Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación

The third Stage of La Hoya de Huesca Trail links the villages of Loarre and Bolea, crossing the primarily agricultural landscape of the municipalities of Loarre and La Sotonera, with their spectacular castle watching over you from above. This Stage, measuring almost 11 kilometres, mostly coincides with the GR-1 and terminates in the village of Bolea, which is famous for its collegiate church of Santa María la Mayor- one of the best examples of the Aragonese Renaissance- and for its amazing cherries.

The Stage begins in Loarre and crosses the bed of the River Astón via an ancient mediaeval bridge located at the exit to the village, where a game and rest area has been fitted out. Some 300 m from the bridge, next to the fountain of Canta Gallos, the path turns to the left surrounded by a field of almond trees (Prunus dulcis), until it reaches the HU-A-3163 road, which leads to the famous Romanesque castle of Loarre, immortalised in Ridley Scott’s film Kingdom of Heaven. If travellers have time, they should ensure they visit this impressive bastion, as it is regarded as the best-preserved Romanesque castle in Europe.

After crossing the road, the trail carries on through an eminently agricultural area, among cereal and almond tree fields and treeless hillsides covered with brushwood with a clear Mediterranean influence, comprising species such as gorse (Genista scorpius), box (Buxus sempervirens) and kermes oak (Quercus coccifera). Approximately one kilometre further on, you come to a path on the left that leads to the castle of Loarre, which is permanently on the lookout over most of the region. The trail continues straight ahead, making headway among crops, with the Sierra of Caballera as a backdrop.

Continuing along a track that is perfectly refurbished for the enjoyment of trekkers and cyclotourists, you leave on your right the eroded ravine of the River Moriñano and, within a few metres, the hill of La Collada, covered with a dense brushwood mass.

Extensive fields of almond trees dominate the landscape of this part of the path, combining mature plantations with some more recent ones. After passing the stream of La Gabardilla, the path joins the GR-1, with the octagonal tower of the church of Aniés standing out in the foreground.

After crossing a small ravine, you reach the River Riel, surrounded by a dense stand of poplars (Populus alba), willows(Salix sp.) and blackberries (Rosa sp.) which grow around its waters.

A small slope now leads trekkers to the village of Aniés, where they can take a break in the designated rest area at the entrance to the municipality, where they will also find an informative panel on the route. In a small square, there stands the church of San Esteban, which still has its original Romanesque façade on its southern side.

On walking through the streets of this small rural town, you come to the main road, which you must take on the left to then immediately turn to the right. When you have covered 80 m, level with the only tree in the street, the path turns to the right along a narrow alleyway which leads to the road, where it turns once again to the left to reach a sharp bend, at the crossroads of the ravine of Fermelar.

Worthy of note is the fact that a track leaves the town of Aniés that leads to the foot of the cave chapel of the Virgin of La Peña, located only 2 km from the town, whose privileged location, literally hanging from a rock, offers unbeatable views of the entire region. This spectacular cave chapel, which can be accessed via a steep path, belongs to the Route of Silence, next to the chapel of San Cristóbal del Barranco (Bolea), the chapel of San Julián de Andriá (between Lierta and Arascués), that of San Martín de la Val d’Onsera (San Julián de Banzo) and the chapels of San Chinés and of San Cosme and San Damián (Vadiello).

Continue along the Nature Trail and, once you have reached the road in the ravine of Fermelar, walk along it for some 140 m. Then, the path finally turns to the left, where Holm oaks (Quercus ilex) alternate with dry crops and olive (Olea europea) and almond trees.

In 500 m, you reach a path intersection where, on following the directions, you should choose the one on the right. In 50 m, take a narrow perpendicular path on the right, although it is poorly indicated, so you should pay attention at this point. On walking under the dense cover offered by Aleppo hardwoods, you once again come to a wide track that you should take in a south-easterly direction towards Bolea, coinciding with the route of the GR-1, an old path that linked Aniés to Bolea.

The path continues for 1.5 km along a gentle route between a mosaic of herbaceous crops, almond and olive trees and oak trees. From here onwards, the landscape begins to be dominated by almond and cherry trees, whose spring flowering offers visitors a marvellous spectacle of colours.

After crossing the River Sotón, you come to a turn-off to the chapel of Santa Quiteria, located some 500 m away. This same path leads to the impressive rock chapel of San Cristóbal, enclosed between the rugged walls of the ravine of the River Sotón, which also belongs to the Route of Silence of La Hoya de Huesca. Your path, nevertheless, continues straight ahead in the direction of Bolea, crossing the riverbed of the ravine of San Andrés, which allows you to see a powerful wall of alluvials and dense riverside vegetation.

Less than a kilometre away, you come to the end of the Stage, which is located at the entrance to Bolea, right on the crossroads with the road that heads towards Puibolea.

In Bolea, there is a circular route belonging to Stage 4 which leaves from this point and heads towards Calle Mayor as far as the square, to once again leave as far as the Puibolea road. This town, the capital of the municipality of La Sotonera, stands out not only on account of its famous 16th-century Renaissance collegiate church, but also because you can discover other venerated monuments such as the 18th-century Baroque church of La Soledad.