In the interior of the Alto Mijares region in Castellón, the village of Fuentes de Ayódar is part of the Sierra de Espadán Natural Park.
Fuentes de Ayódar, a village in the Alto Mijares.
The population of Moorish origin originally belonged to the Moorish king of Valencia, Zeid Abu Zeid, in the 13th century.
Apart from the great beauty of its natural surroundings, this small village in the interior of Castellón offers the possibility of visiting the 15th century molí de Dalt, located next to the irrigation pond and El Lagar del Cubo, a press where the grapes used to be trodden in the past to make wine.
The Church of San Roque
De estilo barroco desornamentado y construida entre los siglos XVII y XVIII es de aspecto sencillo con una nave única y capillas laterales entre los contrafuertes.
The mountainous orography of the territory means that there are a large number of ravines that reach as far as the Rambla de Ayódar, a natural tributary of the Mijares River.
A spot on the edge of the Sierra de Espadán Natural Park.
The richness of the area of Fuentes de Ayódar is remarkable and we can find numerous routes, paths, caves and springs along its routes.
The Rio Chico river borders the village creating areas of natural pools suitable for bathing, and the slopes of the mountains are covered with cork oaks, pines, holm oaks and aromatic plants with a strong presence of rosemary.
Topographical map
The route we took on today's route.
The points marked in green are the points from which the photos in this publication were taken.
Trails suitable for children, but quite difficult for people with reduced mobility.
We start our route
Today's route is part of the GR333 long distance footpath, the path that takes us from Fuentes de Ayódar to Torralba del Pinar, a route of 5.5 km.
The road to Torralba climbs up a wide dirt track that is closed to vehicles.
At one of the turns in the path we can see the Santas crags and, after walking some 700 m. on a wide, clear track, we reach a turn-off where we can approach the river bank and visit the Fuente del Zuro, or continue along the cycle path that takes us towards Torralba del Pinar.
We decided to continue up the bike path a little further...
For 300 metres we have the opportunity to see the river gorge and the Pozo Negro from above.
We reach the end of the municipality of Fuentes de Ayódar, where we come to a turning off the cycle path. Here we leave the wide track and continue along the GR333 path, descending towards the river and the Pozo Negro area.
We enjoy the Pozo Negro bathing area, having a sandwich and enjoying the silence that surrounds us, fortunately we are alone and during the way up we have not met anyone, this is a luxury that we do not let slip away.
After this moment of tranquillity, we get back on the road to return to Fuentes de Ayódar.
We return along the river until we reach the recreational area of the Zuro fountain.
From here we return to the wide, dirt cycle path, where we had taken the way up.
The total distance of the route was approximately 5 and a half km. and we have done it calmly and enjoying the wonderful scenery that the Sierra de Espadán Natural Park always offers us.
More information:
Due to the situation caused by Covid-19, we were not able to go on guided tours or have a drink in the village bar, but we will certainly return to the site for more excursions and will be able to give more information on times and places to visit.
For more information on all the trails of the Mancomunidad Espadán Mijares, please click on the link http://www.espadan-mijares.es/visitantes/rutas-de-senderismo
Taking advantage of your visit to Fuentes de Ayodar, we suggest other charming places nearby. Aín and its castle https://dondetelleven.com/ain-ruta-desde-el-p/comunidad-valenciana/
