El Coronil re-visited

A drive out this morning on a rather circular route , discovering different roads, to the pueblo of El Coronil, last visited on a cold December morning in 2008.

A new project since my last visit is this large solar power facility, seen just before entering the pueblo from the Moron de la Frontera direction. 

 Parking easily, I walked the short distance to a central plaza for a coffee, sitting for a while in the pleasant sunshine.

A decorative street light.

 The Ayuntamiento.

The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Consolación, originally built in the 15th century but restored several times since.

What looks to be an old fortification is now just a courtyard.

A statue set on the edge of town dedicated to the workers of the pueblo.

 About 3.5kms from El Coronil is the "Castillo de las Aguzaderas", dating back to Moorish times and built to protect a valuable water source. More pictures here from a previous visit.

Castillo de las Aguzaderas

Driving south of El Coronil for about 3kms, you cannot fail to notice the old Arab castle on the right side of the road.

Unusually, it is built in a depression in the ground, lower than the surrounding hills. This is because the castle was constructed in the 15th century specifically to protect the Aguzaderas spring water source which was vitally important to the local farmers.

As usual, entrance is free and although some restoration work appears to have been undertaken, it is in a remarkable state of preservation.

Looking into the inner courtyard.

The tallest remaining tower is open and with care, you can climb to the top via two quite dark stone staircases.

If you are ever passing by, the castle is definately well worth a visit.

El Coronil

On a cold, frosty morning (see picture of Nellie), I set off on the road to El Coronil, a small town of approximately 5000 inhabitants, about 40kms northwest of Olvera.

We had passed El Coronil a couple of times on the way to other places so I thought it might be worth a visit.

The view of the town from the main A-375 road, now bathed in sunshine. In contrast to Olvera, the landscape here is quite flat with gentle rolling hills. Still very picturesque though.

I parked the car in one of the sidestreets and walked in the general direction of the Church spire which could be seen in the near distance.

This is Calle San Roque, one of the prettier streets that I came across.

A pretty fountain in the street.



























The Ayuntamiento in the Plaza de la Constitución.

An unusual plaque on the wall of the Ayuntamiento. Not sure if it is an award for excellence or a self proclamation of the excellence of service provided!.

View of the Plaza de la Constitución.













Looking towards the Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Consolación (Church of Our Lady of Consolation).

The town and castle, currently undergoing restoration, date from the 14th century.

After about an hour or so, I started to walk back to the car.

I wouldn't describe El Coronil as the prettiest place I have been to but then it was only a short visit and I only covered a small area. Still quite pleasant just to wander around though.