Plank Road: Albarracin

Albarracin was a Moorish village with a defensive wall that runs behind the village on a steep hillside. The landscape near Albarracin is rather bleak looking, with scrubby, dry hillsides, but the earth and the rock are a rich red. That same colour is used in the buildings of this attractive medieval village that is tucked into the hills, while the Rio Guadalaviar meanders around it.

After parking the car in the substantial parking lot, we found the tourist information centre and requested a trail walking map in our attempt at Spanish. This was understood and the attendant responded in English with a map and a recommendation for a 14 km, 4.5 hour walk. She also provided a map of the village.

We walked through the village and immediately headed up the hillside to the walls. There were portions of the wall that we could walk on. One section had quite the incline and one had better not have vertigo if walking it was the aim. We walked down this section and then down another section, but then we had to take to the ground to get up to the highest portion of the wall.

The views of the village from the wall were exceptional. After we had enough of roaming the walls, we decided to take on the 14 km walk, so we grabbed our water and walked out of the newer section of the town.

The path ascended the featureless hillside but then entered pine forest which made for a pleasant walk. The path then became a sandy red road that led to some ancient etchings made in the rock. The etchings have been closed off with an iron fence and they have placed a steel board which shows the etchings, as some are rather difficult to discern.

We visited the etchings along the path and then ended up at a developed picnic area where a path, built like a freeway, led through the pine woods to more etchings and a mirador or viewpoint. We encountered a few people attempting some ‘bouldering’ where they throw a thick mat down on the ground and then climb up the gigantic boulders. It appears to be quite a popular activity as more than a few people were lugging around the big mats and there were several signs prohibiting bouldering in most of the area.

We then got on a really great hiking trail through some terrific rocky landscape, which led back to Albarracin. The sharp contrast between the vividly red rock and the equally vivid green pine is impressive. The walk took us about 3.5 hours.

We are only spending two nights here, which is the perfect amount of time. Tomorrow is a travel day as we are off to Valencia, our final stop, prior to returning to Barcelona for a few days.

View of village