The best MTB trails around Martiago

The Alcázar Gate in Ciudad Rodrigo is one of the historic entrances to the city walls and has great heritage and scenic value. It was opened in 1507 by Antonio del Águila, warden of the Alcázar, when he built the defensive barrier in that area. It is located next to the Castle of Henry II of Trastámara, in the section of the wall facing the Águeda River, known as the Battery, due to the cannons that were once installed there.

The Puerta del Alcázar is one of the ancient access gates to the walled enclosure of Ciudad Rodrigo. This gate, along with others such as the Puerta del Sol and the Puerta de Santiago, was part of the city's defensive system.

High point bordering the Hurdes and the Sierra de Francia. If you continue along the ridge you will reach the Puerto de Esperabán. At the top there is a forest hut and incredible views. Recommended for mountain bikes, a bit more difficult for gravel due to the stones, incline and broken ground, but it could be done with gravel. A very hard port from the Castile and Leon side.

The port starts in Descargamaría, on the bridge over the Arrago River, heading towards Robledillo de Gata. The road is in perfect condition up to this beautiful town, but from here on the road surface is quite deteriorated and the width of the road decreases, but, yes, we gain in beauty, since we enter a beautiful area, leaving Robledillo on the left we will be surrounded by chestnut trees, pines, oaks, olive trees, rockroses, etc. A delight for the senses to travel along this little road without hardly finding a car. As for difficulty, as we said before, it exceeds 100 coefficient, which is a lot, a lot, but the climb is bearable. We will find two very hard kilometers, which are the ones that will basically mark that coefficient, at the exit of Robledillo, a full kilometer above 8% and a couple of kilometers higher, another kilometer above 7%. From there, the difficulty level remains around 4 or 5 percent, but alternating with several downhill or flat sections, which lowers the percentage.

The Esperabán pass is a mountain pass in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula, located in the Central System. The route that crosses it connects the Spanish provinces of Cáceres and Salamanca. This pass, which divides the provinces of Cáceres and Salamanca, is located at an altitude of 1,295 m. Access to the pass is paved and in good condition. The pass runs along the road that connects the town of Pinofranqueado with the farmhouses located on the banks of the Esperabán River. The last 7 km, with an average gradient of 8%, run along a perfectly paved forest track that was once used for transporting wood. The end of the asphalt, at 1,285 m above sea level, is just a few meters from the summit that gives the pass its name. We can climb to the highest point with MTB or gravel without problems.

Views of the dam and the waters of the Águeda River. The river is the border between the municipalities of Zamarra (to the east) and Pastores (to the west).

Beautiful views towards the Sierra de Gata

View of Ciudad Rodrigo from the Águeda. We can also see the Old Bridge - the old bridge of Ciudad Rodrigo also called Roman (although after reforms little of its original structure remains).