Where Eagles Dare !

I carried on driving into the Unknown…but enjoying it ! Rural Spain, especially up in the mountains seemed fairly simple, so I plucked a campsite from my book, and headed towards it !

My chosen spot was Camping Rio Mundo http://www.campingriomundo.com/ just outside Riopar, in the Sierra del Seguro ! A tree covered limestone type area, and the campsite was …. almost empty, and I got a cheaper price than advertised, so what more could I do ?, but stay here… and find things to do !

On the Thursday morning I was out on my road bike exploring the roads around… immediately outside the village where I was –Molinicos- the road was wide, and seemingly very quiet, it’s only disadvantage was… it went up,up and up… undeterred I carried on up the road, although it was step it was steady, until I made it to the top of the pass – Puerto de Peralejo , at 1100 mts , my only bit of company being an Eagle flying high overhead, in the blue clear sky … a quick drink, look at a nearby village, and then back on the bike and zoom back down ,and past the campsite to the village of Riopar , which was having it’s weekly market – there being only 1500 inhabitants, most of them must have been out shopping !

Then it was back to the campsite for a snooze, and put my feet up after a 36 kms ride, with almost 1000 mts of climbing done ! – the campsite was filling up – 2 other vans had arrived !

Next morning Friday, I headed out in lovely sunshine onto the road again, only this time down to Riopar, and then left up another hill to Los Chorros, http://www.hellovisitspain.com/en/toph/3/4.html the source of the Rio Mundo , and up a similar hill to the day before, which I turned off just before the top, along a valley and to the car park to visit the waterfalls – they’d have to wait another day for me as I cant walk in my road cycling shoes ! I had a quick snack there, and rode back out of the valley, and up to the top of the hill… another high pass climbed ! 1150 mts – well done !

I then swooped back to the campsite, having done another 33 kms ride,620 mts climbed,  and pleased with myself, so…. had a snooze !

Saturday I decided I’d go walking, and climb some of the hills surrounding me… I’d love to show you them, unfortunately I found out my camera was broken again, after I’d spent all day taking pictures – so have only got a few from my phone !

Anyway, boots on, butties made and off I went, through the village, across the main road, and along a forest track, which climbed up.. I thought it may lead to a path from which I could eventually climb to the summit , it was quite pleasant walking in the forest in the shade of the trees, I eventually caught up with another couple, who clearly had the same ideas as me, and we swopped pathfinding together a few times, we followed a marked trail, and started getting onto steeper and rockier ground, with , what I thought was the ‘top’ looming above… only it wasn’t ! Eventually I just blitzed straight up a steep dried up stream bed, and made it onto the rocky outcrop, only to find another top behind it… and another behind that ! However after a time I did make it to the top, and had a good look all around…

it was very hot exposed on the limestone, so I had a brief drink, and circled the top , unfortunately losing track of the way I’d come up, and so ended up having to find/make my own way up, several times having to ‘bushwack’ through brambles and dense clumps of trees, until at last I came upon some mountain goats, and their old tracks, and by following them I was eventually able to make it back to the forest road I’d climbed up by in the morning ! A very relieved Jotown then sat down and ate his sandwiches !!

As I wandered back along the track, I noticed a lot of trees, had been ‘tapped’ for their resin/sap, with little buckets placed under the funnel

I only had several scars and scratches over my legs to remind me of my ordeal… I made it back to the campsite after an exhausting 5 hours in the heat and sun, having walked 20 kms and climbed 770 mts ! A cold few cans of beer soon helped my thirst ! , and I even ate out at the campsite restaurant that night… to treat myself !

A few nice days in the Sierra del Segura !