Travel with the family to the Alto Tajo Natural Park to say goodbye to 2023
It has become a tradition in our family to say goodbye to the year and welcome the new year by traveling as a family . We already did it in the pre-pandemic year traveling with the children to Calaceite , a couple of years of forced stoppage due to COVID and we got back to work with a family trip to the Sierra de Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas .
This year we said goodbye to 2023 to welcome 2024 in the Alto Tajo Natural Park , between Guadalajara, the Serranía de Cuenca and the province of Teruel .
Yes, it’s cold, as much as you want! Maximum temperatures of 2ºC on one day and minimum temperatures of -2ºC, with temperatures at 0ºC or 1ºC practically all day long, that’s why in the photos you’ll see me bundled up to my ears, because I’m from Valencia, you know …
Once again we have returned to a place that we already enjoyed when we were 2 and that we now remember when we were 4. This time we stayed in Peralejos de las Truchas, Guadalajara , a small village located in the Alto Tajo, very well located to get to know the Natural Park in depth.
Orihuela del Tremedal, Chequilla and Peralejos de las Truchas
High mountain villages with a lot of charm, the good thing about traveling at the end of the year is that there are hardly any people, on this trip we made stops in what seemed like ghost towns like Orihuela del Tremedal, but with a magical charm .
We wandered around the area to see the little towns, which were very well kept, clean and had beautiful Christmas decorations. Our first stop was Orihuela del Tremedal . We were literally alone throughout the town. We went up to the church and got lost in its cobbled streets.
The second stop towards our destination, Peralejos de las Truchas , was Chequilla . The town itself is amazing, but what about the surroundings? Too amazing! Huge rocks in a beautiful terracotta color and very varied shapes welcomed you to the town.
We arrived at our accommodation, Peralejos de las Truchas , we stayed at El Pajar del Abuelo , a rural apartment with a fireplace, views of the Alto Tajo Natural Park mountains and, above all, peace and quiet, lots of peace and quiet.
THE BIRTH OF THE CUERVO RIVER, IN THE CUENCA MOUNTAIN RANGE
The source of the Cuervo River is one of the most brutal and spectacular mountain places there is, although it is a fairly busy place (we are talking about a coming and going of buses loaded with grandparents from the IMSERSO…) on this occasion there was no one there!! We were able to enjoy the entire excursion to the source of the Cuervo River practically alone.
The route to reach the Cuervo River waterfalls is very easy and accessible even for wheelchairs. Once there, there is a path of stairs and a short walk that takes you into the forest to see the authentic source of the Cuervo River.
It is a marvel no matter which way you look at it. To return to the car park you can either retrace your steps or take an alternative path that runs alongside the river, which is perfectly signposted and easily accessible. The route is circular, river-like and with hardly any unevenness.
Once we saw the source of the Cuervo River and when we were getting ready to return from the excursion we saw a detour that indicated a small route to the Cave of Río Cuervo, off we went!
THE WATERFALL OF THE UPPER MILL, PERALEJOS DE LAS TRUCHAS AND THE TAJO GORGE
The Molino de Arriba Waterfall in Peralejos de las Truchas (where we were staying) is just a few minutes away by car. The Tagus River leaves behind a beautiful image of waterfalls in Peralejos , all surrounded by forest, mountains and nature in its purest form.
The path to get to the Tajo Gorge is complicated to say the least… in fact we considered turning around several times due to the narrowness of the mini road and the cliffs surrounding the road.
But we came here to play, right? We went there to see the steep area where the Tajo Gorge is located. The path is full of enormous vultures that fly around the area at a very low altitude. It is impressive to see how huge they are…
So far, our 3 (intense) days in the Alto Tajo area. Traveling is always an adventure, but traveling with children is an adventure raised to the third power. I enjoy traveling with the Vikings more and more and letting them get to know how wonderful our country is.
