Javalambre and return to Valencia
Day 8 Los Cerezos to Ademuz (68km; 850m)
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We made our escape before breakfast - from what turned out to be a popular health spa. We rejoined the easy gradient of the Torrijas valley. The altitude is deceptive, with Torrijas being higher than the villages that we had stayed in the Maestrazo. We couldn't find a panaderia in Torrijas but worse was to come. During the night there had been a severe thunder storm and the road from here was under construction. The effect was for our wheels to sink into the clay surface, collect hefty deposits of gunge and deposit it around the brakes and pretty much everywhere else. Road conditions improved around Arcos de las Salinas and a fuente (con baño) enabled a complete wash of bikes and riders.
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Turning right at Losilla de Aras, the road to Ademuz via Puebla de San Miguel is a gem. The drama of the surfaced donkey track route was enhanced by the threat of an adjacent thunder storm. Barely wide enough for a car, a series of bends led down to the valley floor for the start of an ascent of around 400m. This isolated road winds past wild vines and the remote mountain village of Hoya de la Carrasca. The descent, first through beautiful forests of pine and oak and then through new olive plantations, led all the way to Ademuz and the Hostal Casa Domingo.
Day 9 Ademuz to Tuéjar (57km) )
We had been a little apprehensive about the Hostal Casa Domingo with its size and rather brash exterior. Appearances can be deceptive. Excellent food, very friendly staff and great value were good memories as we headed of on the old Valencia road (CV 35) alongside the River Turia. We were now in a different climate to the one that we had become used to and the agriculture of the valley floor contained orchards of olives, almonds apples and pears. The Turia then flows though a spectacular narrow gorge and the road soon has to take a different route, climbing to around 1000m. Although busier than the roads we had been used to, the CV 35 was still quiet. At Tuéjar we checked into the hotel fresh from a great descent from Titaguas.
Day 10 Tuéjar to Valencia (77km) Taking the CV 35 as far as Losa del Obispo we found our way through the network of small roads leading back to the River Turia and the villages of Buggara and Pedralba. This was pleasant cycling through intensive agriculture and fascinating irrigation systems. At Pedralba, we crossed the river and headed for Riba Roja and back to the airport. This was quite a short day with most of it downhill, giving time for a trip into the city for the evening. |