo is also a botanical jewel with centenary chestnut trees, including El Abuelo.

Chestnut trees are deciduous trees known for their fruits, the chestnuts. Their leaves are simple, bright green in summer and with warm tones in autumn. The bark is brown and greyish. The fruits are contained in spiny shells, known to many in the area as hedgehogs. Their presence in landscapes adds seasonal beauty and biodiversity.

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To the right of these models, a new rectangular space opens up where the stairs and the lift are located, as you enter on the right. You’ll find an access ramp on the left, which goes up against the walls of the building.

The presentation is organised according to stations.

In the centre of the room, there is a block, made up of cubes of different sizes. The most significant flora of spring is shown. There are photos of peonies, one of the park's flowers, and a scent bench, with four holes in which you can smell different plants.

On one side of the block, you’ll find doors with questions. They are like riddles. Opening these doors you’ll find the solution to the question.

One says: "It sleeps during the day and flies at night and is not a bird." Opening the door, a glass reveals the riddle's answer: a bat.

The second door asks: Would you be scared if you meet this gentleman in his polka dot suit? When the door is opened, the ocellated lizard is shown.

It is a reptile noted for its attractive colour pattern and markings on its back. Its body is robust and its limbs are strong. Their skin pattern varies, but commonly exhibits shades ranging from olive green to brown, with spots and ocelli serving as camouflage.

The third reads: "A popular bird that heralds the spring." The door hides a swallow.

The fourth reads: "In the higher parts of the valley, this show-off shows off his striking chest." Open the door to discover the bluethroat.

It is a small songbird known for its peculiar plumage. Males exhibit a vibrant blue on the upperparts, especially on the head and back, while the chest is bright yellow. Females, on the other hand, have duller shades of brown on the back and a softer yellow breast.

The fifth and last reads: "He strolls calmly around, well protected by his spiked coat." Behind the door is the common hedgehog.

Another area of the block has a drawing of a river with its typical fauna and flora, under the title: "The gorges of the valley." These gorges feed the Burguillo reservoir, although the main one is the Iruelas gorge.

An otter, a frog, a trout, and birds such as the wagtail, the dipper, and the oriole are depicted.

The oriole is a bird distinguished by its striking bright yellow and black plumage, with distinctive contrasting colours. Medium-sized, with a slender silhouette and a pointed beak. This species is known for its characteristic song, which consists of a mixture of melodic notes and high-pitched squeaks. Orioles build hanging nests in the branches of tall trees.

Take the ramp to the upper floor.

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After the second section of the ramp, on the left, you will enter a room dedicated to the black vulture. A nearly three-meter long panel, the same size as the wingspan of the black vulture, is in the centre of the room, oriented diagonally from the door to the opposite corner.

At the back of the room, behind the panel, is a model of the nose of a light aircraft.

The panel is entitled: "The Black Vulture: Jewel of the Reserve." It has four photographs: a pair of vultures, a vulture perched on the ground, a vulture arriving at a nest, and a vulture chick in the nest.

The images also show that the male and female have no sexual dimorphism. They have identical plumage and at first glance it is impossible to distinguish their sex. In fact, scientists have to carry out tests to find out whether they are male or female.

Despite the name, black vultures have brown plumage, but they are so called because young birds have jet black feathers. Male and female are equally responsible for building the nest, incubating the egg, and raising and feeding the chick.

Turn left, facing the second wall from the door.

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On the second wall to the left of the door, there are two hanging panels. The first one presents the characteristics and feeding differences between the black vulture, the griffon vulture, the Egyptian vulture, and the bearded vulture.

The black vulture is noted for its robust beak, which it needs to break the skin of the carcasses it feeds from. Its role as a scavenger bird is very important, as it contributes healing and recycling nature. Vultures have a sturdy digestive system that prevents them from becoming infected and sick from eating animals that died from contagious diseases. This way, they manage to eliminate possible sources of infection that could be harmful to other creatures and people in the area.

The griffon vulture, unlike the black vulture, sticks its head into its prey to eat the entrails. Its neck is bare to prevent this area from becoming a source of infection due to the accumulation of food debris in the feathers.

The Egyptian Vulture, being the smallest of these birds of prey, shows remarkable intelligence. It uses tools to break ostrich eggs, throwing stones non-stop until the eggshell is broken. Did you know that the shell of ostrich eggs is so hard that it can support the weight of a person?

Finally, the bearded vulture is being reintroduced in the Sierra de Gredos by means of a 5-year programme. In the first year two specimens were introduced and in the following years, four or five. It is a very challenging programme, because it is a very territorial animal that only builds its nest in the place where it thinks it was born.

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Leaving the room and ascending the ramp, you will reach the next season: summer.

To the right are the staircase and the lift.

In the centre of the floor is another block, also made up of different-size cubes, with interior lighting.

The main focus here is on the valley's Los Abuelos, or the Grandparents, with photos of some of the oldest trees in the Reserve: The "Grandfather" chestnut, with an estimated age of 500 years; the "Agujera" pine, which is 360 to 400 years old; and the valley yew that is 700 to 800 years old.

Another facet of the block is devoted to fauna: the bee-eater, the white-throated dipper, the European honey buzzard, and the imperial eagle. A zootrope simulates the flights of an imperial eagle and a common redstart.

The imperial eagle is a majestic bird of prey with a large wingspan and dark brown plumage. Its distinctive head is adorned with golden feathers. With broad wings and a long tail, this eagle is among the largest birds of prey. The imperial eagle feeds mainly on small mammals and birds, using its keen eyesight to locate prey from high altitudes.

On the other hand, the common redstart is a small bird noted for its characteristic plumage and active behaviour. Males have a bright orange tail, while the rest of the body has grey and black tones. It is known for its curious attitude and its ability to catch insects in flight, as well as its melodious and varied song.

Continue up to the top floor.

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The stairs, the lift, and the ramp take you to the same starting point on this third floor, dedicated to autumn. In the centre of the room is its representative block, also made up of cubes, with images of deer rutting on the first side.

Stag bellowing is a characteristic behaviour of male deer during the autumn rutting season. It consists of deep, resonant sounds, called "bellowing", which deer emit to attract females and demonstrate territorial dominance, accompanied by physical displays such as antler rubbing and ground marking.

The second contains movable cubes with riddles, under the general heading of: "Find out who was here." They belong to the garden dormouse, the squirrel, the deer, and the wild boar.

In this block, the importance of tracks is discussed, why forest animals are not easy to find and the best way to track them.

The third side of the block shows the contrast of colours between each tree. The Reserve is covered in reds, yellows, intense greens, and matt greens.

The last side of the block presents the soil as a large recycling plant, where millipedes, earthworms, mites, springtails, and other small animals shred organic matter. This side contains a model of a soil fragment, with dry leaves, fungi, and millipedes that can be touched.

Climb to the next level and finish in the winter.

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The central block of this last room tells what the mountains are made of, with photographs and information about the different minerals and rocks in the park: Quartz, granite, and gneiss, with an example of each material that you can touch.

These rocks have various applications in construction, decoration, and industry. Granite, for example, is commonly used for countertops and monuments because of its durability and aesthetic appeal. Quartz is used to manufacture glass and electronics, while gneiss can be found in building construction and as a paving material.

Another side of the block is entitled: "When everything sleeps... Everything?" and indicates that the winter lethargy does not reach all the living beings in the Reserve, as trees such as the resin pine, junipers, and holm oaks remain green. Animals such as the black vulture begin their courtship. The great spotted woodpecker looks for larvae in tree crevices. Some birds come to the Reserve in winter, such as the European siskin, brambling, tawny Pipit, fieldfare, common starling and some others, such as the common pochard, mallard, and northern shoveler. Mammals such as squirrels and wild boar do not hibernate and roe deer gather in small groups.

The third side of the block presents the evolution of the area since the Palaeozoic era, over 250 million years ago.

In this space dedicated to winter, a life-size model of a very realistic black vulture hangs from the ceiling. Interestingly, black vultures seem to be pickier than griffon vultures when eating carrion. They act quickly when approaching a corpse, competing to get there before others. They prefer to tear the skin and focus mainly on consuming muscle tissue, avoiding the entrails. They then complete their diet by catching small animals such as squirrels, lizards, and turtles, which they carry back to their nests.

Small blocks contain information about the main trees in the park: chestnut, holm oak, Pyrenean oak, and black pine.

On a table beside the wall, there are blocks with pictures giving information about the forest as a treasure for everyone, with mushrooms as autumn fruits, the products obtained from the forest and its biodiversity.

From the windows surrounding this space, you can see the grounds of the park house and the buildings that make up the old resin factory.

Go down the ramp.

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Between the winter and autumn spaces, down the ramp, is the terrace. There are two panels with texts in ink and Braille and a photograph in relief. From the terrace you can see the reservoir, all the outbuildings of the park house and the Carmen hermitage is in the background.

The hermitage is closed all year round, except for the mass commemorating the saint’s feast day. In 1936, resin and wood began to be exploited in the forest and since then the festivities of Our Lady of El Carmen have been celebrated. Although nowadays these jobs have disappeared, this festival is still going on.

Leave the exhibition building.

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Exit the exhibition hall and head to the right, walking along the path to the entrance. To the right, the path turns towards the Arboretum. Each tree has its own sign with its name on it.

A panel entitled The Forest Gallery provides information about the arboretum. Further on, another panel is entitled "Trees in the Valle de Iruelas Nature Reserve." You’ll find all the information in ink and Braille. Next, another panel contains information on the chestnut groves.

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Walk to the Memory Corner building and leave the arboretum on your left. It is dedicated to the people who have made Iruelas Valley what it is today. It is a small square house with large windows without access to the interior, so the visit is limited to the contemplation of what is on display behind the windows.

Next to it is the only remaining saw of the old sawmill.

In the window in front of the sawmill, the materials and tools used in the sawmill are displayed. A sign in ink and Braille tells you about the resin and wood industry.

Another window shows the resin work.

The following window shows what life was like in the village. It contains pottery used daily by the people of the village, metal jars of different sizes, and a desk with books.

The fourth and last window informs you about the forest rangers and their importance in the conservation and management of the valley. There are tools of the environmental rangers, who used to be called foresters.

In front of the Memory Corner house, there is a life-size sculpture, representing a resin worker working the resin on a trunk. You can touch the bark of the tree and you can feel how the bark was stripped, and how the wedge and the pot were placed.

The work of the resin workers focuses on the extraction of resin from pine trees. It starts with the preparation of the tree, where an incision is made to reach the wood containing the resin. The resin flows towards the incision and is collected in pots. The resin harvesters collect the resin on a regular basis, and their work contributes to the sustainable care of the forests. Their work combines traditional knowledge with modern technologies, forming a connection between forest management and the chemical industry.

Follow the tour of the site.

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On the tour through the facilities, you will reach a panel showing the butterfly oasis, here you will find some of the plants on which these animals feed.

Stones and flowers form a butterfly, depicted on the ground behind the panel.

On the way to the reception house, there is also a bird observatory.

Opposite is the building that houses the audio-visual room, which is also used as a temporary exhibition hall and a multifunctional conference room, and workshops.

An access ramp leads to a carousel and a children's area.

A gate grants access to the accessible path, which is considered a route annex to the house.

With this audio track, the visit to the Iruelas Valley "Las Cruceras" Nature Reserve Park House comes to an end, where you have bit a little more about life in this area. If you would like more details, you are welcome to come to the reception desk or ask any of the workers at the Park House.

Thank you for your visit.