On the way to Bardenas-
Sierra de Guadarrama
Getting
to Las Bardenas
Tudela
Las Bardenas lies south of Pamplona and the Pyrenees and NNW of Zaragoza, its' sandstone rocks (exposed by deforestation) are extremely susceptible to erosion and now form a remarkable area of interest to the walker, cyclist and photographer. The hills and barancas may lack scale (646m max.) but they make up for this in impact and elegance of form.
(Anyone who has seen "Lost in La Mancha" the film of the ill fated attempt by Terry Gilliam to make "The man who killed Don Quixote" will have already seen Las Bardenas).
Access
Approach
Bardenas from the west along a metalled road from the petrol station just
outside Arguedas (NA134 Calahorra-Tudela). This road (10k) ends at a circular
military road (unsurfaced but passable by cars with care). The area within
this "ring road" is reserved for military use (there is a small air force
base) but walkers may roam over the rest of the area. Numerous tracks branch
off this road and
small posts at track junctions indicate which tracks are open to all terrain
bikes and/or 4x4 vehicles or walkers only. Penetration along 4x4 tracks
by jeep may in any case be limited by "crevasses" created by rain
damage. These may be a few inches or several feet wide.
Las Bardenas may be approached from other directions but our attempt from the north (Rada) resulted in little more than a very muddy jeep after numerous false leads along the many inscrutably signposted tracks, possibly partly due to a road closure.
The whole of this central area is the "Bardenas Reales" with the "Bardenas Blancos, Alta and Baja" (white, high and low) on the north side and the "Bardenas Negras" (black) to the south, beyond the NA125.
Backpacking
is possible but rather impractical because of the need to carry in all
water from Arguedas (Camp sites should be carefully chosen with the
possibility of flash flooding in mind, especially in winter. On no account
camp in barranco beds.). High summer should also be avoided due to dehydration
problems.
Routes
for both walkers and ATB are described in the guide book[2]
but in practice it is possibly easier just to explore at will, as in my
experience it is difficult to relate guide and map to reality! The few
other visitors I saw were mainly using camper vans + ATB's.
Maps and
guides
[2] Rutas
y Paseos por Las Bardenas - Danos - Sua Edizioak (in Castilian Spanish)
9 788487187
Cartografia
Militar de Espana 1:50000
26-11
(245) "Sadaba". The central/main region of Bardenas on west of sheet
26-12
(283) "Fustinana". South Eastern Bardenas inc. 4x4 tracks to Sancho Abarca viewpoint
and on to view of El Portillo de Santa Margarita.
25-11
(282) "Alfaro" North Bardenas.
25-12
(282) "Tudela". Road connections to Tudela
Accommodation and eating in Tudela
A
friendly agricultural/industrial town of 26,000 people and the most
convenient base for Las Bardenas. Several hotels on Avenida Zaragoza, the
main shopping street parallel to the railway and the Ebro. (smart shops
with quality items including excellent value leather goods).
Walking down to the lower (N) end of A. Zaragoza and to turning to the left (SW) the Plaza Major "Plaza de los Fueros" contains two restaurants and bars. The old quarter beyond the Plaza Mayor (N) holds many small busy bars serving tapas. On Sunday night (and possibly other days in winter) most restaurants (including hotel restaurants) will close. Two of the three Chinese restaurants however remain open as does the small Casa Ignacio[1] on Cortadores. Cafes and bars serve coffee and pastries at breakfast time. In the evening the Basque drinks of Txacoli and Sidra can be sampled at "Taberna" near Plaza San Jaime and the Cathedral (12th C) where the tourist office can also be found on Plaza Vieja to obtain a free map of Tudela and sketch map of Bardenas.
English generally not spoken.
Hotels :-
NH Delta * * Tel: (0034)948 821400 Fax: (0034)948 410972
Tudela * * * Tel: (0034)948 410802
Morase * * * Tel: (0034)948 821700
Santamaria * * * Tel: (0034)948 821200
Nearest Paradores to Bardenas :- Olite and Sos del Rey Catolico
Food
of the region
Vegetable
casseroles (usually including baby artichokes and asparagus), roast red
peppers, often stuffed. Bacalao (salt cod) and hake. Suckling pig and lamb.
[1] No menu, negotiate with the owner. We had artichoke casserole flavoured with ham and menestra (green bean casserole) followed by hake with roasted green garlic. (948) 821021
We flew to Madrid with Go and hired a 4x4 from Europcar at the airport, driving over the Sierra Guarderrama
on the way. Other airports:- Pamplona, Zaragoza and Bilbao, with
train links to Tudela. Infrequent buses run from Tudela to Arguedas (Autobus Conda 948 221026)
TGO August 2000
Rutas y Paseos por Las Bardenas - Danos - Sua Edizioak (in Castilian Spanish) 9 788487187308
Tudela website with town map