Peñascosa

The Village

Peñascosa is located in the Sierra de Alcaraz, 85 km from the provincial capital. It has approximately 330 inhabitants. Peñascosa presents an unimaginable natural and scenic beauty. With more than 12,000 hectares of public utility forests and areas of special protection. Likewise, in Peñascosa there is a variety of flora and unique trees in exceptional number and concentration. As for the fauna, the presence of several species of protected birds of prey stands out, whose presence is reduced to few places in the Iberian Peninsula.

The Pino del Roble is very valuable for Peñascosa. The importance of this tree in the town is such that for decades it has been his symbol. Its silhouette appears in the most diverse places (restaurants, stores, bullring, cultural center...) and objects (tourist guides, ceramic ornaments, sports equipment, stickers...). Outside the municipality, it is a tree well known throughout the province and neighboring areas. Not in vain, it has been included in all catalogs of unique trees to date developed in the region and province.

Things to See

Peñascosa stands out for its natural richness. Most of the trees in the municipality are pines, holm oaks and oaks. There are some specimens of firs and elms. There are several singular trees in the municipality of Peñascosa. One of the most outstanding is the Pino del Roble, a strange symbiosis between an oak and a pine that grows from its trunk. This tree is part of the coat of arms of the town. It is located about 5 km from Peñascosa, next to the track that leads to the campsites of Mal Paso and Fuente de la Peña. Other singular trees are: the Cañada del Rancho Pine, the Roble Gordo de Caballería, the Carrasca de la Centella, the Pino Tirachinas, the Pino Patón, the Pino Calixto and the Pino de la Cucaña. All of them have a great attraction and it is recommended to see them, because they are beautiful specimens, each one of them with its own history. For this there is the Singular Trees Route, along with other routes, which will fascinate the visitor. For tourists to fully enjoy this natural wealth, it is ideal to spend a few days at the Peñascosa Campsites.

Festivities

The main festivals that Peñascosa and its districts hold throughout the year are the following:

• May 3: Feast of the Holy Cross in the hamlet of Zorío.
• May 15: Pilgrimage of San Isidro Labrador in Peñascosa.
• May 23: Festival of Santa Quiteria in the hamlet of Burrueco.
• July 25: Festivities in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the hamlet of Pesebre.
• August 15: Festivities in honor of San Miguel Arcángel and Nuestra Señora de la Asunción: With running of the bulls, bullfighting and Cultural Week.
• September 29: San Miguel Arcángel. Bullfighting , running of the bulls and release of bulls.

Pino del roble

About forty years ago, a bird or the wind, dragged a seed of a pine tree to the cross of an old oak tree. There it found protection to germinate, and it germinated. Some shepherds, who are still alive, observed the curious phenomenon and, from the first moment, took care that the newborn pine tree was not destroyed by anyone of those who circulated in the place where it is located. And the pine tree developed in that environment. It caused the destruction of some branches of the oak, but this has not prevented the continuation of the common life. And so they live, causing the admiration of all those who pass through the "Cañada de Caballería" of the Moheda Llana mountain, of the people of Peñascosa.

Nowadays, this coexistence is not so "perfect". Years ago, the pine, being younger and more vigorous than the oak, broke the trunk of the oak. The height of the pine is twice that of the oak. It was declared a European tree.