Sojuela: Ice Houses, Trails and Nature
Accommodation in Sojuela
If you’re looking for a hotel for a stay in Sojuela, it helps to first clarify the focus of your trip. Specific topics include the history of the Neveras de Moncalvillo, hiking and cycling trails, and Club de Golf Sojuela. The trails in particular vary considerably in length, duration and difficulty. Use these features to match your planned activities to the time available during your stay.
Ice Houses and Their History
The Casa de la Nieve de Moncalvillo Interpretation Centre explains the history and operation of the ice houses with information panels, a video and a model. The Neveras de Moncalvillo complex comprises five restored ice houses that visitors can explore. They were built towards the end of the 16th century and remained in operation until the beginning of the 20th century. The Neveras are protected and prepared for visits; trails with information panels provide details about the ice houses and charcoal kilns. The interpretation centre also offers visits for school classes and groups.
Butterflies and Nature Around the Balsa
The interpretation centre also houses a collection of 580 nocturnal and 112 diurnal butterfly specimens from Sojuela. The LepiSojuela guide is intended as a basic reference for identifying butterflies during field outings in Sojuela. This makes it possible to consider the exhibition and the identification topic as two distinct ways of engaging with nature.
The fauna around the Balsa de Sojuela recreation area includes roe deer, deer, wild boar, squirrels, sparrowhawks and buzzards. The area also contains a forest of Pyrenean oaks (Quercus pyrenaica), as well as a signposted arboretum and two marked trails. The recreation area can be reached by a path branching off the LR-341.
Hiking Trails with Different Levels of Difficulty
The Sendero de las Neveras is 7 km long, takes about 4 hours and 30 minutes, and is rated as highly difficult. It starts in Sojuela beside the Church of Santa MarĂa del PĂłpulo and reaches the Balsa de Sojuela recreation area after 20 minutes. When planning, take both the approximate duration and the stated difficulty into account.
The Sendero de los Arrieros is a 1.25 km forest trail with a low difficulty rating that connects Moncalvillo Green Golf with Sojuela. Compared with the Sendero de las Neveras, it is much shorter and has a lower difficulty rating. The two trail profiles therefore differ clearly in both length and difficulty.
Cycling and Golf
The Ruta de las Bodegas cycling route is 15.79 km long. Its technical difficulty is low, while its physical difficulty is moderate. When planning, consider both ratings separately: they describe different aspects of the route.
The Centro BTT Moncalvillo is a freely accessible network of routes covering 250 km and spanning ten municipalities, including Sojuela. The Ruta de las Bodegas and the Centro BTT therefore represent two different scales: a single cycling route with its own length and difficulty rating, and a network spanning multiple municipalities.
Club de Golf Sojuela is a par-72 golf course with four lakes connected by an existing watercourse. The course is located in a forest of oaks, holm oaks and pines. For golf enthusiasts, these details add to the overview of the different activities that may factor into planning a stay in Sojuela.
Discover more destinations: Ventosa, Cenicero, Badarán, Ojacastro, AlesĂłn, Aguilar Del RĂo Alhama, Alesanco, Arenzana De Abajo
For the broader travel overview: La Rioja.
