The Jerte Valley: A Million Cherry Trees at Once

The Jerte valley runs between the Sierra de Gredos and the Sierra de Tormantos, terraced from the river to well up the slopes with about a million and a half cherry trees. In the second half of March they flower almost in unison and the valley turns white for about a fortnight — the Cerezo en Flor, a festival of National Tourist Interest and one of the few genuinely mass floral events in Europe. The cherries themselves have a protected designation; the picota varieties come off the stalk on the tree, which is what distinguishes them. Above the valley the Garganta de los Infiernos is a reserve of rock pools cut by the stream.