Three River Weekend in Ademuz

Here’s a report of our weekend trip to Rincón de Ademuz. During this trip, we explored the trails which run along the three main rivers of the region – Turia, Ebrón and Bohilgues.

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The hiking part of the trip started along the Turia river, and the plan was to make our way from Ademuz to Castielfabib. The terrain for the day was mostly easy paths, with enough tree shade to keep us cool. Local urban art kept the spirits up, although the moods were quite elevated anyway.

The start, Covid-friendly seats and local art

We also passed by a couple of small towns/pueblos on our way, with rich and imaginative names such as Torrebaja and Los Santos (topped by Casas Altas and Casas Bajas the following day). Some wishes came true as we found cherry trees along the way, which looked too inviting not to try. As you can imagine, every opportunity of finding shade was exploited, the same can be said for water refilling spots. The possible 25-peseta fine kept us away from unlawful activities.

Nibbling on cherries and not nibbling on sand (?)

From here on, the landscape stretching along the Ebrón river was getting more and more scenic, which was much appreciated, while the temps were getting higher and higher. Nevertheless, a couple of spots with the opportunity to cool off were found much to our delight, and we continued our journey.

As we were approaching Castielfabib (at last), the main thought going through our minds was whether there was a bridge crossing the gorge, which would take us to our destination, or not. After passing by an impostor, that turned out to be an aqueduct, we finally did find a way to cross the river, which turned out to be one more chance to dip our feet in the water before making our way up to town.

No bars were found, so drinks had to be had sitting on the floor

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The accommodation, Casa Rural Garrido, was just as charming as the narrow streets of Ademuz. The hosts are doing their best to keep the house as rustic and historical as possible, provide guests with delicious dinner, be as hospitable as possible, while running several guesthouses (one of them being a castle) in the area.

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The start of the second day was just as enthusiastic as the first one. For starters we headed up to the top of Ademuz to get the best views of the town, while also warming up for the upcoming hike. The majority of the towns around here (Ademuz, Castielfabib and Vallanca among others) were built on the slope, which gives you multiple ways to hike through the towns, while stopping and appreciating the views is an option at any moment.

Bohilgues trail is of course the gem of the region and was left for dessert. The trail is full of lush greenery with cascades throughout the river’s course from Ademuz to Vallanca, which get more and more impressive as you progress. Some of the river stretches even give you the opportunity to dive in, which makes this route a refreshing choice for a summer hike.

This is our second trip to Rincón de Ademuz already, but the area is full of trails to be explored, magical corners to be encountered and secrets to be uncovered. I would highly recommend a visit here for at least an overnight stay, either in summer, as there are lots of rivers, or in autumn, when the leaves start to change colour, or even in winter, if you are not afraid of colder weather.

And as a bonus, here are the local cats, some of them timid, while others -more friendly and sociable.