Fuertescusa among springs, gorges and hiking trails

Fuertescusa opens onto the landscape known as the conquense “Black Forest”. The village is the gateway to this area and is also part of the Parque Astronómico de la Serranía Conquense, which has been awarded Starlight Tourist Destination status. The approach to the village centre has a character of its own: it leads through the Puerta del Infierno, a group of tunnels carved into the gorge. Fuertescusa has around 100 springs, many of which still carry water.

Nature and trails

Several hiking trails begin in the centre of Fuertescusa. The PR-CU 115 Sendero de la Dehesa has a short variant suitable for mountain biking. At Las Modorras, the same trail passes numerous remains of old livestock pens.

The SL-CU 12 Sendero del Hocino runs through the Hocino, a narrow valley with vertical limestone walls, to the Via Ferrata de la Piedra del Castillo. The SL-CU 13 Sendero del Cañizar is a 6.00 km circular route with a low difficulty level and begins at the Fuente del Bronchero recreation area. In the immediate vicinity of the starting point is a tuff slope formation known as Campanas del Tío Milhombres.

The El Repetidor route is of moderate difficulty and covers 3.1 km. It leaves Fuertescusa via the Fuente Grande and climbs through a pine forest. The PR-CU 114 Sendero del Cucurucho y la Hocecilla runs through a protected ZEPA area and ends on the banks of the Escabas River.

When planning, you can use the length, route and endpoint of the trails described as separate points of comparison. Short variants, circular routes and moderately difficult trails offer different ways of being out and about. Gorge, limestone walls, riverbank, pine forest and springs identify different spatial features that can be incorporated into your personal daily rhythm without prescribing a fixed order. The combination of starting point and landscape type also makes orientation easier: Fuente del Bronchero, Fuente Grande, Hocino and the banks of the Escabas represent different settings along the trails described, without implying any ranking or recommendation for personal daily planning.

For a holiday apartment in Fuertescusa, the accommodation pages allow you to compare travel dates, accommodation category and cancellation conditions side by side. The desired trail length, difficulty level and focus between village, nature and culture can serve as personal selection criteria.

Culture and village character

The Iglesia de San Martín Obispo is an example of rural parish architecture from the 15th century. On a tour of Fuertescusa, the Lavadero de la Dehesa is one of the places you can discover. A tour of the village and the named trail destinations can be considered separate focal points when choosing between local history and landscape.

Other places

Other places include La Almarcha, Cólliga, Villar De La Encina, Almonacid Del Marquesado, Piqueras Del Castillo, Villar De Olalla, Cañada Del Hoyo and Víllora.

For the broader travel overview: Cuenca.