Berrocal Landscape and Granite Boulders
Ávila
The imposing granite boulder (a formation also called piedra caballera) that we find to our right is a perfect example of the combined processes of weathering and erosion — two forces that wear down the original rock until these massive stone blocks with rounded shapes appear, often in seemingly improbable states of balance.
As we move towards the end of the route, we encounter a greater accumulation of these formations, known as a berrocal. From a landscape perspective, these environments are spaces of extreme uniqueness that have remained unaltered for millennia, silent witnesses to the passage of time and the changes that have taken place in the surroundings without themselves being affected.
This is an excellent place to pause and contemplate the environment, enjoying the contrast between the hardness of the granite and the softness of the surrounding vegetation — even letting the imagination run free, finding resemblances between the shapes of the rocks and animals or other figures that have given names to some formations, such as “elephant rock” or “fat man’s stone,” among others.
With this final stop, the route concludes, allowing us to return to the starting point while continuing through the berrocal landscape for a few meters until reaching the paved road.
