We decided after yesterday that we should plan our walks more in line with the cooler parts of the day now it had finally got hotter! So, we decided to do an early morning walk and set our alarm for 6:45 in time for the sunrise. We did not fancy a steep uphill walk so instead walked through Génave town to the Plaza de Toros at the other end. We were surprised to see people up and about at this early hour and when we wandered past last night‘s restaurant, it was full of people having their morning coffee. We thought that probably quite a few of these were agricultural workers and we did see a fair few trucks driving around.
It was quite surprising to see a bull ring in a town that only has less than 600 residents. Nevertheless, they have their own patron saint, a good tradition of bullfighting and all the basic services. We saw a small Coviran supermarket, a bread shop and a chemist amongst others – we didn’t see any of them open though!!
I noticed that there were signs for the Via Verde de Segura and found out that this was a 243km cycle route which follows an old railway line. That explained all the cyclists we have seen around these parts.
There were a few detailed murals representing the history of the town. They were done this year by a fairly well-known artist called Adoro who has produced artwork internationally and done many murals in communities around the Jaén province. These particular murals depicted the history of cereal production from the region.
We strolled back past La Torre de La Tercia – it was in this tower that taxes for the Church were collected. It is all that remains of the Christian castle that was built during the 13th and 14th centuries.
Then we were back on the road and heading to our next destination, Alcalá de Júcar, where we planned to spend our third night in a free parking area. The start of the journey went through more olive groves and there were loads of fantastic poppies and other wildflowers along the edges of the road. We saw quite a few cyclists and bikers as we went along – they were enjoying the long straight road with not much traffic! It wasn’t long before the landscape started to change, with more rocky outcrops and wooded areas. As we approached Albacete this gave way to barley fields and plains. As we skirted the north of Albacete, there were vines which produce the Manchuela wine.
Alcalá de Júcar is in a stunning location on a hill with the Júcar river gorge at its feet. It’s considered one of the most beautiful towns in Spain. The approach to the town was along several sharp bends and the view was magnificent as the town emerged ahead of us. There is a castle and narrow streets down to the river. We took a detour to visit the castle which was of Arab origin and rebuilt in the 15th century in Christian times.
From our viewpoint, we could see the amazing bullring opposite the castle. The bullring is oval in shape and is one of the oldest in Spain. It is made from adobe with seating hewn from the rocks of the neighbouring hills. It can seat 2,000 people. Nowadays it is only used for bullfighting during the week of the August festival but is used for various other performances during the year.
Part of the visit to the castle was to see a traditional cave house and as we wandered back up the hill we saw that there were two other well known cave houses that could be visited. Firstly, we went into the Cueva del Diablo and then the fortified Garadén Cave where the moorish king of the same name used to live. When you got to the bottom of the caves, there was a bar area where you could stop for a much needed drink. Although it was cooler inside the caves, it was a really hot day so we needed a sit down! 😃 The Diablo cave was restored in 1980 by Juan José Martínez García and it now houses a range of exhibitions and some of his own poetry. He has become a local celebrity as a result and was in the cave chatting to visitors when we were there. He was very recognisable as he has a moustache in the style of Salvador Dalí!!
We parked up in the camper van space by the river. We then read and had a late siesta. In the evening we went for a stroll along the river into town and stopped for a drink. We crossed the Roman bridge which was rebuilt in the 18th century. Most places were shut as it’s Sunday. We decided to move on tomorrow and stay in a proper campsite in so I rang them to check availability. Next stop: Alma del Cabriel campsite in El Herrumblar.
