Arlanza Valley

The Arlanza Valley is a fluvial area in the region of Lerma, in Burgos, articulated by the Arlanza River and its meadows. It is integrated into the landscape of western Burgos, with stretches of riverbank, agricultural fields, slopes and, in the local environment, oak forests and limestone canyons, which gives it a very marked landscape value. The cartographic reference provided places this resource in Lerma, at the bottom of the valley and next to the river corridor. What is most visible to the visitor is the riverside landscape and the transition between the water, the banks and the cultivated and wooded areas. In this area the historical relationship between the town and the river is well understood: Lerma is bathed by the Arlanza and is presented as a strategic place on its valley. For this reason it is of interest both for quiet walks and for a reading of the territory, in which nature, rural uses and heritage converge. Its relevance is mainly landscape and environmental. The Arlanza forms part of a river area protected in the Natura 2000 Network, where there are well-preserved stretches of riverbank and the presence of alder and willow groves at the headwaters, as well as more humanized sectors near Lerma. This contrast between conservation, agriculture and settlement is one of the features that best explains the interest of the valley. In practice, the Arlanza Valley functions as a natural resource with a serene profile, closely linked to the local identity of Lerma and the regional image of Arlanza. Its attractiveness does not depend on large infrastructures, but on the landscape of the river, the amplitude of the valley and the visual continuity between the town, the meadows and the rural environment.