Sabinar de Calatanazor

The Sabinar de Calatanazor is a remarkable forest of Spanish juniper (sabina albar – Juniperus thurifera) in Soria near the village of Calatanazor. The forest is a fenced dehesa grazed by cows preventing undergrowth from developing. Some of these ancient junipers are 20 metres high, and the Sabinar de Calatanazor is, I believe, the largest Juniperus thurifera forest in the world, covering 22ha. More information here

The Spanish juniper is found in Spain, France, Morocco and Algeria, and is an extremely hardy species able to withstand the freezing winters and scorching summers of, in this case, Soria. I know so little about Soria, having only ever driven through it on my way somewhere else. Last year we stopped off on the way to Zamora. It’s a great place for a picnic. Alternatively these people organise some very interesting trips around the Soria region and will bring you here.