Somaén: Medieval Town Layout and Routes along the Jalón

Somaén preserves a medieval town layout with noble houses and adobe houses. In the Barrio alto, you can walk along narrow, paved streets between reddish houses. The town reveals itself directly through its lanes, hillside location and the different building materials used in its houses. The town layout and preserved buildings make the historic structure recognisable not only through individual buildings, but also in the course of the town centre.

When planning a trip to Somaén, travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions can be considered as separate details when booking a holiday apartment. This means that choosing accommodation remains a separate planning step alongside local history, routes and nature.

Culture

Somaén's monumental heritage includes the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Visitación. For many years, volunteers have helped set up a nativity scene in the parish church of this name. The Ermita de la Soledad is also part of the monumental heritage and is located on the outskirts of the town. Thus, within the town and at its edge, there are two named religious buildings that mark different components of the historic townscape.

The Castillo de Somaén was built in the 14th century on the orders of the Conde de Medinaceli, using dressed stone, lime and rubble stone. Today, only an elongated tower with a pentagonal floor plan remains of the complex. This structure therefore distinguishes both its origins in the 14th century and the form preserved today. Together with the noble houses, adobe houses and religious buildings, the tower is one of the various historical reference points in Somaén.

Routes and Cycling

The old national road through the Jalón gorge offers a route for motorised vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. A mountain biking route passes through the centre of Somaén, where houses are situated on the hillside. Another mountain biking route reaches Somaén via a track that partly follows the GR-86 Sendero Ibérico Soriano. The routes therefore differ in their mode of travel, their course and their connection to signposted paths.

Several features can therefore be considered when classifying the routes: the Jalón gorge, the town centre with its hillside houses and the track that partly follows the GR-86 Sendero Ibérico Soriano. The details about the road, mountain biking routes and signposted path remain separate pieces of information in each case.

Hiking and Nature

The route through the Barranco del Avenales is rated as having a low level of difficulty and follows a path signposted as GR86. Birds of prey can occasionally be observed in the Gargantas del Jalón. Thus, in Somaén, both a hiking route explicitly described as easy and nature observations in the gorges are mentioned. The designations GR86 and GR-86 Sendero Ibérico Soriano appear in their respective route contexts.

Those who compare the described options will find different focal points: historic lanes and buildings, routes through the town centre or along the gorge, as well as a signposted route and occasional sightings of birds of prey. These topics form the points of reference for a stay in Somaén.

For the overarching travel overview: Arcos De Jalón.