Activities
Thousands of experiences await you in the surroundings
Sometimes adventure is just round the corner. The Ocón lands store up as many experiences as you want. Looking at a landscape that ancient men and women have worked, Roman remains, hidden away hermits’ shrines, country paths, mysterious woods, authentic flavours… Invent your own adventure.
El Redal
El Redal is located halfway between Logroño and Calahorra. It is a quiet village with just a few inhabitants and marked rural character, with church, swimming pool and frontón court; surrounded by paths for hiking, cycle tracks or bridleways.
El Redal
El Redal is located halfway between Logroño and Calahorra, easily accessed from both the AP68 toll motorway and the N232, the main axes of communication of La Rioja. It is a quiet village with just a few inhabitants and marked rural character, with church, swimming pool and frontón court; surrounded by paths for hiking, cycle tracks or bridleways. Enjoy 0-kilometre gastronomy and wine tourism, with its own magnificent wine (La Hoya del Conde), oil from Galilea, eggs from Ocón, organic patés, honey from Santa Lucía, traditional charcuterie, almonds, mushrooms and fungi. There are local restaurants serving traditional Riojan food which offer excellent value for money.
The Ocón Valley
El Redal is the gateway to the Ocón Valley, which is located on the route linking the Ebro Valley and the Sierra de la Hez, declared by UNESCO, World Biosphere Reserve because of its rich natural qualities.
The Ocón Valley
El Redal is the gateway to the Ocón Valley, which is located on the route linking the Ebro Valley and the Sierra de la Hez, declared by UNESCO, World Biosphere Reserve because of its rich natural qualities.
You are in a gently undulating valley landscape with vines, olive groves and almonds, rising towards a more typical sierra landscape of holm oaks and even beech and oak woods, at an altitude which gives you magnificent views over a large part of the Ebro Valley.
You can visit the picturesque local villages such as La Villa de Ocón with its castle and shrines, Pipaona with its Roman fountain, Santa Lucía “Art in the landscape”, Las Ruedas, Aldealobos and Los Molinos with its windmill, as well as the abandoned hamlet of Oteruelo, and nearby villages of Corera and Galilea, as well as the distinctive hilltop town of Ausejo with its characteristic silhouette on the skyline. These are all places which have remained largely unchanged for decades, enabling them to preserve an authentic rural appeal.
The rich historical, cultural and archaeological heritage, together with the rich natural and scenic attractions, allows the visitor to enjoy being in the heart of nature, surrounded by magnificent views, recreational areas and many other examples of the traditional way of life.
In recent years, this rural district has been regenerated through the recovery of all its great historical, cultural and archaeological heritage: archaeological sites in Partelapeña and Parpalinas, the flour mill at the Molino de Viento, the only one open to the public in this part of Northern Spain, which, as can be seen from the hundreds of visits it has received, gives you a curious insight into traditional milling techniques.
La Rioja Oriental
This part of La Rioja, where valleys and mountains alternate, hides an area with great cultural, scenic, gastronomic and ethnographic appeal. You will be able to discover how the ancient Celtiberians lived in the ruins of Contrebia Leucade and its visitors’ centre and also visit the Roman aqueduct in Alcanadre.
La Rioja Oriental
This part of La Rioja, where valleys and mountains alternate, hides an area with great cultural, scenic, gastronomic and ethnographic appeal. You will be able to discover how the ancient Celtiberians lived in the ruins of Contrebia Leucade and its visitors’ centre and also visit the Roman aqueduct in Alcanadre. There were even older inhabitants, the dinosaurs, who left their mark all over the place and whose trackways can be visited in the official sites. You can also learn a lot about these fantastic creatures at the Igea Visitors’ Centre and the paleo-theme park el Barranco Perdido.
Your cultural experience can be completed with a multitude of varied activities; mines, ice houses, visitors’’ centres, caves, churches and mansion which each tiny village hides to offer the visitor a unique escape full of experiences. To restore energy levels the local gastronomy offers excellent oil and you can visit the olive presses where it is made and also the most appreciated treasure among fungi, truffles, as well as other popular species.
Nature, of course, is the big attraction. An extensive network of paths will enable you to enjoy these landscapes, and the flora and fauna of the area. And after so much activity, the best thing is to relax in the thermal waters of the Roman “springs” in Arnedillo. If with all these activities nightfall creeps up on you, don’t worry, quite the opposite.
The Valle de Ocón is considered a Starlight reserve due to the quality of its starry skies and for this reason has been declared a Reserve of the Biosphere. You will be able to continue enjoying the stars until you are ready to start again the next day. In contrast with other quiet plans, not far from El Redal you can lose yourself in the Arnedo Shopping Factory, where you can buy all kinds of footwear and mountain clothing at factory prices; visit the nearby Würth La Rioja Museum of Modern Art; wander the streets of Logroño and end up enjoying tapas in the calle Laurel or in the Roman markets of Calahorra, vegetable capital; make visits to bodegas, museums and experience wine tastings,…
Hiking
The area surrounding the “Casa de la Condesa” is crisscrossed by a whole series of signposted paths to walk, cycle or ride on horseback. The traveller will marvel at the landscape. The vines, almond and olive trees and other crops gradually give way as we climb to the gall oaks, holm oaks and beech woods of the sierra. The TRACKSRIOJA blog by CHEBAKA contains lots of suggestions. He has charmed us with his routes and his photos. Don’t miss them.
Other activities
Inside the Casa de la Condesa there is a very special room, the library. There you will find all the information necessary to journey around La Rioja. What’s more, you will find a small selection of Riojan writers, or literary works connected to La Rioja.
Other activities
Inside the Casa de la Condesa there is a very special room, the library. There you will find all the information necessary to journey around La Rioja. What’s more, you will find a small selection of Riojan writers, or literary works connected to La Rioja. We also have a collection of Art, Nature and History magazines for you to enjoy and learn something new. The room has numerous board games, for both adults and children. In the hallway there are walking sticks for hiking, and also rucksacks and portable seats. A wickerwork basket for mushroom lovers, bats, rackets, tennis and leather pelota balls for fans of frontón. You can also play toad-in-the-hole in the garden or enjoy lamp chops grilled on a vine twig barbecue. There is a small cellar which conserves rioja wines at the ideal temperature and humidity for holding tasting sessions, whether of wines or of olive oil. The village of El Redal has a frontón court and municipal swimming pool. Youngsters can play in the playground in the Town Hall square, where there are also two bars. Behind the building there is access to a recreational area next to the river with tables and barbecues. There are places reserved for hunting in the surroundings and all kinds of facilities for those who are keen on hunting and shooting. If you prefer watching nature there are opportunities for birdwatching from the garden of the Casa de la Condesa itself, where you can also quietly relax and forget your cares. You can also draw, paint or read, go for a stroll, chat, all those things you never have time to do. The great location of our town means you can quickly access the N-232 and the AP-68. It is 30 Km. from Logroño, where you can go for tapas in the famous calle Laurel; 22 Km. from Calahorra, the Roman’s favourite summer place; it’s also 22 Km. from Arnedo, shopping for shoes and its monumental castle; 34 Km away is the village of Arnedillo, with its famous thermal springs; 15 Km to the Würth La rioja Museum of contemporary art Rioja; 75 Km. from Haro, capital of La Rioja Alta; 100 Km from Pamplona; 150 Km. from Zaragoza; 450 Km. from Barcelona; 160 Km. from Bilbao and from Burgos; 140 Km. from Soria; and 350 Km. from Madrid.
