I posted on here that I fancied riding the full route in September before the weather broke and 4 others stuck their hands up. The logistics were pretty straightforward, Chicken Legs, Ianpv and Hux flying Stanstead to Castellon on the once a week Ryanair service and Chew arriving earlier the same day to my local airport of Reus. So 5 of us arrived at Ernesto's house in Teruel at midnight on Saturday and by 10.00am Sunday we were ready for the off from the Plaza Torrico. Ernesto had agreed to accompany us for the first day having left his van at the proposed bivvy spot the day before.
The first section was mainly uphill to a viewpoint at 1,500m and on to the stunning village of Albarracin with it's gravity defying fortifications.
The village fiesta was in full swing and our post lunch exploration involved us emerging from an alleyway and riding right into the middle of a bull ring.
We carried on climbing through pine forests and open hillsides to the village of Bronchales and the highest campsite in Spain at 1,750m. Unfortunately the camp bar was closed so Ernesto offered to ride down the bloody big hill we had just come up to find pizza and sandwiches for our next day breakfast. He returned in his van and we ate then retired to bed having wished him farewell.
Unfortunately we weren't the only hungry residents of the campsite that night as we were visited in the early hours by a fox that made off with a couple of sandwiches and Ian's drybag. I was disturbed at about 5am to see it looking into my bivvy bag about a foot away!
Monday dawned grey and by the time we got to the village of Griegos, it was raining. We found a cafe and had a round of Barter specials, omlette baguettes. We had to crack on and managed to dodge the rain on our way to the source of one of Iberia's longest rivers, the Tajo or Tagus which flows to the Atlantic at Lisbon. The statues adorning the source gave the place a surreal feel.
The route followed the infant river then climbed into the hills where the rain returned. We headed for Checa but it was closed so decided to crack on to Peralejos de las Truchas where a well stocked shop was found and as the weather was looking grim, we asked if there was a nearby hostal. Good job as the campsite I had spotted on the map was abandoned. We struck lucky as the village had a little b&b with a massive family room which we all fitted in. They also fed us and a bargain meal was enjoyed.
Day 3 was much brighter and we followed a glorious 40km trail along the Tajo.
We climbed out of the river valley and found a lunch stop in Zaorejas which is the Northern tip of the route. There then followed a lovely section through a lightly wooded forest.
Part 2 to follow
