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By carTomás Fano — CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

The Serranía de Cuenca

Cuenca, Spain · Spain

A limestone range north of Cuenca where water has been working the stone for millions of years, and the result is mazes of loose blocks, canyons with vertical walls and waterfalls that burst out of the rock itself. It all begins in a city built on a spur between two gorges, with houses leaning over the void because there was nowhere else to grow.

3 days2 nights138 km7 stopsBest season: Spring and autumn. Spring brings the Cuervo in full flow and the woods green; autumn brings the colour of the beeches and poplars. And there is one exception: if the winter really freezes, the frozen source of the Cuervo is the finest thing these mountains offer.

Day 1The city above the abyss Day 2Two mazes of stone Day 3Water coming out of the rock

Day 1 · The city above the abyss

Cuenca and the Ventano del Diablo · 38 km

Tomás Fano — CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Cuenca

history

A city built on a spur between two gorges, the Júcar and the Huécar, with houses leaning over the edge because there was nowhere else to grow. The Hanging Houses are what remains of an entire row that once ran along the cliff. It has been a World Heritage Site since 1996 and its cathedral was, along with Ávila's, the first Gothic one in Castile.

Tip

Cross the San Pablo bridge, which is iron and sways a little: from the middle you get the view of the Hanging Houses you have seen a thousand times. And climb to the Castillo quarter at dusk.

50 min to the next stop · 38 km

Aitor Fdez-Ceballos — CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

El Ventano del Diablo

viewpoints

A natural window opened in the limestone above the Júcar canyon, a hundred metres from the car park and with virtually no walking. Legend says the devil held his covens here and pushed into the void anyone who leaned out.

Tip

It is one of the few spectacular lookouts you reach without walking. If you suffer from vertigo, be careful: the edge is not fenced all the way round.

Day 2 · Two mazes of stone

The Uña lagoon, Ciudad Encantada and Las Majadas · 60 km

diego_cue — CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

The Uña lagoon

nature

A long lagoon at the foot of a rock wall, right next to the village, with a path that rings it completely and a small jetty. It is waterfowl country and in winter you see ducks, coots and herons without leaving the path.

Tip

The walk is flat and takes forty minutes. It lies right by the village where you slept, so it is the quiet way to start the day before the two stone labyrinths.

15 min to the next stop · 12 km

Xauxa Håkan Svensson — CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

La Ciudad Encantada

nature

A limestone maze that water has been dissolving for millions of years until it left loose blocks with recognisable shapes: the Tormo, the Ships, the Roman Bridge. It was declared a Natural Site of National Interest in 1929, one of the earliest protection designations in Spain.

Tip

The site is private and there is an entrance fee. The route is circular, signposted and level: a good hour and a half with stops. The formations are labelled: you do not have to imagine anything.

40 min to the next stop · 31 km

Itospuf — Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)

The Callejones de Las Majadas

nature

The same as the Ciudad Encantada but with no entrance fee, no queue and almost nobody: a karst maze of alleys between limestone blocks, with signposted paths of varying length. It is less than an hour away and hardly anyone knows it.

Tip

If you are short of time or money, this is the honest alternative to the Ciudad Encantada. And if you do both, you will see the erosion worked the same in each and told it differently.

Day 3 · Water coming out of the rock

The source of the Cuervo and the Hoz de Beteta · 40 km

Almagdelc — CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

The source of the river Cuervo

nature

The water bursts from a cave up high and falls down a wall covered in moss and tufa, forming curtains of water that can freeze over in cold winters. It is a Natural Monument and access is free; in high season, check whether parking is regulated. There are signposted walkways up to the foot of the falls.

Tip

The flow decides: in spring and after the thaw it comes down hard; by late summer it is reduced to little. And in winter, after a freeze, the ice hanging off the wall is the best version of the place. Arrive early, because the car park fills.

40 min to the next stop · 38 km

PePeEfe — CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

The Hoz de Beteta

viewpoints

Some six kilometres of canyon the river Guadiela has cut into the limestone, with vertical walls and the road threaded inside along the streambed. It is a Natural Monument and one of the few gorges in the range you can drive right through without getting out.

Tip

Stop at one of the lay-bys by the river and take a short walk between the cliffs. And if you plan to visit the El Hosquillo wildlife park, where there are brown bears in semi-freedom, you must book ahead: the visit is guided and you cannot wander in.

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