Monreal de Ariza to Alhama de Aragón

Saturday 27 May 2023

Distance: 26.5 km Time: 7:20 Ascent: 180m Descent: 260m – Wikiloc

We knew we had a long day so we left the highway hotel early, 6:30, in heavy fog which persisted until after 9 o’clock. Almost all of the route is on easy walking, quiet country dirt roads passing through 3 villages, Monreal de Ariza (pop 189), Ariza (pop 1,027) and Cetina (pop 558) to arrive at Alhama de Aragón (pop 957).

Romanesque (12th century) fortified Church of the Assumption, Monreal de Ariza in the fog is closed for restoration

Mont Regal Castle, Monreal de Ariza with 3 *bodegas* below
Built in 1128 opposite the Castilian border, it is now in a dilapidated state

Monreal de Ariza, taken the previous afternoon from afar

At 9am the sun is starting to break the fog

We had to cross the Jalón River on a 5 arch Roman Bridge to get to Ariza

Church of Santa María La Real in Ariza, built 1555 renovated 1898

Church of San Pedro dedicated to the patron saint of Ariza built 1620, now in ruins

The fifteenth night of the banishment El Cid camped between Ariza and Cetina.
The inhabitants of both towns, intimidated by Rodrigo’s forces, gave him various tributes.

In the Cantar , Cetina is one of the Muslim towns through which the Cid passes on his journey through the Jalón.

Cetina *bodegas* (underground cellars) with ventilation chimneys

Church of San Juan Bautista, made of bricks in 1705 and now cracking, is very different to the stone construction used elsewhere

Castle-Palace of Cetina, 13th century fortress

A group doing El Camino del Cid by bike, first we’ve seen, passed us

Another day El Cid set out and passed in front of Alhama, going down the sickle…
Alhama de Aragón has been known since Antiquity for the therapeutic virtues of its waters. In times of Muslim domination, it was renamed Alhama, meaning “the hot spring”. With a huge thunderstorm threatening we didn’t get the chance to visit the famous two hectares thermal lake with its clear 34ºC water.