Serranía de Cuenca to Molina de Aragón

A 198 km crossing that links two cities of stone: Cuenca, a World Heritage City perched above the gorges of the Júcar and the Huécar, and Molina de Aragón, at the foot of its castle. Between them lie the Serranía de Cuenca and the Alto Tajo. You’ll ride past the Ventano del Diablo (the Devil’s Window), the Ciudad Encantada (the Enchanted City), the source of the Cuervo river and the canyons where the Tajo is still a young river, among black pine forests, griffon vultures and Starlight skies. This is the land of the gancheros who floated timber downriver, immortalised in José Luis Sampedro’s novel El río que nos lleva.

Five days and four nights. You begin at the Parador de Cuenca, with dinner at Casas Colgadas, Jesús Segura’s Michelin-starred restaurant. You spend two nights beside the Tajo in Peralejos de las Truchas, so there’s no repacking in the mountains, and finish at the Parador de Molina de Aragón, facing the castle. The Cadencia van takes care of your luggage and transfers.