Want to do the tour alone,
need the route?
Download
it here Includes, maps, hotels, campsites and motorcycle garages.
Alto Tajo - Day 9
Bookmark this on Delicious
back to the
grand tour
Located
in the Iberian System, between the south-eastern part of the
province of Guadalajara and the north-eastern part of the
province of Cuenca, this part of the country is called 'Wild
Spain'.
The Upper Tajo has the
majority of the typical
characteristics of the Iberian Range, some of which
are very notable and that have produced formations and
micro-formations that are
only found in this area.
Especially noteworthy are the formations that link to river
courses such as canyons and
ravines, which are both frequent in this areas, and
terraces as well
as unique slope formations such as
needles, pinnacles and
monoliths.
In summary, this is the one of the most extensive network of
canyons and ravines in Spain.
The
hydrographical network
is the element that has made this area what it is today.
Water from river courses has conditioned the climate, the
surface, fauna, flora and even human settlements.
This network is made up by the famous
River Tajo, from
its source to the estuary in the creek in Carrascosa del
Tajo and a variety of
direct and indirect effluents
The Alto Tajo is a joy to ride through. The
hardest part is to keep your eyes on the road, and stop your head from doing a
360 degree turn as you try to take in all around you.
We end the day in the quiet town of Calatayud,
where I'm sure we will be going over the day's experiences, and pinching
ourselves to make sure we aren't just dreaming.
At the end of a high
narrow road lies El Monasterio de Piedra . We stop here to
allow Thoughtful Mark time to reflect on the error of his ways while we look
around the monastery and the fantastic gardens. Then we'll have a nice cup of
coffee in the cafe. Thoughtful Mark can have one too if he has repented.
The Monastery was originally a defensive fort built
by the Moors. During the Reconquest (1194)
Alfonso II of Aragon gave the castle and all the land surrounding it to the
Cistercian Order.
Twelve monks and an Abbot from Poblet Abbey
in Tarragona moved to Aragon to spread the Christian faith. Piedra’s
mother-house is therefore the Monastery at Poblet.
It took 23 years
to build the Monastery (1195 – 1218), a remarkably short time if one
considers its size, though the builders did
not need to quarry or dress the stone as it was all taken directly from the old
Moorish wall and castle. Alfonso II called on people from Catalonia, Navarra and
Valencia, areas which had already be converted to Christianity, to come and
build the monastery and create a new community together with the monks.
The monks lived here for almost 700 years from
1195 to 1835. During this period they were forced to abandon the Monastery on
three occasions. The first was in 1808, when it was occupied by French forces
during the War of Independence, the second was from 1820 to 1823, during the
Liberal Triennium, and the third and final time was in 1835 when the Monastery
was confiscated by Mendizabal.
Of course, one of the most important features of
this region, as with all of our route, is the quality of the roads from a
motorbiking perspective.
Tonight we stay in Calatayud where there are
numerous restaurants and bars.
The entrance fee to the Monastery of Stone and
all overnight parking fees are included in the price of the tour.
on to day 10
back to tour
motorbike tours home
To receive our
newsletter, send an email to
alan@motorbike-tours.co.uk
Mark the title box
'newsletter'. If you have time to say hello, that would be even better.
