Villar Del Río lies at an altitude of 1,040 metres in a valley between the Cidacos and Rinaragra rivers and on the Dinosaur Route. The town is the main starting point for the Ruta de las Icnitas. At the Aula Paleontológica, visitors can find information about the sites and routes; the exhibition and educational space also explains the significance of the ichnite sites in the Tierras Altas de Soria comarca. If you are looking for a holiday rental, you can plan your stay around a particular focus: fossil tracks, learning at the Aula or local traditions.
Four Routes, Three Types of Ichnites
The Ruta de las Icnitas is divided into four routes, where visitors can look for ichnites made by dinosaurs, birds and flying reptiles. The Aula Paleontológica provides information about the sites and routes and indicates where genuine ichnites can be seen. In this exhibition and educational space, visitors can learn about dinosaurs, as well as the animals and plants that lived alongside them, through interactive activities. This offers two ways to explore the subject: an introduction to the significance of the sites and visits to the tracks themselves.
Sites and Scientific Details
Fuentesalvo is included in the BIC zone for archaeological sites with dinosaur ichnites in Castile and León, declared on 5 May 2005. There, 89 fossil footprints are spread across 19 trackways and nine isolated footprints. The trackways suggest that a group of at least eleven dinosaurs moved together.
At La Dehesa, the footprints of a large carnivorous theropod lie beneath the bridge over the Río Cidacos on the road to San Pedro Manrique. Conditions in the riverbed can vary seasonally. An ichnite site near Villar del Río has a wooden walkway from the car park, as well as tactile, Braille and high-contrast signs for visitors with mobility or visual impairments. Check the local conditions of this infrastructure before setting out.
Traditions, Festival and Mountain Bike Route
Villar del Río’s festival in honour of Santa Filomena and San Juan takes place from 28 to 31 August. You should confirm the specific annual programme locally. Holy Week also has its own tradition: after the night from Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday, young men attach a piece of cloth to houses where an unmarried girl lives. This tradition is called “la aleluyas”.
In the local “rosco” tradition, two or three people run hand in hand across the square while another person chases them with a poplar branch. Afterwards, rosco and zurracapote are served to those present. Another way to get active is the BTT Ruta de las Icnitas: this mountain bike route follows roads and paths in the municipality of Villar del Río.
Reasons to Visit and Finding Accommodation
When looking for a holiday rental for a stay in Villar del Río, it helps to consider your main reason for visiting: do you want to focus on the sites and the ichnite route, visit the Aula, or plan your trip around the festival? The sites and the Aula give your stay an educational focus; the festival takes place during a specific period in August. Villar del Río is also the main starting point for the Ruta de las Icnitas. If you plan to visit the Aula, check the current opening times in advance.
Discover more destinations: La Laguna, La Cuesta, Medinaceli, Viana, Berlanga De Duero, Soria, Espejón, Fuentetoba.
Back to the main travel overview: Soria.
