Safe Return Doubtful

After the storms, and after the hurly-burly of Mula, I was keen for some hills more conducive to outdoor activity, so headed to one of my favourite areas, the surrounds on Teruel. Specifically, I aimed for the Via Verde Ojos Negros, which runs between Teruel and Valencia. 

It actually runs, by a connection, from Albarracin to Valencia, which I know well, as we took it when riding the length of Spain in summer of 2006. Looking back at it, it seems difficult to believe we managed to ride the 2000 kilometres in the heat of August, camping wild in basic tents each night. The stretch between Albarracin and Valencia was the most I have ever ridden in a day, 200 kilometres, but, downhill on a very gradual gradient for almost all the way. 

The area around Teruel has some outstanding bikepacking multi-day routes. The MontañasVacías route is one I investigated on the first major course in my current van, in summer of 2021. The blog of that is in the archive here. In the last year, a new route has been launched by the local bike cooperative, to the north of where I am now, and is called ‘Of Resilience and Hope’. It’s another area that has rapidly lost much of its population in the last decades. That area is too high for this time of year, most of it above 1,000 metres, which makes it liable to snow, and freezing conditions. 

I settled at the town of Caudiel, where there is an aire at the train station. This is an active train line, built alongside the old line. The old line is now a greenway, a via verde. 

There was one other English van there when I arrived, a Mercedes Hymer built for rough roads. We soon got chatting. David and Sally gave up their home in Brighton and have been on the road for 8 months so far, though they have no plans to return to house dwelling. We had a lot in common, not least travel, hiking, trail running and cycling, but also an interest Prem Rugby.

I’ve spent four days here. The first of which, Friday, was too windy to do any cycling, but the hiking was good. Since then I’ve taken the mountain bike out on the via verde, and then the Orbea out up to the wind farms. 

I’ll move on tomorrow. I was going to head for the mountains to northeast of Teruel, but the forecast is cold, with snow showers on and off, so I’ll stay on the coastal side of the hills where I am hoping it will be a bit warmer.