A village like something out of a fairy tale is how one would define the place known as Los Chozos de Villafría, a recreational facility or, as one would also call it, an open-air museum with free access.
Los Chozos (huts in English) have been built and extended little by little, with great detail and effort, by the owners of the Carpin de Montero estate, which has an oak grove and is located at an altitude of 1,335 metres, overlooking the Villafría reservoir.
Los Chozos was the idea of two brothers who, upon their retirement, decided they wanted to make the most of their free time, and so decided to build “Los Chozos,” where everything, from huts to a tree house, to models and replicas of recreational spots in nearby villages, comes in the form of wood and stone.
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HOW THE CHOZOS CAME ABOUT
All this began when, in 1996, the owners built a picnic area with tables and chairs, followed by a viewpoint with a spyglass, a shepherd’s thatched hut, two stone benches, and two wooden benches, which would gradually be added by other elements made of wood and stone, creating a mini village with all the amenities it would have, some replicas, and other elements, transforming the place into a beautiful artistic, open-air museum, which would showcase woodwork art, wooden sculptures.
ANIMALS IN THE FORM OF WOOD
The entire area is adorned with wooden rabbits, bears, deer, and wild boars. There’s also a stork’s nest, which makes the place even more interesting and beautiful than it already is. The sculptural work is eye-catching.
SUGGESTION BOX
As you’ll see from the pic, the owners have even built a suggestion box, where you can give your opinions or suggestions. I was, personally, awe-struck at just how beautiful and creative the whole museum is. Not just that, it has no admission fee at all.
HOW TO GET TO LOS CHOZOS
To arrive at Los Chozos, you’ll first need to get to the Villafría village and continue driving towards the El Brezo shrine. At the end of the village, there’s a new fenced house on the right, and just after it, there’s a track where we can also see a sign indicating “Los Chozos. We’ll follow this track until we reach a small rock where two paths meet, both paths lead to Los Chozos, and the distance to Los Chozos is written on the rock. The straight path is the shortest (1 km), whereas the one on the right is 1.6 km long).
My advice is that if you’re driving a car and it’s not an off-road vehicle, it’s better to take the path on the right, the longer one, as it’s not as bumpy as the one on the left.
We were with our two little kids, so we couldn’t hike up, so we had to drive all the way up to Los Chozos.
POLES FOR HIKERS
If you do decide to hike all the way up, the owners have poles you can use to help you climb up if needed, which is, again, a very kind gesture. There’s also a bench to sit on and relax after the hike on the way back. We found everything to be exceptionally beautiful, creative, and artistic.
MY REVIEW
All I can say is that this has to be one of the most beautiful artistic and creative spots I’ve ever seen in Palencia, where an open space has been transformed into a mini village where you’ll witness rather creative and beautiful woodworking art, and other elements made of stone. I would highly recommend visiting the place—it’s an ideal place for people of all ages to visit and enjoy.
GALLERY – LOS CHOZOS
