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55 results for “rivulets”
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Happy birthday to my solo joint Solo Piano, released five years ago this week… Stream it wherever you listen to music; or download it in master-quality audio directly from me, here: rivulets.bandcamp.com/track/solo-p... #nathanamundson #solopiano #rivulets @rivulets.net
Solo Piano, by Nathan Amundson -
#Kneecap are the adults in the room, when our spineless and corrupt political "leaders" refuse to admit that anti-genocide DOES NOT EQUAL ANTI-SEMITISM
#Gaza #Palestine #STOPtheGENOCIDENOW
#fuckstarmer #fuckisrael #LabourFriendsOfGenocide -
Rivulets of tears
A runny sniffling nose
Why are my emotions
So soggy? -
Rain-soaked rivulets
Bank-swollen streams dreaming
Of mighty rivers#Haiku #OneHaikuADay #WritersCollective #writingcommunity #BackToHaiku #March #Spring #Rain #Stream #River #Rivulet #Water #Storm
March 30, 2025
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CW: 🩸 Blood. Honk. This is your blood warning. This image has blood in it. 🩸
Beautiful little rivulets #BloodPlay #NeedlePlay #BDSM #Masochism
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CW: 🩸 Blood. Honk. This is your blood warning. This image has blood in it. 🩸
Beautiful little rivulets #BloodPlay #NeedlePlay #BDSM #Masochism
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CW: 🩸 Blood. Honk. This is your blood warning. This image has blood in it. 🩸
Beautiful little rivulets #BloodPlay #NeedlePlay #BDSM #Masochism
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CW: 🩸 Blood. Honk. This is your blood warning. This image has blood in it. 🩸
Beautiful little rivulets #BloodPlay #NeedlePlay #BDSM #Masochism
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The Beach Towels of Cheyenne - Garth Rivulets
#MakeASongTrivial #BeachesOfCheyenne #GarthBrooks #HashTagGames @hashtaggames
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Yes, the rivulets of moisture running down my framed photos and TV screen could tell you this. Will trade coconuts for return of the trade winds please.
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@the_Effekt Sometimes I wonder what Mastodon others are using cuz this quirky one I’m on doesn’t quite feel like it’s life-changing or foundationally heralding in a #bold, creative utopia, facilitating in each user a raging #torrent, flooded with #rivulets of #thought cascading into a #waterfall of creative #alternatives 🤔
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“If we are seventy-percent water then the water I step over as I jump one of smaller rivulets as it laughs its way down hill is me or was me or will be me. How did we miss that everything is connected?”
Read the rest at link in bio.
#advent #thewildthedarktheinvitation #connection #nature #bookofnature #everythingisconnected
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[2/3] After ~2h on trail the landscape changed again, to a bleaker grassy expanse as we got nearer to the head of the valley (📷1). Water streamed off the cliffs, forming rivulets that found their way to the river, although not before leaving the ground boggy in many places (📷2). Our first new flower of the day was a native in the daisy family, Tussilago farfara | the colt’s foot (📷3). At 9km/ 3h on trail we reached the signature Cascada Cola de Caballo | horse trail waterfall, which felt somewhat anticlimactic (📷4).
🇪🇸 #spain #aragon 🇪🇺 #europe 🚀 #travel 🚐 #camperVan #nomad #roadTrip #vanLife 🥾 #hiking #nature #nationalPark
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"Stream of Consciousness" · Physarum simulation
From a diffuse field of feelings, ideas and outer impulses our mind creates streams, fields and rivulets of ideas and thoughts.
Some solve complex problems, some decide what to wear or eat, most are circular movements without a real purpose.Quantum fields dancing.
· · · · · ·
#Tooll3 #realtime #abstractart #generativeart #particles #livingpainting #creativecoding #hlsl #gpu #shader #audioreactive #soundpaint #bitwig #physarum #simulation
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Immersed in the refreshing tranquility of the Parc de Saint-Cloud's artificial waterfall. Anonymously captured elegance from 1860 - 1890. #Rijksmuseum What stories could these rivulets narrate?
#Art #History #Rijksmuseum #AskTwitter
https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/nl/collectie/RP-F-F08437 -
Immersed in the refreshing tranquility of the Parc de Saint-Cloud's artificial waterfall. Anonymously captured elegance from 1860 - 1890. #Rijksmuseum What stories could these rivulets narrate?
#Art #History #Rijksmuseum #AskTwitter
https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/nl/collectie/RP-F-F08437 -
CW: re: NSFW Drawing Tutorials - Off site Links - Long Post
Reposted from @c0rruptfaerie , my main account. I recommend bookmarking this one as I may eventually delete the original posts.
Cum / Liquids
Doxy’s Notes: Liquids on Objects
Quick and Easy: Rivulets And Rain
VL’s Drool Tutorial - by VoreLord
Hews-HacK's
How to draw White LiquidHow To Think When You Draw Slime Monsters
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"There's no place like home . . . "
Watching The Wizard of Oz at a rural drive-in in the rain. Distortion of rivulets syncing with distortion of the movie, designed to evoke memory and magic. Chef's kiss. Highly recommend.
Five stars.
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Fall Break – Dalsdalen
Last autumn, we stayed for a week along the Lusterfjorden in Vestland, Norway.
On our GPS map, we noted a river valley heading up into the mountains from the fjord town of Luster. We decided to explore the valley so we drove up Dalsdalen (the road), along the Dalsdalselvi (the river), to explore Dalsdalen (which actually translates to “the valley-valley”) itself.
We eventually stopped to take the dog for a walkabout and check out a bit of the valley on foot. What we found on our excursion were a number of tumbledown structures in a quiet, steep-sided valley with a few mountain farms.
Here are some images taken of some of the sights seen in the Norwegian valley of Dalsdalen last fall.
Looking down into Dalsdalen from a dirt road leading up to a mountain farm we took on our walkabout The valley was quite steep and there were little rivulets of water making their way down into the valley Looking through some trees towards a larger farm building Had to love the moss growing on the slate roof of this structure This structure has seen better days… …note the neighbouring structures as well Another little storage “shack” that is bald and leaning This structure has a corrugated metal roof and a bit more integrity Whoops, this slate roof has caved in Looks like a part of this structure has been completely torn down Lots of moss On our drive back down towards the fjord, we drove by a farm with a fjord view More “waterfalls” heading down the steep walls of the valley and some of the trees at the higher elevations were starting to turn A look from up over the valley from another of the farms towards the fjord where we came from #Architecture #Dalsdalen #Fall #Luster #Norway #OldBuildings #Photoblog #Photography #Travel #Valley -
I use my craft in all things. I knead gratitude into the bread dough I make for my family, talk to the herbs growing outside that I will pick for medicine later. I give the night sky appreciation each evening on the deck, not just the moon and it's phases but the actual sky. Dark nights, starry nights, misty nights, rainy nights. The early mornings especially in spring and summer when the magic light creeps through the trees and the morning mist clings to the mountains, rising with the heat. The season constantly moves forward with tiny minute little changes each day that I can mark such as each small sprig of green growth, the egg production of the chickens, the movement of water rivulets in the yard, the temperature and moisture of the breeze first thing in the morning, the smell of the dirt as the sun warms it up. The Wheel turns quickly.
#witchcraft #witches #Pagan #paganism #TurnTheWheel #OldGods
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Farseer – Portals To Cosmic Womb Review
By Tyme
Growing up together in the Chicago suburb of Cary, Farseer’s Brendan McCarthy (guitars/vocals), Ted Ballantine (guitar), George Burrows (bass), and Kyle Curtis (drums) have been playing music together since the 8th grade. It wasn’t until they returned to the Chicago area after college, the four intent on applying their years of collaboration to a single, focused project, that Farseer formed in 2016. Their 2019 self-titled debut constituted forty-six minutes of progressively psychedelic stoner sludge, setting a solid foundation for Farseer to build from. Now six years on, stalwart line-up intact, Farseer prepare to release their second record, Portals To Cosmic Womb. With some very Burke-ish cover art courtesy of Ryan T. Hancock, a matured, less stoner logo, and a FFO rap sheet including Mastodon, Opeth, and Elder, I sensed Farseer had ascended to a higher level of seriousness, and I was excited to hear what Portals To Cosmic Womb would birth.
Culling most of the psychedelic and stoner-rock elements, Farseer’s sound has evolved, now rooted in deathly progressive sludge and post-metallic atmospheres. Notably absent from Portals to Cosmic Womb are the meandering instrumental tracks that dominated Farseer, along with McCarthy’s occasional flirtation with clean vocals. Here, he sticks solely to his powerfully effective growls, which sound like a slightly raspier Mikael Åkerfeldt. McCarthy’s and Ballantine’s guitar heroics either ebb with crushing, Mastodonically substantial riffs (“The Supreme Note of Suffering”) or flow in rivulets of delicately strummed chords and gently plucked leads that build, Wayfarer-like (“The Abomination Renders the Poor Man Speechless”) to crescendo. Creeping below these intricate melodies, captured beautifully by Brad Boatright’s master, are Burrows’ weighty, winding bass lines and Curtis’ thunderous drums, which pound forth when riffs command, and retreat as atmospheres demand. Farseer guides us through the cosmic bog, a place lyrically steeped in pools of altered reality that bubble with existential dread, populated by the anxiety-inducing absurdities of societal modernity lurking within the Cthulhuian shadows.
Portals to Cosmic Womb is dripping with highlights. Like “Endless Waves of Obliteration,” which, true to its namesake, undulates between massively heavy riffs intertwined with cavernously snarling vocals, a passage of driving, Gojira-like chugs, then on to a bass- and drum-heavy interlude laced with delicate, Eastern-tinged leads. Its chorus is still living rent-free in my head. Then there’s my personal favorite, “Gentleman’s Bookshelf,”1 that begins with pulsating drums and propelling riffs sluiced by a deluge of glistening, post-metal tremolos before going full-on Leviathan mode for McCarthy’s verse work. Then, the track plunges into an interlude fat with intricate drum fills, noodling bass lines, and subtly mournful leads, before building back in intensity to finish with Mastodon-like majesty. Having spent time with their debut, this Farseer seems well-matured, and their ability to write meaningful yet memorable songs has improved markedly, casting Portals to Cosmic Womb as a dark mistress, whose mysteries continue to unravel with subsequent spins.
As if constructed from a blueprint of Opethic design, Farseer crafted Portals to Cosmic Womb with a near effortless flow. It’s six songs, spanning a very manageable forty minutes, find Farseer merging the best parts of those meandering instrumentals into rock-solid compositions that, like spring and neap tides, rise and fall with dramatic intensity. There is one ripple in the water, though, and that’s the album closer “The Daneri House.” While there’s nothing inherently wrong with the track, I rather enjoyed the last sixty seconds’ flanger modulation on the guitars, which gave the ending a spacy, almost Pink Floydian texture. It is the album’s most progressive song, with its growling vocal first beginning and complex time signatures that, as the final track took me out of the experience Farseer had provided and would have been better placed after “Gentleman’s Bookshelf,” leaving “The Abomination Renders the Poor Man Speechless” to bring the album to a resounding close.
Farseer basting in their creative juices over the past six years has resulted in a vastly improved product, as Portals to Cosmic Womb shatters any notions of a sophomore slump. Should Farseer continue along the path they’ve set here, I anticipate a record deal soon. With Portals to Cosmic Womb, Farseer now enters the pantheon of great Chicago artists as a genuine contender, and one you should definitely take note of. And while September looks to be shaping up as one of the better release months this year, Farseer will undoubtedly stand as one of the brighter spots in not only August, but 2025 for sure.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: ALAC
Label: Self-Released
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: August 22nd, 2025#2025 #35 #AmericanMetal #Aug25 #DeathMetal #Farseer #Gojira #Mastodon #Opeth #PortalsToCosmicWomb #ProgressiveMetal #Reviews #SelfReleased #SludgeMetal #Wayfarer
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CW: NSFW Gay Furry Incest
Warmup piece for today, both because I love me some incest smut and because the world needs more cute piggy boys in it. B3
#gay #furry #incest #male #fatherson #agedifference #oral #blowjob #thong #precum #cum #chubby #fat #pig
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Petey's friends all knew his Dad, Charles, well enough - a hardworking and reliable man with a no-nonsense attitude. He'd driven them to and from places all the time before Petey got his own license, and still made small talk with them when they'd come to hang out with their porcine pal.
One afternoon, not long after they'd all come back to his place from a snack run, the old man's voice called out asking for his help with something and Petey had left his friends with the TV and the game they were playing, telling them to play his turn if it came up.
Some twenty minutes later, one of his friends went to go find him to find out where he'd put the queso for the chips they'd bought. After hearing the muffled sound of Charles' voice coming from one of the rooms upstairs, he'd pushed the door open.
His question went unanswered, though, as Petey was on the floor of the bedroom he'd walked into - hands between his bare, freckled legs with naught but a dark red thong struggling to cover his erection and his mouth otherwise occupied; wrapped as it was around the thick, girthy shaft of his Dad's twitching cock, rivulets of glistening white dribbling down his chin as the old man dumped his load down his son's throat...
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CW: NSFW Gay Furry Incest
Warmup piece for today, both because I love me some incest smut and because the world needs more cute piggy boys in it. B3
#gay #furry #incest #male #fatherson #agedifference #oral #blowjob #thong #precum #cum #chubby #fat #pig
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Petey's friends all knew his Dad, Charles, well enough - a hardworking and reliable man with a no-nonsense attitude. He'd driven them to and from places all the time before Petey got his own license, and still made small talk with them when they'd come to hang out with their porcine pal.
One afternoon, not long after they'd all come back to his place from a snack run, the old man's voice called out asking for his help with something and Petey had left his friends with the TV and the game they were playing, telling them to play his turn if it came up.
Some twenty minutes later, one of his friends went to go find him to find out where he'd put the queso for the chips they'd bought. After hearing the muffled sound of Charles' voice coming from one of the rooms upstairs, he'd pushed the door open.
His question went unanswered, though, as Petey was on the floor of the bedroom he'd walked into - hands between his bare, freckled legs with naught but a dark red thong struggling to cover his erection and his mouth otherwise occupied; wrapped as it was around the thick, girthy shaft of his Dad's twitching cock, rivulets of glistening white dribbling down his chin as the old man dumped his load down his son's throat...
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CW: NSFW Gay Furry Incest
Warmup piece for today, both because I love me some incest smut and because the world needs more cute piggy boys in it. B3
#gay #furry #incest #male #fatherson #agedifference #oral #blowjob #thong #precum #cum #chubby #fat #pig
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Petey's friends all knew his Dad, Charles, well enough - a hardworking and reliable man with a no-nonsense attitude. He'd driven them to and from places all the time before Petey got his own license, and still made small talk with them when they'd come to hang out with their porcine pal.
One afternoon, not long after they'd all come back to his place from a snack run, the old man's voice called out asking for his help with something and Petey had left his friends with the TV and the game they were playing, telling them to play his turn if it came up.
Some twenty minutes later, one of his friends went to go find him to find out where he'd put the queso for the chips they'd bought. After hearing the muffled sound of Charles' voice coming from one of the rooms upstairs, he'd pushed the door open.
His question went unanswered, though, as Petey was on the floor of the bedroom he'd walked into - hands between his bare, freckled legs with naught but a dark red thong struggling to cover his erection and his mouth otherwise occupied; wrapped as it was around the thick, girthy shaft of his Dad's twitching cock, rivulets of glistening white dribbling down his chin as the old man dumped his load down his son's throat...
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By Holdeneye
In case you haven’t figured it out by now, music critics are generally complete morons. We listen to music, feel some feelings, think some thoughts, and then write some words, all the while thinking that our opinions might actually matter to anyone besides ourselves. In fact, we often times don’t even agree with our own opinions when given enough time and distance from when and where we originally formed them. Case in point: my review of Abhoria’s self-titled debut record, in which I nitpicked that the almost uniformly aggressive nature of the songs made the tracks blend together a bit, leaving the more experimental moments to stand as attention-grabbing beacons. Well, now that I’ve spent some time with Abhoria’s sophomore record, Depths, you’re about to hear me totally contradict myself.
Having interacted with Abhoria (and Ashen Horde) guitarist and songwriter Trevor Portz over the years, I know that Enslaved is a major influence on him, and Depths is oozing with stylistic nods to those prolific Norwegians. Whereas Ashen Horde has generally been Portz’s outlet for blackened death metal flavored with Enslaved’s more experimental material, Abhoria initially kept things more straightforward and visceral like Enslaved’s early efforts. This time around, we see Abhoria merging those approaches, with more experimentation and atmosphere being included with the faster, more aggressive elements. Embedded single “The Well” demonstrates this well (see what I did there?), its nefarious tremolo intro giving way to brief noodly riffs before settling into the ringing arpeggios underlying the verse. The rest of the song is a call and response between faster black metal and proggier moments, with a nice solo thrown in by Portz for good measure.
There’s a lot to like about this second iteration of Abhoria, with Portz’s playing and a new vocalist being the highlights. Portz has such a smooth delivery on the guitar, with riffs and leads cutting in and out like rivulets from the main rhythm. At times, it’s almost a little too smooth given the black metal aesthetic aimed for here. Tunes like “The Inexorable Earth” and “Within Our Dominion” play the sinister black metal game well, while some of the other tracks opt for different tacks. “They Hunt at Night” feels a little out of place with its proggy blackened death metal a la Ashen Horde, and it’s followed by “Devour,” a mid-paced track that derails the momentum a bit. In the end, while I’m not completely won over by the songwriting choices here, the entire package is delivered with precision and polish.
And that polish might be the record’s primary downfall. I’m not exactly sure why, but I don’t really feel the aggression that is so obviously present within many of these songs. I thought I wanted Abhoria’s sophomore record to feature more interesting elements to provide some contrast to its violent nature, but now that I have what I want, I realize I don’t actually want it. Don’t get me wrong, Depths is a more than serviceable black metal record with bits of death and prog thrown in, but something about this current ratio has defanged a once vicious bite. I’ve had no problems listening to the record; nothing has stood out as bad in any way. But then again, nothing has really jumped out to grab my attention either. My favorite tracks would be the nastier bits like “The Inexorable Earth,” “Within Our Dominion,” and “Ghost in the Smoke.”
Residing in the nebulous ether between the more aggressive and experimental natures of the band’s source material, Depths ultimately leaves me wanting more—or maybe less, contrary to my findings on the band’s debut. Abhoria has a lot of talent at their disposal, but the songwriting, while competently executed and devoid of low points, lacks enough engaging highs to really stand out amongst the crowd. But then again, I am a music critic, and therefore, a moron. I hope to find many of you telling me how wrong I am below.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Prosthetic Records
Websites: abhoria.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/abhoriametal
Releases Worldwide: January 19th, 2024#25 #2024 #Abhoria #AmericanMetal #AshenHorde #BlackMetal #Depths #Enslaved #Jan24 #ProstheticRecords #Review #Reviews
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The wild reaches of Aragón
About half the size of Portugal, we knew very little of Spain’s Aragón region. That was about to change as our road from Extremadura led us through its northern reaches bound for the co-principality of Andorra.
Coordinates
- Alhama de Aragón
- Nuévalos
- Zaragoza
- Castejón de Monegros
- Sariñena
- Alquézar
- Rodellar
- Barbastro
- Torla-Ordesa
- Viacamp
- Estopiñán del Castillo
Into Aragón
From Aranjuez we began our journey northeast towards Zaragoza, noting changes in the landscape once we had escaped the spaghetti junctions, slow traffic and industrialized zones in Madrid’s orbit. We saw red earth in the hills near Medinaceli (📷1) and green fields further along the A-2 near Arcos de Jalón (📷2), both in the Castile and León region. Crossing into Aragón we came to the spa town of Alhama de Aragón, a name derived from Arabic, although its thermal springs were known in Roman times (📷3). A bridge crossing on Embalse de la Tranquera | Tranquillity Reservoir, which certainly lives up to its name, as we approached pitch in Nuévalos (📷4).
Monasterio de Piedra near Nuévalos is a former monastery (now part ruin and part hotel) and Romantic landscaped park containing trees, waterfalls and caves along the Piedra River; this is Cascada la Caprichosa (📷1). The combination of Cascade Cola de Caballo (📷2) with Gruta Iris behind its curtain (📷3), reached via a staircase cut into the cliff, was easily the highlight. Some of the scenery was decidedly more tranquil, but no less dramatic (📷4). Visiting the ruin of Santa Maria de Piedra is included in the entry ticket; it was occupied by Cistercian monks from 1218 CE for 617 years, until confiscated by the Spanish Government in 1835 and coming into private ownership. Within the ruin there’s a museum about wine making and exhibit on the introduction of chocolate to Europe. Note that the site only reopened a year ago after severe flood damage in late 2024; it’s mass tourism-oriented, so an early start helps avoid the crowds.
Zaragoza
After leaving Nuévalos we enjoyed seeing semi-arid agricultural landscapes (📷1) before joining motorways bound for the metropolitan sprawl of Zaragoza. Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar is the city’s defining landmark, a huge baroque basilica with domes overlooking the Ebro, seen here behind 15th C. bridge of Puente de Piedra (📷2); the Romans had also bridged the Ebro here when the town was known as Caesaraugusta. The 11th C. Islamic Aljafería Palace is part of the Mudéjar Architecture of Aragón UNESCO listing (📷3); it was unfortunately closed for siesta when we arrived—having been caught out a few times by this already! La Seo Cathedral | Cathedral of the Saviour is also part of the UNESCO listing, being built atop the Roman forum and serving as a mosque—evident in its exterior Mudéjar wall (📷4)—before expansion as a Christian cathedral; the interior (€) mixes Romanesque, Gothic, Mudéjar, Renaissance and Baroque styles.
Los Monegros
The Ruta Jubierre | Jubierre track is an unpaved route that leads into the Barrancos de Jubierre, a badlands area within Aragón’s semi-arid Los Monegros region (it’s not technically a desert). We began from the southern end near the village of Castejón de Monegros, heading northward to exit onto the A-131 towards Sariñena. To visit Tozal Solitario, an isolated rock formation, we wisely left the van on the main track and walked to the formation (📷1). Tozal de Colásico is larger and can be seen without leaving the main track (📷2); you can also drive right up to it. Tozales de Los Pedregales is a collection of four eroded clay formations and ravines reached via a short but well-marked hike (📷3); this is formation no. 4. Tozal de la Cobeta is apparently the most photographed formation (📷4); we drove off the main track right up to this one, avoiding a hot 6km return hike. It took us ~3h to make the drive at ~30km/h max and to take short hikes to the formations. It had been dry so the dirt was very compacted and we had no concerns about clearance in our 2WD camper; we used the width of the road to avoid ruts and corrugations, as traffic was light. There was no avoiding the dust though!
Parque Natural Sierra y Cañones de Guara
The pretty but touristy village of Alquézar lies within Parque Natural Sierra y Cañones de Guara | Natural Park of the Sierra and Canyons of Guara; it’s crowned by Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor and Castillo Torre (📷1). The 6 € pp 3km Pasarelas de Alquézar descend from the ticket gate at the town hall into the adjacent Río Vero canyon, where we noted native Ramonda myconi | the Pyrenean violet in flower (📷2). We gained access to the clear-running river at Cueva Picamartillo (📷3) before taking the first of several gangways suspended over the riverbed (📷4).
Continuing in the pasarelas, the hand of man is evident in the canyon, with industrial remnants including a weir and canal that was part of a small hydroelectric plant completed in 1913 (📷1); it reused an old mill and today’s visitor trail began as service paths. The dramatic limestone canyon itself however is of natural karst geology and the metal gangways purpose-built for tourism (📷2). Aphyllanthes monspeliensis | the blue aphyllanthes is endemic to the western Mediterranean (📷3). A look back towards town from Mirador del Vero as a thunderstorm approaches; you can see more of the gangways on the riverside cliffs (📷4). This was a 6.3km/ 2h 20min loop walk from the campsite.
Our next hike in Parque Natural Sierra y Cañones de Guara was the S-3 Circular, anticlockwise, from the trailhead at Rodellar. We descended into Barranco del Mascún | the Mascún River gorge, noting rock climbers scaling sheer cliffs on both sides of the valley and gradually improving our view of the first of several rock windows we’d see on the trail (📷1). On reaching the riverbed we joined the Camino de Otín. There’s a nice view back to the window from near Surgencia de Mascún | the spring where Río Mascún stops being underground (📷2); shortly after the spring the intimidating Espolón de la Virgen via ferrata begins. Native Helianthemum apenninum | white rock-rose seemed to like living in the valley floor (📷3). We had views to Torre de Santiago for some time before reaching the formation (📷4).
Ascending the S-3 trail beside Torre de Santiago (📷1). We found the lengthy and uneven climb from the riverbed to Mirador del Mascún (📷2) rather tough, but greatly enjoyed ever-changing perspectives on the Torre. Native Polygala calcarea | the chalk milkwort favoured living at elevation (📷3). At the abandoned village of Otín we turned towards Dolmen de la Losa Mora, ~5,000 years old (📷4). The trail was less dramatic but pleasant, until we began the descent back to the Río Mascún via the Andrebot ravine—here the path was formed of loose limestone and slow-going (use poles to reduce tumble risk). From the spring we backtracked up to Rodellar. The loop over 15km took us 5.5h. At camp we checked in with “I need a place to sleep, a beer & a hot shower—in any order!”
Parque Natural Ordesa y Monte Perdido
Pradera de Ordesa (parking near Torla-Ordesa) to the Cola de Caballo waterfall is a popular out-and-back trail in Parque Natural Ordesa y Monte Perdido | Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park. The Senda a la Cola de Caballo trail runs beside the Río Arazas, although the first section is under forest cover with limited views (📷1). After ~100min on trail things get more open and we found ourselves admiring spring greens next to clear mountain waters and impressive walls of rock in both downstream (📷2) and upstream (📷3) directions. The trail offers a number of waterfall waypoints, but they’re not all easy to see well due to vegetation overgrowth or flooded miradors; this is part of Gradas de Soaso, a sequence of steps (📷4).
After ~2h on trail the landscape changed again, to a bleaker grassy expanse as we got nearer to the head of the valley (📷1). Water streamed off the cliffs, forming rivulets that found their way to the river, although not before leaving the ground boggy in many places (📷2). Our first new flower of the day was a native in the daisy family, Tussilago farfara | the colt’s foot (📷3). At 9km/ 3h on trail we reached the signature Cascada Cola de Caballo | horse trail waterfall, which felt somewhat anticlimactic (📷4).
Our second new flower was native Narcissus pseudonarcissus | the wild daffodil, which seemed to favour growing within the protective cocoon offered by another (perfectly named) spiny native, Echinospartum horridum (📷1). Vultures circled overhead; we think we heard marmots whistling and the herd of native Rupicapra pyrenaica | Pyrenean chamois we’d seen on the way in had drawn closer to the river as we turned back (📷2). Cascada del Estrecho was our favourite waterfall; we detoured from the main path to its mirador on the return leg (📷3). Instead of rejoining the main path we crossed the river, which afforded new views en route to the parking area (📷4). 19km/ 5.5h return.
A scenic drive out of the mountains from pitch in Broto to the town of Barbastro, where chores awaited. Here’s the view from Mirador de Jánovas, between the villages of Fiscal and Boltaña (📷1). Embalse de Mediano contained stands of flooded trees (📷2) and the threat of rain made for moody reflections (📷3). Embalse de El Grado I, the neighbouring reservoir, was looking very emerald from the van door as we stopped for lunch.
Montfalcó
Despite some reports, the 15km from the N-230 to public parking at Montfalcó (near Viacamp) weren’t at all challenging in a 2WD, with mostly good surface—but narrow in places. Mirador de Montfalcó overlooks Pantà de Canelles | Embalse de Canelles, but also offered a first glimpse of the Noguera Ribagorzana river that divides Aragón’s Montsec de L’Estall to the west (left bank) from Catalonia’s Montsec d’Ares on the eastern shore (📷1). These karst escarpments are part of the outer mountains of the Central Pyrenees, formed from Cretaceous and Jurassic materials.
We’d come to hike the Camino Natural de Montfalcó al Congost de Mont-rebei | Natural Path from Montfalcó to the Congost de Mont-rebei. Here’s a view from the first pasarela | catwalk up a 30m escarpment, with 139 steps over 90m in length (📷2). The second pasarela is longer at 120m, with 215 steps ascending a 44m high escarpment (📷3). This is where you question how comfortable you are in the knowledge it was likely engineered by the lowest bidder… Sarcocapnos enneaphylla, native to southwestern Europe and northern Africa, is however quite at home on limestone escarpments (📷4).
From the second pasarela we could anticipate the upcoming descent to the suspension bridge spanning the 35m gap between Aragón and Catalonia (📷1). From said bridge at Congost del Seguer, looking into the gorge of Mont-rebei, we could readily appreciate the depth of canyon the river had cut here (📷2); the cliffs reach over 500m high. Camino Natural de Montfalcó al Congost de Mont-rebei ascends a short way on the Catalonian side to intersect the Camí de Mont-rebei, itself a segment of the long-distance GR-1 (Sendero Histórico). As we climbed to join it we got a good look back at the second pasarela we’d used on the opposite bank (📷3). We also looked down of course (the path is uneven here) and avoided trampling this big darkling beetle (📷4); Blaps lusitanica can release a foul-smelling secretion from glands at its rear when threatened.
Our original goal had been a mirador in the Mont-rebei Gorge, from which we could look back the way we had come (📷1) and also in the onward direction (📷2). Having met a Spanish couple who told us they were continuing in order to pick up a kayak and return by water, we decided to do the same. We thus continued beyond the mirador on Camí de Mont-rebei, a spectacular cliffside trail through the gorge known for its narrow path carved into rock walls above the river (📷3). After ~10km/ 3h 40min of hiking we arrived at a beach where, luckily, there was a spare double kayak available (we’d tried phoning, but had signal issues). Our 8km/ 1h 40min paddle back through the gorge (📷4) to a pier below Albergue de Montfalcó was followed by a 2km 4×4 transfer up the steep hill, where we paid for the rental—and our knees expressed their gratitude!
Muralla de Finestres
Roques de la Vila is a geological formation also popularly known as Muralla (China) de Finestres | the (Chinese) Wall Of Finestres. We followed online and local advice to park at Puente de Penavera, a bridge northeast of Estopiñán del Castillo, given the state of the dirt road. The 6.4km drive from our pitch in town took ~30 minutes. Although we sighted the formation ~4.5km into the hike, we first came to the former settlement of Finestres (📷1). It was depopulated in 1960 due to the filling of the Canelles reservoir; only one house, Casa Coix, is seasonally inhabited. A short and easy signposted walk links the village centre to Ermita de San Marcos | the Hermitage of Saint Mark; this is the best spot for panoramic views of the ~840m long formation (📷2). Folding of strata ~100 million years ago and subsequent erosion have created two primary parallel lines of vertical limestone that resemble a wall (📷3). Some of the formation is now partially submerged in the reservoir (📷4).
Between the two lines of strata sits the 11–12th C. Romanesque Esglèsia de Sant Vicenç | Ermita San Vicente | Church of Saint Vincent, seen here from the more challenging path to reach it (📷1); poles are useful. On this part of the hike you cross over one of the walls and reach water level, where we noted this particular slab, nicely illustrating the process of continuing erosion (📷2). The hermitage is partially formed from limestone and the sanctuary is largely intact (📷3); the remnants of Castillo de Finestras, a medieval Moorish castle upon which the hermitage was built, are also evident. From this vantage point there’s an impressive view down the middle of the formation (📷4). The 15km/ 4.5h return hike was mostly exposed.
After this hike it was farewell Aragón; it certainly made an impression and is an area we’d happily return to.
#2026 #aragón #camperVan #catalonia #europe #hiking #nationalPark #nature #nomad #roadTrip #romans #spain #travel #unesco #vanLife -
The wild reaches of Aragón
About half the size of Portugal, we knew very little of Spain’s Aragón region. That was about to change as our road from Extremadura led us through its northern reaches bound for the co-principality of Andorra.
Coordinates
- Alhama de Aragón
- Nuévalos
- Zaragoza
- Castejón de Monegros
- Sariñena
- Alquézar
- Rodellar
- Barbastro
- Torla-Ordesa
- Viacamp
- Estopiñán del Castillo
Into Aragón
From Aranjuez we began our journey northeast towards Zaragoza, noting changes in the landscape once we had escaped the spaghetti junctions, slow traffic and industrialized zones in Madrid’s orbit. We saw red earth in the hills near Medinaceli (📷1) and green fields further along the A-2 near Arcos de Jalón (📷2), both in the Castile and León region. Crossing into Aragón we came to the spa town of Alhama de Aragón, a name derived from Arabic, although its thermal springs were known in Roman times (📷3). A bridge crossing on Embalse de la Tranquera | Tranquillity Reservoir, which certainly lives up to its name, as we approached pitch in Nuévalos (📷4).
Monasterio de Piedra near Nuévalos is a former monastery (now part ruin and part hotel) and Romantic landscaped park containing trees, waterfalls and caves along the Piedra River; this is Cascada la Caprichosa (📷1). The combination of Cascade Cola de Caballo (📷2) with Gruta Iris behind its curtain (📷3), reached via a staircase cut into the cliff, was easily the highlight. Some of the scenery was decidedly more tranquil, but no less dramatic (📷4). Visiting the ruin of Santa Maria de Piedra is included in the entry ticket; it was occupied by Cistercian monks from 1218 CE for 617 years, until confiscated by the Spanish Government in 1835 and coming into private ownership. Within the ruin there’s a museum about wine making and exhibit on the introduction of chocolate to Europe. Note that the site only reopened a year ago after severe flood damage in late 2024; it’s mass tourism-oriented, so an early start helps avoid the crowds.
Zaragoza
After leaving Nuévalos we enjoyed seeing semi-arid agricultural landscapes (📷1) before joining motorways bound for the metropolitan sprawl of Zaragoza. Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar is the city’s defining landmark, a huge baroque basilica with domes overlooking the Ebro, seen here behind 15th C. bridge of Puente de Piedra (📷2); the Romans had also bridged the Ebro here when the town was known as Caesaraugusta. The 11th C. Islamic Aljafería Palace is part of the Mudéjar Architecture of Aragón UNESCO listing (📷3); it was unfortunately closed for siesta when we arrived—having been caught out a few times by this already! La Seo Cathedral | Cathedral of the Saviour is also part of the UNESCO listing, being built atop the Roman forum and serving as a mosque—evident in its exterior Mudéjar wall (📷4)—before expansion as a Christian cathedral; the interior (€) mixes Romanesque, Gothic, Mudéjar, Renaissance and Baroque styles.
Los Monegros
The Ruta Jubierre | Jubierre track is an unpaved route that leads into the Barrancos de Jubierre, a badlands area within Aragón’s semi-arid Los Monegros region (it’s not technically a desert). We began from the southern end near the village of Castejón de Monegros, heading northward to exit onto the A-131 towards Sariñena. To visit Tozal Solitario, an isolated rock formation, we wisely left the van on the main track and walked to the formation (📷1). Tozal de Colásico is larger and can be seen without leaving the main track (📷2); you can also drive right up to it. Tozales de Los Pedregales is a collection of four eroded clay formations and ravines reached via a short but well-marked hike (📷3); this is formation no. 4. Tozal de la Cobeta is apparently the most photographed formation (📷4); we drove off the main track right up to this one, avoiding a hot 6km return hike. It took us ~3h to make the drive at ~30km/h max and to take short hikes to the formations. It had been dry so the dirt was very compacted and we had no concerns about clearance in our 2WD camper; we used the width of the road to avoid ruts and corrugations, as traffic was light. There was no avoiding the dust though!
Parque Natural Sierra y Cañones de Guara
The pretty but touristy village of Alquézar lies within Parque Natural Sierra y Cañones de Guara | Natural Park of the Sierra and Canyons of Guara; it’s crowned by Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor and Castillo Torre (📷1). The 6 € pp 3km Pasarelas de Alquézar descend from the ticket gate at the town hall into the adjacent Río Vero canyon, where we noted native Ramonda myconi | the Pyrenean violet in flower (📷2). We gained access to the clear-running river at Cueva Picamartillo (📷3) before taking the first of several gangways suspended over the riverbed (📷4).
Continuing in the pasarelas, the hand of man is evident in the canyon, with industrial remnants including a weir and canal that was part of a small hydroelectric plant completed in 1913 (📷1); it reused an old mill and today’s visitor trail began as service paths. The dramatic limestone canyon itself however is of natural karst geology and the metal gangways purpose-built for tourism (📷2). Aphyllanthes monspeliensis | the blue aphyllanthes is endemic to the western Mediterranean (📷3). A look back towards town from Mirador del Vero as a thunderstorm approaches; you can see more of the gangways on the riverside cliffs (📷4). This was a 6.3km/ 2h 20min loop walk from the campsite.
Our next hike in Parque Natural Sierra y Cañones de Guara was the S-3 Circular, anticlockwise, from the trailhead at Rodellar. We descended into Barranco del Mascún | the Mascún River gorge, noting rock climbers scaling sheer cliffs on both sides of the valley and gradually improving our view of the first of several rock windows we’d see on the trail (📷1). On reaching the riverbed we joined the Camino de Otín. There’s a nice view back to the window from near Surgencia de Mascún | the spring where Río Mascún stops being underground (📷2); shortly after the spring the intimidating Espolón de la Virgen via ferrata begins. Native Helianthemum apenninum | white rock-rose seemed to like living in the valley floor (📷3). We had views to Torre de Santiago for some time before reaching the formation (📷4).
Ascending the S-3 trail beside Torre de Santiago (📷1). We found the lengthy and uneven climb from the riverbed to Mirador del Mascún (📷2) rather tough, but greatly enjoyed ever-changing perspectives on the Torre. Native Polygala calcarea | the chalk milkwort favoured living at elevation (📷3). At the abandoned village of Otín we turned towards Dolmen de la Losa Mora, ~5,000 years old (📷4). The trail was less dramatic but pleasant, until we began the descent back to the Río Mascún via the Andrebot ravine—here the path was formed of loose limestone and slow-going (use poles to reduce tumble risk). From the spring we backtracked up to Rodellar. The loop over 15km took us 5.5h. At camp we checked in with “I need a place to sleep, a beer & a hot shower—in any order!”
Parque Natural Ordesa y Monte Perdido
Pradera de Ordesa (parking near Torla-Ordesa) to the Cola de Caballo waterfall is a popular out-and-back trail in Parque Natural Ordesa y Monte Perdido | Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park. The Senda a la Cola de Caballo trail runs beside the Río Arazas, although the first section is under forest cover with limited views (📷1). After ~100min on trail things get more open and we found ourselves admiring spring greens next to clear mountain waters and impressive walls of rock in both downstream (📷2) and upstream (📷3) directions. The trail offers a number of waterfall waypoints, but they’re not all easy to see well due to vegetation overgrowth or flooded miradors; this is part of Gradas de Soaso, a sequence of steps (📷4).
After ~2h on trail the landscape changed again, to a bleaker grassy expanse as we got nearer to the head of the valley (📷1). Water streamed off the cliffs, forming rivulets that found their way to the river, although not before leaving the ground boggy in many places (📷2). Our first new flower of the day was a native in the daisy family, Tussilago farfara | the colt’s foot (📷3). At 9km/ 3h on trail we reached the signature Cascada Cola de Caballo | horse trail waterfall, which felt somewhat anticlimactic (📷4).
Our second new flower was native Narcissus pseudonarcissus | the wild daffodil, which seemed to favour growing within the protective cocoon offered by another (perfectly named) spiny native, Echinospartum horridum (📷1). Vultures circled overhead; we think we heard marmots whistling and the herd of native Rupicapra pyrenaica | Pyrenean chamois we’d seen on the way in had drawn closer to the river as we turned back (📷2). Cascada del Estrecho was our favourite waterfall; we detoured from the main path to its mirador on the return leg (📷3). Instead of rejoining the main path we crossed the river, which afforded new views en route to the parking area (📷4). 19km/ 5.5h return.
A scenic drive out of the mountains from pitch in Broto to the town of Barbastro, where chores awaited. Here’s the view from Mirador de Jánovas, between the villages of Fiscal and Boltaña (📷1). Embalse de Mediano contained stands of flooded trees (📷2) and the threat of rain made for moody reflections (📷3). Embalse de El Grado I, the neighbouring reservoir, was looking very emerald from the van door as we stopped for lunch.
Montfalcó
Despite some reports, the 15km from the N-230 to public parking at Montfalcó (near Viacamp) weren’t at all challenging in a 2WD, with mostly good surface—but narrow in places. Mirador de Montfalcó overlooks Pantà de Canelles | Embalse de Canelles, but also offered a first glimpse of the Noguera Ribagorzana river that divides Aragón’s Montsec de L’Estall to the west (left bank) from Catalonia’s Montsec d’Ares on the eastern shore (📷1). These karst escarpments are part of the outer mountains of the Central Pyrenees, formed from Cretaceous and Jurassic materials.
We’d come to hike the Camino Natural de Montfalcó al Congost de Mont-rebei | Natural Path from Montfalcó to the Congost de Mont-rebei. Here’s a view from the first pasarela | catwalk up a 30m escarpment, with 139 steps over 90m in length (📷2). The second pasarela is longer at 120m, with 215 steps ascending a 44m high escarpment (📷3). This is where you question how comfortable you are in the knowledge it was likely engineered by the lowest bidder… Sarcocapnos enneaphylla, native to southwestern Europe and northern Africa, is however quite at home on limestone escarpments (📷4).
From the second pasarela we could anticipate the upcoming descent to the suspension bridge spanning the 35m gap between Aragón and Catalonia (📷1). From said bridge at Congost del Seguer, looking into the gorge of Mont-rebei, we could readily appreciate the depth of canyon the river had cut here (📷2); the cliffs reach over 500m high. Camino Natural de Montfalcó al Congost de Mont-rebei ascends a short way on the Catalonian side to intersect the Camí de Mont-rebei, itself a segment of the long-distance GR-1 (Sendero Histórico). As we climbed to join it we got a good look back at the second pasarela we’d used on the opposite bank (📷3). We also looked down of course (the path is uneven here) and avoided trampling this big darkling beetle (📷4); Blaps lusitanica can release a foul-smelling secretion from glands at its rear when threatened.
Our original goal had been a mirador in the Mont-rebei Gorge, from which we could look back the way we had come (📷1) and also in the onward direction (📷2). Having met a Spanish couple who told us they were continuing in order to pick up a kayak and return by water, we decided to do the same. We thus continued beyond the mirador on Camí de Mont-rebei, a spectacular cliffside trail through the gorge known for its narrow path carved into rock walls above the river (📷3). After ~10km/ 3h 40min of hiking we arrived at a beach where, luckily, there was a spare double kayak available (we’d tried phoning, but had signal issues). Our 8km/ 1h 40min paddle back through the gorge (📷4) to a pier below Albergue de Montfalcó was followed by a 2km 4×4 transfer up the steep hill, where we paid for the rental—and our knees expressed their gratitude!
Muralla de Finestres
Roques de la Vila is a geological formation also popularly known as Muralla (China) de Finestres | the (Chinese) Wall Of Finestres. We followed online and local advice to park at Puente de Penavera, a bridge northeast of Estopiñán del Castillo, given the state of the dirt road. The 6.4km drive from our pitch in town took ~30 minutes. Although we sighted the formation ~4.5km into the hike, we first came to the former settlement of Finestres (📷1). It was depopulated in 1960 due to the filling of the Canelles reservoir; only one house, Casa Coix, is seasonally inhabited. A short and easy signposted walk links the village centre to Ermita de San Marcos | the Hermitage of Saint Mark; this is the best spot for panoramic views of the ~840m long formation (📷2). Folding of strata ~100 million years ago and subsequent erosion have created two primary parallel lines of vertical limestone that resemble a wall (📷3). Some of the formation is now partially submerged in the reservoir (📷4).
Between the two lines of strata sits the 11–12th C. Romanesque Esglèsia de Sant Vicenç | Ermita San Vicente | Church of Saint Vincent, seen here from the more challenging path to reach it (📷1); poles are useful. On this part of the hike you cross over one of the walls and reach water level, where we noted this particular slab, nicely illustrating the process of continuing erosion (📷2). The hermitage is partially formed from limestone and the sanctuary is largely intact (📷3); the remnants of Castillo de Finestras, a medieval Moorish castle upon which the hermitage was built, are also evident. From this vantage point there’s an impressive view down the middle of the formation (📷4). The 15km/ 4.5h return hike was mostly exposed.
After this hike it was farewell Aragón; it certainly made an impression and is an area we’d happily return to.
#2026 #aragón #camperVan #catalonia #europe #hiking #nationalPark #nature #nomad #roadTrip #romans #spain #travel #unesco #vanLife -
The wild reaches of Aragón
About half the size of Portugal, we knew very little of Spain’s Aragón region. That was about to change as our road from Extremadura led us through its northern reaches bound for the co-principality of Andorra.
Coordinates
- Alhama de Aragón
- Nuévalos
- Zaragoza
- Castejón de Monegros
- Sariñena
- Alquézar
- Rodellar
- Barbastro
- Torla-Ordesa
- Viacamp
- Estopiñán del Castillo
Into Aragón
From Aranjuez we began our journey northeast towards Zaragoza, noting changes in the landscape once we had escaped the spaghetti junctions, slow traffic and industrialized zones in Madrid’s orbit. We saw red earth in the hills near Medinaceli (📷1) and green fields further along the A-2 near Arcos de Jalón (📷2), both in the Castile and León region. Crossing into Aragón we came to the spa town of Alhama de Aragón, a name derived from Arabic, although its thermal springs were known in Roman times (📷3). A bridge crossing on Embalse de la Tranquera | Tranquillity Reservoir, which certainly lives up to its name, as we approached pitch in Nuévalos (📷4).
Monasterio de Piedra near Nuévalos is a former monastery (now part ruin and part hotel) and Romantic landscaped park containing trees, waterfalls and caves along the Piedra River; this is Cascada la Caprichosa (📷1). The combination of Cascade Cola de Caballo (📷2) with Gruta Iris behind its curtain (📷3), reached via a staircase cut into the cliff, was easily the highlight. Some of the scenery was decidedly more tranquil, but no less dramatic (📷4). Visiting the ruin of Santa Maria de Piedra is included in the entry ticket; it was occupied by Cistercian monks from 1218 CE for 617 years, until confiscated by the Spanish Government in 1835 and coming into private ownership. Within the ruin there’s a museum about wine making and exhibit on the introduction of chocolate to Europe. Note that the site only reopened a year ago after severe flood damage in late 2024; it’s mass tourism-oriented, so an early start helps avoid the crowds.
Zaragoza
After leaving Nuévalos we enjoyed seeing semi-arid agricultural landscapes (📷1) before joining motorways bound for the metropolitan sprawl of Zaragoza. Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar is the city’s defining landmark, a huge baroque basilica with domes overlooking the Ebro, seen here behind 15th C. bridge of Puente de Piedra (📷2); the Romans had also bridged the Ebro here when the town was known as Caesaraugusta. The 11th C. Islamic Aljafería Palace is part of the Mudéjar Architecture of Aragón UNESCO listing (📷3); it was unfortunately closed for siesta when we arrived—having been caught out a few times by this already! La Seo Cathedral | Cathedral of the Saviour is also part of the UNESCO listing, being built atop the Roman forum and serving as a mosque—evident in its exterior Mudéjar wall (📷4)—before expansion as a Christian cathedral; the interior (€) mixes Romanesque, Gothic, Mudéjar, Renaissance and Baroque styles.
Los Monegros
The Ruta Jubierre | Jubierre track is an unpaved route that leads into the Barrancos de Jubierre, a badlands area within Aragón’s semi-arid Los Monegros region (it’s not technically a desert). We began from the southern end near the village of Castejón de Monegros, heading northward to exit onto the A-131 towards Sariñena. To visit Tozal Solitario, an isolated rock formation, we wisely left the van on the main track and walked to the formation (📷1). Tozal de Colásico is larger and can be seen without leaving the main track (📷2); you can also drive right up to it. Tozales de Los Pedregales is a collection of four eroded clay formations and ravines reached via a short but well-marked hike (📷3); this is formation no. 4. Tozal de la Cobeta is apparently the most photographed formation (📷4); we drove off the main track right up to this one, avoiding a hot 6km return hike. It took us ~3h to make the drive at ~30km/h max and to take short hikes to the formations. It had been dry so the dirt was very compacted and we had no concerns about clearance in our 2WD camper; we used the width of the road to avoid ruts and corrugations, as traffic was light. There was no avoiding the dust though!
Parque Natural Sierra y Cañones de Guara
The pretty but touristy village of Alquézar lies within Parque Natural Sierra y Cañones de Guara | Natural Park of the Sierra and Canyons of Guara; it’s crowned by Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor and Castillo Torre (📷1). The 6 € pp 3km Pasarelas de Alquézar descend from the ticket gate at the town hall into the adjacent Río Vero canyon, where we noted native Ramonda myconi | the Pyrenean violet in flower (📷2). We gained access to the clear-running river at Cueva Picamartillo (📷3) before taking the first of several gangways suspended over the riverbed (📷4).
Continuing in the pasarelas, the hand of man is evident in the canyon, with industrial remnants including a weir and canal that was part of a small hydroelectric plant completed in 1913 (📷1); it reused an old mill and today’s visitor trail began as service paths. The dramatic limestone canyon itself however is of natural karst geology and the metal gangways purpose-built for tourism (📷2). Aphyllanthes monspeliensis | the blue aphyllanthes is endemic to the western Mediterranean (📷3). A look back towards town from Mirador del Vero as a thunderstorm approaches; you can see more of the gangways on the riverside cliffs (📷4). This was a 6.3km/ 2h 20min loop walk from the campsite.
Our next hike in Parque Natural Sierra y Cañones de Guara was the S-3 Circular, anticlockwise, from the trailhead at Rodellar. We descended into Barranco del Mascún | the Mascún River gorge, noting rock climbers scaling sheer cliffs on both sides of the valley and gradually improving our view of the first of several rock windows we’d see on the trail (📷1). On reaching the riverbed we joined the Camino de Otín. There’s a nice view back to the window from near Surgencia de Mascún | the spring where Río Mascún stops being underground (📷2); shortly after the spring the intimidating Espolón de la Virgen via ferrata begins. Native Helianthemum apenninum | white rock-rose seemed to like living in the valley floor (📷3). We had views to Torre de Santiago for some time before reaching the formation (📷4).
Ascending the S-3 trail beside Torre de Santiago (📷1). We found the lengthy and uneven climb from the riverbed to Mirador del Mascún (📷2) rather tough, but greatly enjoyed ever-changing perspectives on the Torre. Native Polygala calcarea | the chalk milkwort favoured living at elevation (📷3). At the abandoned village of Otín we turned towards Dolmen de la Losa Mora, ~5,000 years old (📷4). The trail was less dramatic but pleasant, until we began the descent back to the Río Mascún via the Andrebot ravine—here the path was formed of loose limestone and slow-going (use poles to reduce tumble risk). From the spring we backtracked up to Rodellar. The loop over 15km took us 5.5h. At camp we checked in with “I need a place to sleep, a beer & a hot shower—in any order!”
Parque Natural Ordesa y Monte Perdido
Pradera de Ordesa (parking near Torla-Ordesa) to the Cola de Caballo waterfall is a popular out-and-back trail in Parque Natural Ordesa y Monte Perdido | Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park. The Senda a la Cola de Caballo trail runs beside the Río Arazas, although the first section is under forest cover with limited views (📷1). After ~100min on trail things get more open and we found ourselves admiring spring greens next to clear mountain waters and impressive walls of rock in both downstream (📷2) and upstream (📷3) directions. The trail offers a number of waterfall waypoints, but they’re not all easy to see well due to vegetation overgrowth or flooded miradors; this is part of Gradas de Soaso, a sequence of steps (📷4).
After ~2h on trail the landscape changed again, to a bleaker grassy expanse as we got nearer to the head of the valley (📷1). Water streamed off the cliffs, forming rivulets that found their way to the river, although not before leaving the ground boggy in many places (📷2). Our first new flower of the day was a native in the daisy family, Tussilago farfara | the colt’s foot (📷3). At 9km/ 3h on trail we reached the signature Cascada Cola de Caballo | horse trail waterfall, which felt somewhat anticlimactic (📷4).
Our second new flower was native Narcissus pseudonarcissus | the wild daffodil, which seemed to favour growing within the protective cocoon offered by another (perfectly named) spiny native, Echinospartum horridum (📷1). Vultures circled overhead; we think we heard marmots whistling and the herd of native Rupicapra pyrenaica | Pyrenean chamois we’d seen on the way in had drawn closer to the river as we turned back (📷2). Cascada del Estrecho was our favourite waterfall; we detoured from the main path to its mirador on the return leg (📷3). Instead of rejoining the main path we crossed the river, which afforded new views en route to the parking area (📷4). 19km/ 5.5h return.
A scenic drive out of the mountains from pitch in Broto to the town of Barbastro, where chores awaited. Here’s the view from Mirador de Jánovas, between the villages of Fiscal and Boltaña (📷1). Embalse de Mediano contained stands of flooded trees (📷2) and the threat of rain made for moody reflections (📷3). Embalse de El Grado I, the neighbouring reservoir, was looking very emerald from the van door as we stopped for lunch.
Montfalcó
Despite some reports, the 15km from the N-230 to public parking at Montfalcó (near Viacamp) weren’t at all challenging in a 2WD, with mostly good surface—but narrow in places. Mirador de Montfalcó overlooks Pantà de Canelles | Embalse de Canelles, but also offered a first glimpse of the Noguera Ribagorzana river that divides Aragón’s Montsec de L’Estall to the west (left bank) from Catalonia’s Montsec d’Ares on the eastern shore (📷1). These karst escarpments are part of the outer mountains of the Central Pyrenees, formed from Cretaceous and Jurassic materials.
We’d come to hike the Camino Natural de Montfalcó al Congost de Mont-rebei | Natural Path from Montfalcó to the Congost de Mont-rebei. Here’s a view from the first pasarela | catwalk up a 30m escarpment, with 139 steps over 90m in length (📷2). The second pasarela is longer at 120m, with 215 steps ascending a 44m high escarpment (📷3). This is where you question how comfortable you are in the knowledge it was likely engineered by the lowest bidder… Sarcocapnos enneaphylla, native to southwestern Europe and northern Africa, is however quite at home on limestone escarpments (📷4).
From the second pasarela we could anticipate the upcoming descent to the suspension bridge spanning the 35m gap between Aragón and Catalonia (📷1). From said bridge at Congost del Seguer, looking into the gorge of Mont-rebei, we could readily appreciate the depth of canyon the river had cut here (📷2); the cliffs reach over 500m high. Camino Natural de Montfalcó al Congost de Mont-rebei ascends a short way on the Catalonian side to intersect the Camí de Mont-rebei, itself a segment of the long-distance GR-1 (Sendero Histórico). As we climbed to join it we got a good look back at the second pasarela we’d used on the opposite bank (📷3). We also looked down of course (the path is uneven here) and avoided trampling this big darkling beetle (📷4); Blaps lusitanica can release a foul-smelling secretion from glands at its rear when threatened.
Our original goal had been a mirador in the Mont-rebei Gorge, from which we could look back the way we had come (📷1) and also in the onward direction (📷2). Having met a Spanish couple who told us they were continuing in order to pick up a kayak and return by water, we decided to do the same. We thus continued beyond the mirador on Camí de Mont-rebei, a spectacular cliffside trail through the gorge known for its narrow path carved into rock walls above the river (📷3). After ~10km/ 3h 40min of hiking we arrived at a beach where, luckily, there was a spare double kayak available (we’d tried phoning, but had signal issues). Our 8km/ 1h 40min paddle back through the gorge (📷4) to a pier below Albergue de Montfalcó was followed by a 2km 4×4 transfer up the steep hill, where we paid for the rental—and our knees expressed their gratitude!
Muralla de Finestres
Roques de la Vila is a geological formation also popularly known as Muralla (China) de Finestres | the (Chinese) Wall Of Finestres. We followed online and local advice to park at Puente de Penavera, a bridge northeast of Estopiñán del Castillo, given the state of the dirt road. The 6.4km drive from our pitch in town took ~30 minutes. Although we sighted the formation ~4.5km into the hike, we first came to the former settlement of Finestres (📷1). It was depopulated in 1960 due to the filling of the Canelles reservoir; only one house, Casa Coix, is seasonally inhabited. A short and easy signposted walk links the village centre to Ermita de San Marcos | the Hermitage of Saint Mark; this is the best spot for panoramic views of the ~840m long formation (📷2). Folding of strata ~100 million years ago and subsequent erosion have created two primary parallel lines of vertical limestone that resemble a wall (📷3). Some of the formation is now partially submerged in the reservoir (📷4).
Between the two lines of strata sits the 11–12th C. Romanesque Esglèsia de Sant Vicenç | Ermita San Vicente | Church of Saint Vincent, seen here from the more challenging path to reach it (📷1); poles are useful. On this part of the hike you cross over one of the walls and reach water level, where we noted this particular slab, nicely illustrating the process of continuing erosion (📷2). The hermitage is partially formed from limestone and the sanctuary is largely intact (📷3); the remnants of Castillo de Finestras, a medieval Moorish castle upon which the hermitage was built, are also evident. From this vantage point there’s an impressive view down the middle of the formation (📷4). The 15km/ 4.5h return hike was mostly exposed.
After this hike it was farewell Aragón; it certainly made an impression and is an area we’d happily return to.
#2026 #aragón #camperVan #catalonia #europe #hiking #nationalPark #nature #nomad #roadTrip #romans #spain #travel #unesco #vanLife -
The wild reaches of Aragón
About half the size of Portugal, we knew very little of Spain’s Aragón region. That was about to change as our road from Extremadura led us through its northern reaches bound for the co-principality of Andorra.
Coordinates
- Alhama de Aragón
- Nuévalos
- Zaragoza
- Castejón de Monegros
- Sariñena
- Alquézar
- Rodellar
- Barbastro
- Torla-Ordesa
- Viacamp
- Estopiñán del Castillo
Into Aragón
From Aranjuez we began our journey northeast towards Zaragoza, noting changes in the landscape once we had escaped the spaghetti junctions, slow traffic and industrialized zones in Madrid’s orbit. We saw red earth in the hills near Medinaceli (📷1) and green fields further along the A-2 near Arcos de Jalón (📷2), both in the Castile and León region. Crossing into Aragón we came to the spa town of Alhama de Aragón, a name derived from Arabic, although its thermal springs were known in Roman times (📷3). A bridge crossing on Embalse de la Tranquera | Tranquillity Reservoir, which certainly lives up to its name, as we approached pitch in Nuévalos (📷4).
Monasterio de Piedra near Nuévalos is a former monastery (now part ruin and part hotel) and Romantic landscaped park containing trees, waterfalls and caves along the Piedra River; this is Cascada la Caprichosa (📷1). The combination of Cascade Cola de Caballo (📷2) with Gruta Iris behind its curtain (📷3), reached via a staircase cut into the cliff, was easily the highlight. Some of the scenery was decidedly more tranquil, but no less dramatic (📷4). Visiting the ruin of Santa Maria de Piedra is included in the entry ticket; it was occupied by Cistercian monks from 1218 CE for 617 years, until confiscated by the Spanish Government in 1835 and coming into private ownership. Within the ruin there’s a museum about wine making and exhibit on the introduction of chocolate to Europe. Note that the site only reopened a year ago after severe flood damage in late 2024; it’s mass tourism-oriented, so an early start helps avoid the crowds.
Zaragoza
After leaving Nuévalos we enjoyed seeing semi-arid agricultural landscapes (📷1) before joining motorways bound for the metropolitan sprawl of Zaragoza. Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar is the city’s defining landmark, a huge baroque basilica with domes overlooking the Ebro, seen here behind 15th C. bridge of Puente de Piedra (📷2); the Romans had also bridged the Ebro here when the town was known as Caesaraugusta. The 11th C. Islamic Aljafería Palace is part of the Mudéjar Architecture of Aragón UNESCO listing (📷3); it was unfortunately closed for siesta when we arrived—having been caught out a few times by this already! La Seo Cathedral | Cathedral of the Saviour is also part of the UNESCO listing, being built atop the Roman forum and serving as a mosque—evident in its exterior Mudéjar wall (📷4)—before expansion as a Christian cathedral; the interior (€) mixes Romanesque, Gothic, Mudéjar, Renaissance and Baroque styles.
Los Monegros
The Ruta Jubierre | Jubierre track is an unpaved route that leads into the Barrancos de Jubierre, a badlands area within Aragón’s semi-arid Los Monegros region (it’s not technically a desert). We began from the southern end near the village of Castejón de Monegros, heading northward to exit onto the A-131 towards Sariñena. To visit Tozal Solitario, an isolated rock formation, we wisely left the van on the main track and walked to the formation (📷1). Tozal de Colásico is larger and can be seen without leaving the main track (📷2); you can also drive right up to it. Tozales de Los Pedregales is a collection of four eroded clay formations and ravines reached via a short but well-marked hike (📷3); this is formation no. 4. Tozal de la Cobeta is apparently the most photographed formation (📷4); we drove off the main track right up to this one, avoiding a hot 6km return hike. It took us ~3h to make the drive at ~30km/h max and to take short hikes to the formations. It had been dry so the dirt was very compacted and we had no concerns about clearance in our 2WD camper; we used the width of the road to avoid ruts and corrugations, as traffic was light. There was no avoiding the dust though!
Parque Natural Sierra y Cañones de Guara
The pretty but touristy village of Alquézar lies within Parque Natural Sierra y Cañones de Guara | Natural Park of the Sierra and Canyons of Guara; it’s crowned by Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor and Castillo Torre (📷1). The 6 € pp 3km Pasarelas de Alquézar descend from the ticket gate at the town hall into the adjacent Río Vero canyon, where we noted native Ramonda myconi | the Pyrenean violet in flower (📷2). We gained access to the clear-running river at Cueva Picamartillo (📷3) before taking the first of several gangways suspended over the riverbed (📷4).
Continuing in the pasarelas, the hand of man is evident in the canyon, with industrial remnants including a weir and canal that was part of a small hydroelectric plant completed in 1913 (📷1); it reused an old mill and today’s visitor trail began as service paths. The dramatic limestone canyon itself however is of natural karst geology and the metal gangways purpose-built for tourism (📷2). Aphyllanthes monspeliensis | the blue aphyllanthes is endemic to the western Mediterranean (📷3). A look back towards town from Mirador del Vero as a thunderstorm approaches; you can see more of the gangways on the riverside cliffs (📷4). This was a 6.3km/ 2h 20min loop walk from the campsite.
Our next hike in Parque Natural Sierra y Cañones de Guara was the S-3 Circular, anticlockwise, from the trailhead at Rodellar. We descended into Barranco del Mascún | the Mascún River gorge, noting rock climbers scaling sheer cliffs on both sides of the valley and gradually improving our view of the first of several rock windows we’d see on the trail (📷1). On reaching the riverbed we joined the Camino de Otín. There’s a nice view back to the window from near Surgencia de Mascún | the spring where Río Mascún stops being underground (📷2); shortly after the spring the intimidating Espolón de la Virgen via ferrata begins. Native Helianthemum apenninum | white rock-rose seemed to like living in the valley floor (📷3). We had views to Torre de Santiago for some time before reaching the formation (📷4).
Ascending the S-3 trail beside Torre de Santiago (📷1). We found the lengthy and uneven climb from the riverbed to Mirador del Mascún (📷2) rather tough, but greatly enjoyed ever-changing perspectives on the Torre. Native Polygala calcarea | the chalk milkwort favoured living at elevation (📷3). At the abandoned village of Otín we turned towards Dolmen de la Losa Mora, ~5,000 years old (📷4). The trail was less dramatic but pleasant, until we began the descent back to the Río Mascún via the Andrebot ravine—here the path was formed of loose limestone and slow-going (use poles to reduce tumble risk). From the spring we backtracked up to Rodellar. The loop over 15km took us 5.5h. At camp we checked in with “I need a place to sleep, a beer & a hot shower—in any order!”
Parque Natural Ordesa y Monte Perdido
Pradera de Ordesa (parking near Torla-Ordesa) to the Cola de Caballo waterfall is a popular out-and-back trail in Parque Natural Ordesa y Monte Perdido | Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park. The Senda a la Cola de Caballo trail runs beside the Río Arazas, although the first section is under forest cover with limited views (📷1). After ~100min on trail things get more open and we found ourselves admiring spring greens next to clear mountain waters and impressive walls of rock in both downstream (📷2) and upstream (📷3) directions. The trail offers a number of waterfall waypoints, but they’re not all easy to see well due to vegetation overgrowth or flooded miradors; this is part of Gradas de Soaso, a sequence of steps (📷4).
After ~2h on trail the landscape changed again, to a bleaker grassy expanse as we got nearer to the head of the valley (📷1). Water streamed off the cliffs, forming rivulets that found their way to the river, although not before leaving the ground boggy in many places (📷2). Our first new flower of the day was a native in the daisy family, Tussilago farfara | the colt’s foot (📷3). At 9km/ 3h on trail we reached the signature Cascada Cola de Caballo | horse trail waterfall, which felt somewhat anticlimactic (📷4).
Our second new flower was native Narcissus pseudonarcissus | the wild daffodil, which seemed to favour growing within the protective cocoon offered by another (perfectly named) spiny native, Echinospartum horridum (📷1). Vultures circled overhead; we think we heard marmots whistling and the herd of native Rupicapra pyrenaica | Pyrenean chamois we’d seen on the way in had drawn closer to the river as we turned back (📷2). Cascada del Estrecho was our favourite waterfall; we detoured from the main path to its mirador on the return leg (📷3). Instead of rejoining the main path we crossed the river, which afforded new views en route to the parking area (📷4). 19km/ 5.5h return.
A scenic drive out of the mountains from pitch in Broto to the town of Barbastro, where chores awaited. Here’s the view from Mirador de Jánovas, between the villages of Fiscal and Boltaña (📷1). Embalse de Mediano contained stands of flooded trees (📷2) and the threat of rain made for moody reflections (📷3). Embalse de El Grado I, the neighbouring reservoir, was looking very emerald from the van door as we stopped for lunch.
Montfalcó
Despite some reports, the 15km from the N-230 to public parking at Montfalcó (near Viacamp) weren’t at all challenging in a 2WD, with mostly good surface—but narrow in places. Mirador de Montfalcó overlooks Pantà de Canelles | Embalse de Canelles, but also offered a first glimpse of the Noguera Ribagorzana river that divides Aragón’s Montsec de L’Estall to the west (left bank) from Catalonia’s Montsec d’Ares on the eastern shore (📷1). These karst escarpments are part of the outer mountains of the Central Pyrenees, formed from Cretaceous and Jurassic materials.
We’d come to hike the Camino Natural de Montfalcó al Congost de Mont-rebei | Natural Path from Montfalcó to the Congost de Mont-rebei. Here’s a view from the first pasarela | catwalk up a 30m escarpment, with 139 steps over 90m in length (📷2). The second pasarela is longer at 120m, with 215 steps ascending a 44m high escarpment (📷3). This is where you question how comfortable you are in the knowledge it was likely engineered by the lowest bidder… Sarcocapnos enneaphylla, native to southwestern Europe and northern Africa, is however quite at home on limestone escarpments (📷4).
From the second pasarela we could anticipate the upcoming descent to the suspension bridge spanning the 35m gap between Aragón and Catalonia (📷1). From said bridge at Congost del Seguer, looking into the gorge of Mont-rebei, we could readily appreciate the depth of canyon the river had cut here (📷2); the cliffs reach over 500m high. Camino Natural de Montfalcó al Congost de Mont-rebei ascends a short way on the Catalonian side to intersect the Camí de Mont-rebei, itself a segment of the long-distance GR-1 (Sendero Histórico). As we climbed to join it we got a good look back at the second pasarela we’d used on the opposite bank (📷3). We also looked down of course (the path is uneven here) and avoided trampling this big darkling beetle (📷4); Blaps lusitanica can release a foul-smelling secretion from glands at its rear when threatened.
Our original goal had been a mirador in the Mont-rebei Gorge, from which we could look back the way we had come (📷1) and also in the onward direction (📷2). Having met a Spanish couple who told us they were continuing in order to pick up a kayak and return by water, we decided to do the same. We thus continued beyond the mirador on Camí de Mont-rebei, a spectacular cliffside trail through the gorge known for its narrow path carved into rock walls above the river (📷3). After ~10km/ 3h 40min of hiking we arrived at a beach where, luckily, there was a spare double kayak available (we’d tried phoning, but had signal issues). Our 8km/ 1h 40min paddle back through the gorge (📷4) to a pier below Albergue de Montfalcó was followed by a 2km 4×4 transfer up the steep hill, where we paid for the rental—and our knees expressed their gratitude!
Muralla de Finestres
Roques de la Vila is a geological formation also popularly known as Muralla (China) de Finestres | the (Chinese) Wall Of Finestres. We followed online and local advice to park at Puente de Penavera, a bridge northeast of Estopiñán del Castillo, given the state of the dirt road. The 6.4km drive from our pitch in town took ~30 minutes. Although we sighted the formation ~4.5km into the hike, we first came to the former settlement of Finestres (📷1). It was depopulated in 1960 due to the filling of the Canelles reservoir; only one house, Casa Coix, is seasonally inhabited. A short and easy signposted walk links the village centre to Ermita de San Marcos | the Hermitage of Saint Mark; this is the best spot for panoramic views of the ~840m long formation (📷2). Folding of strata ~100 million years ago and subsequent erosion have created two primary parallel lines of vertical limestone that resemble a wall (📷3). Some of the formation is now partially submerged in the reservoir (📷4).
Between the two lines of strata sits the 11–12th C. Romanesque Esglèsia de Sant Vicenç | Ermita San Vicente | Church of Saint Vincent, seen here from the more challenging path to reach it (📷1); poles are useful. On this part of the hike you cross over one of the walls and reach water level, where we noted this particular slab, nicely illustrating the process of continuing erosion (📷2). The hermitage is partially formed from limestone and the sanctuary is largely intact (📷3); the remnants of Castillo de Finestras, a medieval Moorish castle upon which the hermitage was built, are also evident. From this vantage point there’s an impressive view down the middle of the formation (📷4). The 15km/ 4.5h return hike was mostly exposed.
After this hike it was farewell Aragón; it certainly made an impression and is an area we’d happily return to.
#2026 #aragón #camperVan #catalonia #europe #hiking #nationalPark #nature #nomad #roadTrip #romans #spain #travel #unesco #vanLife