Castel de Mora & Miravet

Last night we hardly got any sleep. After our walk around Vinebre which was beautifully quiet when we returned to our peaceful camp it seemed as though the whole town had let there dogs out, and unfortunately they stayed out, and barking all night.
Then at 5:30am one of the locals came to collect his car and that’s when we realised why he had parked his car there overnight. When he released the alarm the horn sounded and obviously woke his neighbour’s up.
So we were up super early at 6am and both felt like crap.
We filled Wanda’s water tanks, dumped the grey waste and prepared for a couple of days off grid and at 8:30am we left the noise and barking dogs of Vinebre behind us. It was a real shame it was noisy because it was a beautiful area with lots of hikes to explore.
Our first destination was a car park for motorhomes in the town of Mora d’Ebre to go and visit the castle and after parking and securing Wanda we set off following the huge River Ebre into the town. It was a beautiful walk, steeped in the history as this was the bloodiest site of the Battle of Ebre and the town was also formed by the knights Templar some 2500 years ago.
Unfortunately on reaching the remains of the castle we realised it was closed this time of year except on certain days. That’s one of the risks you run when travelling out of season, but there was no mention of that on google.
We headed back to Wanda and then headed for our next destination, Miravet. It was only a 15 minute drive and there was a huge area dedicated to motorhomes that was quiet and very relaxing.
We had lunch of Wanda Toasties, had a 30 minute nap to make up for last night and then used the Komoot app to find a nice hike.
I found a nice little walk of 3.5km that took us through town, and by the castle so we grabbed our bags and off we went.
Miravet was just a small village 2500 years ago until the knights Templar moved in, built a church and a convent and bought wealth to the area as a strategic stronghold. From then, the now town saw many wars including the battle of Ebre and the first and second Spanish civil wars but to see the town you would never know.
It is probably the most medieval and beautiful riverside town we have seen, and as we walked further into the town climbing higher the buildings became more ancient and history was jumping out at us from every street and corner. Huge ancient archways, covered allyways held up with beams from old trees, massive doorways made from real wood all decoratively carved. It really is a grand spectacle.
The hike took us from the town along part of the cliff top next to the river and then went up and double backed on itself only higher. We were now walking on the old granite steps that would have led from the river, upto the castle. It was amazing to think of how many thousands of people must have walked on these steps over 2500 years. The stories they could tell.
We decided not to rush the day and leave visiting the castle until tomorrow, we were both tired, it was very hot and we don’t need to rush things.
We returned to Wanda at 3 o Clock and spent the rest of the day relaxing and watching the world go by.
After dinner we went for another walk down by the river to see the town lit up and then settled in for the evening. Hoping for a much better nights sleep.Read more