We planned to visit the cathedral this morning and, since it doesn’t open until 10, we popped out first for breakfast in the local café. The cathedral was built on the site of the earlier moorish mosque. It was the earliest Gothic cathedral in Spain and has since been embellished with various other styles. It was the most impressive and decorative cathedral that we have seen on this trip. Even the facade is very unique.
We then checked out of the hotel and walked down to the van. We then set off for our next destination, Camping Ciudad de Albarracín, and when we got back to the car park, there were four coaches there and the buzz of conversation from two massive school groups!!! Dave had to navigate his way carefully around a load of chatting, distracted teenagers towards the exit!
As we went on our way through the mountains, there were some spectacular rock formations and lots of stunning scenery. We stopped off at a viewpoint by a lake where a school group were kayaking. It was called Embalse de La Toba and was located within the Parque Natural Serranía de Cuenca. It was really picturesque.
When we stopped off again shortly after this for a coffee stop in the van, we certainly felt that we were already in the mountains. We checked our altitude and it was 1180m. We then noticed a little signpost pointing to Baja montaña back to the way we had come from and Alta montaña in the way we were heading!! (Low mountain/high mountain) Not much later we came across some very sweaty looking cyclists who had stopped by a water station. By this point the altitude was 1370m. We were very impressed with the twisty mountain roads, which were a real feat of engineering. We came to another lookout point (mirador) at 1510m and with signs warning of errant cattle.
By this point, Dave was extremely glad that he had opted for the shorter but more convoluted route rather than choosing more major roads. The journey itself was a real experience. We continue to climb through pine forest and at one point spotted a baby deer on the side of the road. The altitude reached its highest at about 1620m. This was along the CM2119, a spectacular road. We then joined the A1512 past Puerto de las banderas and Calomarde.
We continued along the A1704 on the Ruta del alto Tajo with majestic scenery and then, with
13 miles to go to the campsite we stopped at Cascada Batida, which was a short walk down to a really stunning waterfall. What an amazing bonus that was.
The campsite was very easy to find and really pleasant. The pitches were nice and spacious and there was a fantastic toilet block – these things matter after several weeks on the road! 🤣 We decided to lunch in the campsite restaurant and the portions were so generous that we ended up nipping back to the van for a couple of Tupperwares and saving the rest for dinner.
In the evening, we just went on a bit of a stroll in the town and soaked up some of the fabulous views. We went up to one end of the town and saw the 18th century defensive tower Torre Blanca. We also strolled around the higgledy-piggledy steep streets past various churches and beautiful houses. The views in the evening light were wonderful. We planned to explore the other extreme of the city tomorrow.
On the way back, we popped into the little supermarket to stock up on alcohol free beers! We also bought a couple of tuna Empanadas to have with our leftover salad from lunch. It was a very cute little supermarket and it was very unusual by the till as rather than a range of confectionery, there were big bags of climber’s chalk by the checkout! As we headed back to the campsite we also noticed a fairly large specialist climbing shop – it’s clearly a popular activity in this part of the mountains.
