Summer in Spain (again) (5 Viewers)

[jumartoo]

We had another cool and windy ride today. Not as bad as yesterday though. We rode down to the village of Ródenas and took a few photos and then continued on to pick up a section of the via verde.

We exited the via verde near Ojos Negras, a strange place, partly abandoned. It was obviously built for the workers of the mine/quarry. Even the splendid big houses are now left to nature.

There is a concession to tourism though. A lovely old train and one or two other places to photo but we didn't look for them.

We're staying here again tonight, hoping for clear skies and a starry sky

 

[Peavy]

We had another cool and windy ride today. Not as bad as yesterday though. We rode down to the village of Ródenas and took a few photos and then continued on to pick up a section of the via verde.

We exited the via verde near Ojos Negras, a strange place, partly abandoned. It was obviously built for the workers of the mine/quarry. Even the splendid big houses are now left to nature.

There is a concession to tourism though. A lovely old train and one or two other places to photo but we didn't look for them.

We're staying here again tonight, hoping for clear skies and a starry sky

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Love that salmon colour stones

 

[jumartoo]

Yesterday we left our Castle parking and drove to a nearby Dia supermarket and then continued to our present spot. We're at the motorhome area of a town called Escucha, and a pretty town ... it isn't! The motorhome area is within a walled area of the Padel courts, and our first impression wasn't the best (especially after the views we'd had for two nights) but we had a quiet night. The town has a mining background and has a mining museum. It also has some nice riding terrain around it.

Today's ride took us through some terraced areas and past some cliffs, with the obligatory Griffon Vultures. We then did a few km on a road before climbing up, and up, to the high point amongst the wind turbines. Lots of people were mushroom searching. I looked in the baskets of some guys (they showed me what they'd collected, but didn't offer me any) and they were a pale orangey brown colour. Could they be Chanterelles?

Anyway, we cooked our own, shop bought, mushrooms for lunch!

We're, surprisingly, staying another night here and spending this afternoon/evening planning our route onwards.

Martin pointing to

this Vulture

Viewpoint (fire lookout?)

Palomar de Arroyos (the next town along from here, and it looks prettier)

The highest point (over 1600 m)

Escucha from the high point

And a closer view of the parking area.

 

[Peavy]

Yesterday we left our Castle parking and drove to a nearby Dia supermarket and then continued to our present spot. We're at the motorhome area of a town called Escucha, and a pretty town ... it isn't! The motorhome area is within a walled area of the Padel courts, and our first impression wasn't the best (especially after the views we'd had for two nights) but we had a quiet night. The town has a mining background and has a mining museum. It also has some nice riding terrain around it.

Today's ride took us through some terraced areas and past some cliffs, with the obligatory Griffon Vultures. We then did a few km on a road before climbing up, and up, to the high point amongst the wind turbines. Lots of people were mushroom searching. I looked in the baskets of some guys (they showed me what they'd collected, but didn't offer me any) and they were a pale orangey brown colour. Could they be Chanterelles?

Anyway, we cooked our own, shop bought, mushrooms for lunch!

We're, surprisingly, staying another night here and spending this afternoon/evening planning our route onwards.

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Martin pointing to

this Vulture
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Viewpoint (fire lookout?)
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Palomar de Arroyos (the next town along from here, and it looks prettier)
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The highest point (over 1600 m)
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Escucha from the high point
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And a closer view of the parking area.
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We've passed Escucha many times (what a funny name, right?) and agree with you, what a... not so pretty town, sorry people from Escucha, but there are a lot of more pretty places around Teruel, an area we really love, to be honest,

 

[jumartoo]

27° forecast for today, so we searched for somewhere with shade and we found somewhere we'd had in mind to do a gorge walk and the parking is shady.

We're parked next to a church, some cottages and a playground, not too far from the village of Aliaga. I think where we are is called Aldehuela, but it's a hamlet not a village.

We've walked out and back in the gorge. The Hoz Mala, and I think Martin's knees are also malas now. It was rougher and more "undulating" than we expected.

Nice scenery though.

The drive in.

Motorhome tucked under the trees.

We tried to take a short cut to the official route. We got into an area, but had to almost limbo back out.

It's the fenced off area of the old Central Electric building, now abandoned and falling into bad state.

Gorge photos to follow.

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[jumartoo]

We started the route proper and watched a pair of mountain goats. Mother and offspring, we think, as one was calling to the other, although they're both the same size.

Watching them move along the rocks, and then upwards, seems to defy gravity.

The gorge. We walked until it really started to get rough and rocky and turned back.

 

[Barriesimpson]

We arrived in Ribeira today and it is a pleasant 15ºC. As you can see from the photos, you can't see anything coz the clouds are at ground/sea level

 

[jumartoo]

It was a sunny, warm day today, warm enough to ride with short sleeved tops. We rode a mix of unsurfaced roads, and a newly surfaced (mainly) road.

We entered the village of Villaroya de los Pinares and, after marvelling at the carved wood on the Ermita de Loreto, we went into the village to check out the motorhome area that's been fairly recently built. It's got a service point and three marked parking spaces and is in the entrance to the village and next to a small river.

From there we took the road to Miravete de la Sierra, where we visited the church and rode up, and down, some very narrow original cobbled streets.

We stopped to look at a rock formation before we arrived back at the van. We'd parked it in the village of Aliaga and I'd bought some bits from the little supermarket there.

We've now driven 19km on a narrow road to the Puerto de Majalinos where we've parked for the night. We have a clear sight of the internet mast and have a pretty fast signal.

 

[jumartoo]

Last night, at the Puerto, was cool and calm. We're now at the motorhome area of Ejulve. Billy no Mates but if we'd been here last night we'd have been parked with 10 German offroader vehicles on a group trip. They were off to Albarracin from here.

Ejulve is on the Silent Route. We've driven it in the past and we rode 10km of it today on our return ride.

It's been raining this evening, but now it's just windy and spotting. We're off to the big city tomorrow. Alcañiz. There's LPG, the cheapest diesel around (not as cheap as we've recently paid), a motorhome area next to a laundrette and next to a supermarket.

The town looks pretty good as well.

But today. I didn't take many photos and I also didn't ride all the route. I got off on a steep, loose rocks, descent, in more than one place. I'm back safe and sound so I'm happy.

The only bit Martin walked down. It was worse (much steeper) than it looks.

 

[Peavy]

This place was one of the more silent places we have ever been

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[jumartoo]

This place was one of the more silent places we have ever been

The only sound is the winnnnnd 🌬

 

[jumar]

My turn...after last night heavy rain, we did our domestic duties and headed along part of the Silent Route....planning to get to our destination before it filled up..
We shopped for food, topped up with LPG at Repsol...never had a problem....and found our overnight location...we had been before, but just to do our services....but this time we are staying....not because another Funster is here but because it's handy to do the washing along the same street..
jumartoo popped along to the Launderette whilst I prepared and cooked lunch... occasionally we would chat to our fellow Funsters, who we know from our time living next door to Totana Camperstop....
So any detective's, or any followers of this thread can name our Funster neighbours...
No prize for the correct answer....just checking if our followers are keeping up..

 

[jumartoo]

We ate our, very nice, lunch. It wasn't a Spanish recipe, but very near to being a chicken estofado. Chicken thigh meat, onions, butternut squash and beans, flavoured with turmeric and cumin and veg stock. Cooked in the airfryer. With a piece of garlic bread, it was yummy.

We've just returned from a stroll around Alcañiz. There are some nice old buildings and some abandoned ones. The castle here is also a Parador Hotel, so we didn't see much of it. It appears to have been built in the 12th century with an addition in the 18th century (and I expect quite a lot in between).

 

[bigtree]

We’ve also met a few funsters this year, one at Santander with an almost same name as me. bigtwin