The name Villahermosa del Río originated in the Moorish era. Meaning ‘beautiful village of the river’, it is hard to quibble with the sentiments. But, after visiting, it begs the question – which river? The village is perched on a ridge flanked by two long ravines gouged out from the limestone landscape by two different waterways. It stands proud in its elevated position, offering views not only of river gorges, but also of vast pine forests which stretch away into a mountainous distance.
Villahermosa is on the edge of the Maestrazgo – the vast hinterland which spans large swathes of the provinces of Castellón and Teruel; an area which came under the influence of 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 in such a setting. It is on the edge of the Peñagolosa natural park, and the magnificent peak of the same name – the second highest in the Valencia region at 1,814 metres – can be climbed from Villahermosa, and observed from many of the routes.
The walks which will be outlined here are all linked to water. By that, I mean that they are along routes which are near rivers or streams. I would advise visiting several days after a rainy spell, if possible, in order 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 avoid the hottest months – certainly July and August, and parts of June and September. Although Villahermosa stands at 755 metres above sea level, that is only half as high as some of the other villages in the Maestrazgo. And it can get very warm in the municipality.
The vulture feeding area nearby means that 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. Read about the walks in the following articles.
Villahermosa is off the beaten track but does cater for visitors, with a good tourism office in the church square which has fixed maps on the wall outside to help with orientation. The town hall website https://villahermosadelrio.es offers a lot of information about practicalities, and by adding ‘rutas-de-montana’ onto the end of the website name, more walking routes will come up for the area.
Where to stay
There is only one pension/hotel in the village that is open all year round, which is the Ruta de Aragón. For more details and booking information see their website at www.rutadearagon.com
There are other options which can be sourced through booking.com
As the name of the pension suggests, Villahermosa is a border village – on the edge of the Valencia region, but close to the border, on the ‘ruta’ to Aragón region. Continue along the main road out of Villahermosa and you will soon pass from Castellón province into Teruel.
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