Pablo de Don Fadrique to La Toba

Surprisingly we had a peaceful nights sleep even though we were parked next to the community sports centre. There were no kids playing, no dogs barking and it was relatively warm compared to our last couple of nights. We were both awake at 7:30am and last night after abit of debating we decided we would travel to our next destination through the Sierra de Cazorla national park. No tolls and no motorways.
It would be a 20 mile shorter journey than the motorway route of 191 miles taking 3.5 hours. This route would be 171 miles but take 5 hours. It would be an adventurous route and I’d already decided 5 hours was too much to ask if Wanda and me so we would look for a stopover around halfway.
We set off around 9am leaving our little park up in Pueblo de Don Fadrique and straight away picked up the A-317a leaving town. Funnily enough this was a main highway but it was just wider than single lane and around 40mph speed limit most of the way. As soon as we left town we were out in the sticks and we were going uphill. The first summit was 1600 meters. It was a beautiful route and Wanda drove lovely all the way taking the hills, switchbacks and mountains in her stride like a mountain goat. The further we drove the more remote it became and we saw deers, mountain goats and red squirrels, not to mention tonnes of vultures the higher we climbed.
We kept stopping to take photos because the views were spectacular with mountain views, gorges and bridges and littles caves dotted the hillsides. It was an amazing road.
Around 40 miles in, while we still had a 4G signal I plotted our park up for the night. Ellie didn’t have a clue where we were going but I promised her she’d love it when we got there. It was listed as the best motorhome park up.
The coordinates were set and we had 32 miles to go. 12 on this A-317a and the rest off of a side road which did worry me a little because this road was already quite narrow.
Finally we reached the turn off and headed off the main road and started going downhill through a forested area. The road was tarmac and in excellent condition and the signs for snow chains only worried us because that meant more hills, and there were, lots of them with 180° switchbacks and now we were following the path of the river through the forest. We passed hiking trails, biking trails, abandoned villages where the houses were just crumbling, tiny little hamlets with 3 or 4 houses in them in the middle of nowhere until after 20 miles we crossed over a bridge and into the hamlet of La Toba. This was where we would be spending the night.
There was a car park immediately to the left of the bridge and the sat Nav said this was the spot but it didn’t look like the pictures so we locked Wanda up and then took a walk uphill into the centre of the hamlet.
It was a great walk seeing all the old storage dens cut into the side of the mountains with there tiny little doorways. A waterfall came down the side of the cliff face, ran under the road we were walking on and back out the other side down the cliff and into the river below. Where it ran under the road there was a diversion for some of the water and it ran into a four posted wooden structure and into a huge concrete basin and at the sides were concrete washboards. This was a traditional washing house of the area. There was also another one slightly further up the road. There were only about 20 houses and large closed restaurant and a closed hostel in the whole place but at the far end of the village there was a mini shrine to a saint where water from the river ran into the back and out through a fountain at the front. It was beautiful.
We turned around and walked back towards Wanda and continued past her and then I spotted our real parking spot from the pictures so I went back and moved Wanda to her home for the night.
We were now sat next to the running river, it is literally 3 foot away, surrounded by huge mountains all around us with some woods running off into the distant mountains behind us. It is the most scenic park up we have had and we are completely alone. So alone that after I cut my hair and had a shave I went skinny dipping in the river to wash off. It was unbelievably cold but refreshing.
Just before dinner we set off for a little explore down one of the trails as the sun was setting, we didn’t go far but did cross the river using stepping stones which was exciting and as the sun disappeared the temperature dropped from 22°c to 10°c in less than an hour although both our phones say that, that is the lowest it should get.Read more