A Day in the Life – Vistabella del Maestrat to Vilafermosa del Riu

A nine o’clock breakfast was lazy but it was a short dap today, just 13 miles. What I didn’t realise was that just because most of it was downhill doesn’t mean it was going to be easier. So much depends on the surface, those boulder paths knacker your feet even through heavy mountain boots. Eric and Ernie. They’ve had some hammer this trip. Done well though. I got them second hand on eBay, exactly the same make, model and size as Chas and Dave, who became more superglue than leather.

The skyline today is dominated by Penyagalosa, half the size again of the highest in the UK. Even from the first drop down out of the village and across a mountain plain the beasty boy was there. Towering but not threatening. Glad I wasn’t on the top of that when it started snowing in January. 

The GR7 passed through thick woodland and many trees had been brought down across the path by some catastrophic combination of wind and rain, making progress slow. Cat Stevens… late sixties early seventies. He was good. 

I met a couple of walkers coming in the opposite direction. That’s me! Always do the opposite to the others and always have a weird and whacky slant on life. Hey hey! Prat. The most impressive was a young woman, could only have been twenty at most, called Mar from Amsterdam. Very nice kid. If she was my daughter I’d be having kittens. She was travelling along the GR7 from Alicante to her grandmother’s place in Barcelona, wild camping every night. A star but please kid, just go to the beach and have fun. You can do this stuff when you’re old.

The air was clear but getting hot, even in forest under the tree canopy. Beautiful during open areas though.

The track takes a detour round Penyagolosa to the west and then drops steeply and curves round eventually to Vilafermosa del Riu. There are two spellings for most places, Valencian dialect (like Catalan) and Castilian Spanish. Vilafermosa del Riu is Villahermosa del Rio, both meaning beautiful river town. I missed the turnoff where the path dropped and that cost me an extra mile down and back. Going down the right path the going was large pebble strewn but beautiful views.

I have to hand wash my walking gear in the Hostal sinks. I’ve got two kits, light and short football shorts and t shirts, and another kit for best in the evenings my Blades shirt and camo shorts. I put my camo shorts straight in my rucksack when I take them off because it’s very difficult to find them. I only wash my gear where there is a working radiator or other heater to dry them out. It’s still a bit chilly at night at this altitude and it wouldn’t dry otherwise.

The track, to the bottom left of this photo, wound down and round. Straining on the knees but the walking poles my SIG chums bought me as a leaving present do help a lot. I wouldn’t want to do more than a day’s walk without them. Thanks friends.

There was a track off to my right which was signposted Cascade, and the sound of running water, most unusual in this barren limestone terrain. I resisted the urge to trap down to the waterfall but the river caught up with the GR7 further down the valley.

And in the deeper pools I saw some small trout. The river doesn’t dry up in summer! After an hour following the riverside a tiny hamlet turned up, with a hostal. A well earned beer here, dear.

The view back up the valley from the Hostal’s covered terrace was impressive.

And setting off again going down the valley Vilafermosa was half an hour walk.

I checked in and fell asleep on the Hostal room balcony in the late afternoon sun. Hostal Ruta de Aragon. Cop this for a room with a view.

£36 bed, breakfast, evening meal and drinks (ice cold beer). Kiss my toms.

On that thought I’ll bid you……….

Night night.