15th of May
A circular route from the town of Alpuente that begins with a short hike up to the castle, followed by a loop on the local trails. At the end of the route we will visit the most beautiful spot in the area – La Bomba, a narrow gorge with a small waterfall, very close to the town.
This is one of my favourite hikes in Los Serranos region. You can read about all ot them here: Top Ten Hikes of Los Serranos
Located at the top of a hill on the deep ravine of the Reguero River, at 958m above sea level, the structures of the Castle of Alpuente stand tall. The castle emerged as an impregnable fortress around which the original population would settle and then control the passage through the valley.
The walled perimeter delimits an approximate area of 1 hectare called Alcazaba, in which we would find the Citadel, the wells, warehouses and the palatine area in the upper part. Torre Albarrana stands on the existing barbican to the south of the complex and exempt from the walled enclosure of the Alcazaba.
It would have a hierarchical relationship with the castle of El Poyo or Collado, also located in our municipality about 10-12 km to the North, from where the passage of the Camino Real from Aragón to Valencia is controlled and the lands of Teruel are better seen.
El Castillo de Alpuente | Alpuente
La Bomba Gorge
One of the traditional excursions from La Villa de Alpuente is the one that goes to the spring of El Cabezo by la Bomba. La Bomba is the name of the gorge or neck that forms the La Hoz ravine, through which our modest stream or gully of Alpuente runs, where the Mill of La Villa is located.
This ravine of La Hoz begins in the village of Las Eras, where the pools of El Cociolete and El Charco Negro are, both of which are a fond memory, as a place of bathing in the past, almost until the 80s, since there was no swimming pool back then. Children and youngsters from La Villa, Las Eras, and occasionally some from Campo de Arriba, Campo de Abajo, Baldovar and possibly from other villages used to bathe in them.
As you can see in the photos, it is an opening, about 5 to 8 meters in its narrowest part, which separates the two high cliffs or lateral rock walls, which form the channel of the stream.
La Bomba « Asociación Cultural Amigos de Alpuente
Alpuente
Next to the remains of the castle is the archpriest church of Nuestra Señora de la Piedad. It is a temple with a single nave, built between the 13th and 15th centuries. Its octagonal bell tower houses the oldest remains from the 14th century. The Town Hall was traditionally located in an old aljama, the gateway to the city that welcomes visitors. Above it are the Lonja de Contratación and the Arab Government. In the 16th century, a magnificent town hall was added.
Strolling through this urban framework with a medieval atmosphere, we will find manor houses with their façades and noble coats of arms; Ancient ovens (in one of them the Ethnological Museum has been installed), balconies with a clear Aragonese influence and other details that show us the interest of its inhabitants in the conservation of the complex. The Ermita de la Purísima, almost a kilometer from the town on the road that leads from Alpuente to La Yesa, is a masonry and ashlar construction from the 18th century.
Very close to the town, just over two kilometers on the road from Alpuente to La Yesa, is the medieval Aqueduct “Los Arcos”, with thirteen arches. Its purpose was to supply the population and water the typical and staggered orchards with water from the Nueva and Marimacho springs.
Photo credit: Catherine Salsbury
Difficulty: medium (10km with 350m elevation gain)
Technical level: medium (mostly single track trails)
Meeting point: Mestalla, entrance on av. Aragón, 9:30 (return to Valencia ~18:00)
Price: 32 euros (28 euros signing up by Thursday, 12.05) / 12 euros coming to Alpuente.
The price includes professional guide, transportation, accident and public liability insurances.
Bring at least 1l of water, lunch, sunscreen, cap and hiking shoes.
Members get a 6 euro discount for every day hike. Visit our store to come a member.