The Maestrazgo is a vast inland area stretching from the province of Teruel into neighbouring Castellón. It is short on people and full of footpaths – so heaven on earth for someone like me. This is the hinterland of Spain, where many towns and villages stand above 1,200 metres. Some of the summits reach over 1,800 metres but the visual effect of the elevation is reduced because the land around them is also ‘raised’.
It is high-mountain country, but rather than towering summits, it is the effects of erosion on the limestone landscape which creates the dramatic scenery. The walks take in river canyons, escarpments and huge rock outcrops; as well as visiting peaks. While much of the land is forested with pines, holm and kermes oaks and poplars, large areas have also been cleared for farming. It is rare not to encounter livestock on the treks, particularly the ubiquitous cow.
There are also many wild animals to look out for. The ibex is perhaps the most interesting land species which can be seen. They inhabit the slopes of mountains and ravines, choosing inhospitable areas where their ability to run, leap and climb on bare, rocky ground keeps them out of the reach of most predators. In the skies above the limestone escarpments, large colonies of griffon vultures can be observed as they ride the thermals searching for carrion below.
The Maestrazgo is named after the ‘maestro’ (master); the leader of the Knights Templar in Spain, who ruled here many centuries ago. The Knights Templar was a French military order of devout Christians created between the years 1118 and 1119. Based in Jerusalem on Temple Mount, their original duties were to protect pilgrims travelling to the Holy Land. Their strength and numbers grew quickly as they set up a network of fortifications and ‘banks’, gaining enormous financial influence. The Templars were famous for their austere code of conduct and dress – a white habit emblazoned with a red cross. King Alfonso I handed the order around one third of Aragón, as it was in 1131, in return for protection, with his successors extending the area. This zone became known as the Maestrazgo, where many of the Templars’ castles and fortifications still stand as a reminder of their power.
España vaciada – the ‘emptied’ Spain
Teruel is one of many inland provinces in Spain suffering depopulation and an ‘emptying’ process. The ageing agricultural communities are shrinking. The farmers work in an inhospitable climate – fierce heat at times in the summer and temperatures which plunge below zero in winter. It is not an attractive life for many young people. Some have left their family lands and moved to the cities; or the family line has come to an end.
This is evident when walking in the area, with hundreds of abandoned farmsteads on view. On some of the routes it is possible to pass at least a dozen of these magnificent old properties in a day, which are falling into disrepair, some of them completely tumbledown. Sadly, more of these buildings are abandoned than are occupied and they are losing the battle against extreme weather and the passing of time. They are called ‘masía’ and the names of the farmsteads can be seen on walking maps. One of the main man-made features of the Maestrazgo, the ‘masía’ are large, strapping buildings with thick walls which look like they could repel a cannonball.
The challenge is now for governments to make these areas attractive again for inhabitants – to move away from unsustainable mega-farms (macrogranjas) and encourage young people to move back to smaller holdings where the animals roam free on vast pasturelands which are certainly not in short supply. There are so many abandoned ‘masía’ that it is impossible to think they could all be saved, but a gradual reoccupation of small farms is exactly what the European Union is trying to encourage.
Walkers’ paradise
The Maestrazgo has very good infrastructure for walkers. The local authorities have made a real effort to showcase the routes they have to offer, and make the information available via the internet.
The main facility for walkers is the GR-8 long-distance footpath. It has an accompanying website which offers maps and stage profiles with distances and height gain. Accessed via a mobile phone, the maps are interactive and can be zoomed in and out, allowing the user to get high detail on the area which is being traversed. The website can be found at senderosturisticos.turismodearagon.com/senderos/gr8
The GR-8 is well signposted. It is always comforting for a walker to see the white/red waymarks of a GR and to imagine all the possibilities it offers. There are also a whole host of short-distance PR routes, many of which are highlighted by town halls on their websites.
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