Hiendelaencina to Jadraque

Monday 15 May 2023

Distance: 26.7 km Time: 7:45 Ascent: 260m Descent: 530m – Wikiloc

It was a harder walk today. The trail disappeared at times requiring many stops to consult GPS and maps. Then parts of the trail are covered in rough loose rocks making it excruciatingly slow and exhausting. We could only admire the famous Jadraque Castle from below. It’s a couple of kilometers more and a few hundred meters climb from the town.

With a long day ahead we left Hiendelaencina at dawn

The trail between Hiendelaencina and Congostrina disappeared

We cross the Diógenes stream by a stone bridge

Then beside a series of ancient stone fences with large slabs set vertically every few meters
Spanish dry wall construction is UNESCO *intangible cultural heritage for humanity*

A very pleasant walk along the old stone path

Fountain and bodega (wine cellar) built into the hill at Congostrina (pop 13)

There’s evidence of wine production but we didn’t see any grapes growing

The rocky path out of Congostrina continues to deteriorate, excruciatingly slow but it only lasted 4 or 5 km

Pinilla de Jadraque (pop 52) – gallery of 12th century church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción

Medranda (pop 68) fountain of three faces, origin unknown

“Castejón”, which could actually refer to Jadraque, was the first place besieged by El Cid on his way to exile according to the Cantar de Mío Cid.
Current population of Jadraque: 1370.