Villahermosa del Río
THE NAME Villahermosa del Río dates back to Moorish times. Meaning ‘beautiful village of the river’, it’s hard to quibble. But, it begs the question – which river?
The village is perched on a ridge which is flanked by two rivers that have gouged out long ravines from the limestone landscape. It stands proud on its promontory, offering views not only of river gorges, but also of vast pine forests which stretch away into a mountainous distance.
In line with other pieces that have appeared on this page in recent times, Villahermosa is on the edge of the Maestrat (Maestrazgo) area – that vast hinterland which spans large swathes of the provinces of Castellón and Teruel which was dominated by the Knights Templar in the Middle Ages.
As well as being easy on the eye, the village is also a wonderful spot for walking, as befits a place that should feature here. It is on the edge of the Peñagolosa natural park, and the magnificent peak (1,814 metres) of the same name – the second
highest in the Valencia region – can be climbed from Villahermosa and observed from many of the routes.
The village elbows its way onto the page, ahead of a
couple of Alicante province routes that were due to appear, because I was able to make a three-day visit last weekend.
What’s the hurry? Well, it’s an area which is best visited before high summer, when it would be too hot to walk after midday. Also, with any luck, we will have some rain in the next few weeks. The walks which will be outlined here are all heavily linked to water. By that, I mean that they are along routes with streams.
Last weekend there was some water in them, but – after a very dry winter and spring – the walks would be even better after a spell of rain to raise the levels, and to give a greater impetus to the spring flora.
I would advise visiting several days after a rainy spell, if possible. This would be to allow things to ‘settle down’ and for any excesses to drain away. Such a plan would involve keeping a close check on the website of state weather agency AEMET (www.aemet.es) and viewing the specific forecast for Villahermosa del Río each day.
Failing that, try to get a trip in before July, if the photos and descriptions which appear in the coming weeks take your fancy. I should also mention that there is a vulture feeding area not far from the village, so large numbers of griffon vultures can be seen soaring overhead at certain times. Also, ibex, those sure-footed climbers of vertical slopes, inhabit the ravines.