Cuenca and surrounding area

Over the holiday weekend (Todos los Santos/1st November) we headed up to the mountains around Albarracin, Cuenca and Ademuz stopping of at a couple of cheap hotels en route..

Our first stop was in the Reserva nacional de los Montes Universales just up from Albarracin.  Great scenery, eagles overhead, and 'mushroom hunting' the main recreation although the orange edible ones seemed to be less prevalent than the bright yellow poisonous ones!  We were also amazed to see the parasitic mistletoe growing in the pine trees (picture left)

We stopped overnight in Tragacete in the Reserva nacional de la Serrania de Cuenca the town wasn't up to much but the nearby source of the River Cuervo (right) was spectacular crystal clear waters and falls emerging from the limestone cliffs.

The drive down the Rio Jucar valley was breathtaking. The river has carved an impressive gorge with awesome cliffs on each side. There are many stopping off points to appreciate the views

At  Huelamo there is a pretty village with a rocky knoll overlooking the whitewashed houses and valley. Here (due to the resemblance and eerie silence) Marie related the story of 'Table Mountain' from the film  'Close Encounters...'  to the girls. I'm not sure they grasped the concept of aliens but they kept looking out for flashing lights in the afternoon sky and listening for the music.

Downstream of the Embalse de la Toba there is a viewpopint called Ventano del Diablo with great views of the gorge. Marie suggested I have my picture taken there! The village below is called Villalba de la sierra and we recommend the restuarante Meson Nelia. A 30 minute wait for the table but well worth it.

The Cuidad Encantada (Enchanted City) is a great place to visit . Click here for more details and  photos

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Skiing at Javalmbre