Las Mestas
A quiet two hours, and the best swimming hole in the comarca. Sleep here if you want Las Hurdes to yourself.
A stone village at the head of a valley, with the river running under the bridge.
At a Glance
- — You want somewhere with more than one bar
Las Mestas sits at the head of the Ladrillar valley, high in the north of Las Hurdes and right against the border with Salamanca, and it is the oldest of the Hurdes settlements — a small cluster of stone houses around a bridge, with the river running through the middle and chestnut woods above. There is a swimming hole under the bridge in summer, a couple of places to eat and a small hotel, and the road on from here crosses the mountains toward Salamanca rather than turning back. It is the quietest and least-visited of the Hurdes villages, which given how quiet the rest of them are is saying something.
How it got here
Las Hurdes long existed in near total isolation from the rest of Extremadura. The landscape of deep, narrow valleys and thin soils forced residents into a subsistence economy based on apiculture and small scale terrace farming. This terrain kept the valley floor settlements largely outside the reach of central authority for centuries, producing a culture distinct from the more connected agricultural plains of Cáceres. Modern access came only through the road building projects of the twentieth century. The resulting physical connection to the outside world ended the historic seclusion of Las Mestas while maintaining its role as the primary mountain gateway for travelers moving toward the province of Salamanca.
Where it sits
The village marks the northernmost point of the Ladrillar valley where the terrain shifts abruptly from sheltered riverbed into the craggy heights of the Sierra de Francia. Chestnut woods cover the slopes above the bridge while the river itself draws water from the surrounding high ground. During autumn, the valley turns orange and brown as the trees drop their leaves. Winter brings cold air down from the mountain passes, often forcing local activity to the lower valley paths. Traffic remains thin throughout the year, leaving the bridge and the small cluster of stone houses in near silence during the work week.
What to eat and drink
The pantry relies on the ingredients of the Hurdes mountains. Cabrito, goat kid roasted with garlic and bay leaf, provides the primary meat for local meals. Honey is the signature product of the valley, produced by bees in the surrounding woods and used in many traditional pastries. Chanfaina, a dense stew made from the liver and kidneys of the kid with bread and blood, belongs to the older culinary tradition of the province. Chestnut flour and local cherries define the seasonal palate. Harsh red wines from the nearby northern Extremaduran vineyards accompany these plates.
Extremadura: the whole region
The emptiest region in Spain, and the one where the scale of the country is clearest: dehesa plains running to the horizon in every direction, hilltop towns built from the stone under them, and the best Roman remains in the country at…
Minimum 4 days · better 7-8 days · deep 12 days
In Extremadura
In Extremadura
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