Villel: Trails, Castle and Fuensanta on the Turia

Villel lies on the Turia River and combines a riverside landscape with proximity to the sierra. The GR-10 stage through the Barranco del Tranco connects Villel in the Turia Valley with the village of Rubiales. Catalogued and inventoried as a Sendero Turístico de Aragón, the Villel–Rubiales stage crosses a spectacular gorge carved into limestone in the Barranco del Tranco.

These three details help you tailor your planning to your own travel plans and clearly compare different lengths of stay.

Other places:Frías De Albarracín, Abejuela, La Cuba, Aliaga, Ejulve, Tronchón, Puig Moreno and Arcos De Las Salinas

Nature and trails

The Sendero del Agua de Villel is intended for walking and not for cycling. It leads through landforms shaped by gypsum and clay, scrubland and the narrow Barranco del Tranco. The section of the Barranco del Tranco along the Sendero del Agua is equipped with metal steps and handrails for overcoming the difference in elevation. The Sendero del Agua de Villel ends at or connects with the surroundings of the Santuario de la Fuensanta; Mediterranean woodland characterises the end of the trail there.

For travel planning, the routes can be compared by mode of transport and trail character: walking route, gorge passage and cycling route stand alongside one another as different forms.

The Tramacastiel–Villel route leads through mountain landscapes with diverse Mediterranean nature and is suitable for contemplative cycling. It ends at the Santuario de la Virgen de la Fuensanta.

Culture

The castle of Villel was associated with the Order of the Templars. The Santuario de la Virgen de la Fuensanta is a 16th-century building. Castillo de Villel offers a wide panoramic view of the river, the mountains and the landscape surrounding Villel.

A visit to the Portales del Castillo de Villel helps explain Villel's historic layout. The Portales del Castillo de Villel comprise three historic entrances that protected the town after the castle was built and could be closed in times of threat.

History

The former stables of La Fuensanta now serve as a covered picnic area. In Villel's historical daily life, there were people who made espadrilles and then sold them in Teruel in order to buy flour and support their families.

For your planning, the various topics can be considered alongside one another without reducing them to a single form of travel. You can give different weight to activity, landscape and local history.

Historically, the pilgrimages to Fuensanta drew people each year from the towns of Villel, Aldehuela, Bezas, El Campillo, Cascante del Río, Castralvo, Caudé, Cubla, Jabaloyas, Libros, Rubiales, Teruel, Tramacastiel, Valacloche, Villaspesa, Villastar, Cella and Gea de Albarracín.

For the overarching travel overview: Teruel.