Saturday 15th April 2023

We set out for the hot springs of Montanejos about 1 1/2 hours from our apartment. As we got closer it became apparent that there were hordes of people there. It was 26° after all. We carried on driving and found a lovely rock, above it all, for lunch. A fairly relaxed affair until we spotted a castle on a hill. Before we knew it we were walking up the track, not too arduous, and well signposted. The first thing we found was the Ermita de Los Angeles, a little Chapel just below the craggy outcrop. Shut but we were able to take a sneaky photo through the window.

The path wound steadily up to the top of the crag and the Castillo de la Viñaza. Obviously been there a long time, once looking over a valley but now a reservoir, and some reinforcement was taking place. Quite a gusty wind so didn’t hang around too long.

Took a slightly different route back which took us through an area of recent wild fires. Incredibly you could still smell the burning, but already some signs of regrowth, nature is amazing. Utter devastation of the forest areas, don’t know how the villages were so unscathed. Also shows the resilience of people.