The best MTB trails around Villamalea

At this point, depending on the direction of your hike, you'll leave the river and head into the hillside, where the trail leads you through a wide pine forest and typical Mediterranean vegetation characteristic of these mountain landscapes. As you ascend, the views open up, revealing breathtaking panoramas of the surrounding area, which can be the perfect excuse to stop for a few moments to rest and savor the scenery before continuing.

The route is marked with beacons, posts, and other standardized signs with arrows and markings. At this point, there are also signs indicating directions and distances to towns or key locations.

In the village of Los Cárceles in the Community of Castilla la Mancha we can cross the Cabriel river over two bridges and go to the Valencian community.

The bridge is built of carved stone and is founded with the same rocks that can be found on the banks of the river. Its single eye has about 33 m of span, making it one of the largest bridges of its kind not only in Spain, but also on the European continent.

Vadocañas Bridge It is a viaduct of Roman origin that connects the regions of Cuenca and Valencia passing over the waters of the Cabriel in a protected space known as the Hoces del Cabriel Natural Park – cataloged as a Natural Reserve on its La Mancha slope.

The cycling adventure leaves Los Cárceles along the river plain, passes the Barranco de la Vida and goes up a forest track for a few kilometers to avoid the narrowest meanders of the canyon. In this section there are paths near the shore of the Cabriel, marked with the GR-66 signs, but some are not cyclable for gravel bicycles and it is more convenient to go around the mountain. The climb is about four kilometers, to the agricultural fields of Los Armalletes, then the route takes a forest track to the right and goes down to Venta de Vadocañas, one of the historic passes between La Mancha and Valencia. The other was the Pajazo bridge, which is now submerged in the waters of the Contreras reservoir. The Vadocañas bridge is monumental, it has an eye of 33 light meters and shows an extraordinary work of ashlar masonry, the origin is Roman, although the current construction is from the 16th century. “Cars and people pass by. The eye has one hundred and twenty feet in a very long hole. They claim to be the largest and best and with the largest and largest stones in the kingdom, and they pass beasts, and everything else, from Toledo and other parts to Valencia and Requena where the customs is. On the Valencian shore there are signs for the Turia-Cabriel Nature Trail towards Villargordo del Cabriel. The climb is long, you have to climb again to the agricultural fields of La Plana along the rugged slopes of the Sierra del Rubial, it is a good time to see mountain goats, deer and wild boar. On Mount Moluengo there is a non-cyclable section, known as Senda de la Cueva de los Ladrones, and before arriving there is a detour on the left that crosses the mountain range along a forest track with good cyclability and connects with the Nature Trail in the ravine. from Los Pocicos, following the red milestones until the end of the stage between the vineyards of Villargordo del Cabriel.

At the northern limit of the La Manchuela region in Albacete, you reach the town of Villamalea. The gateway to the natural parks of the Júcar river valley. Villamalea is originally Arabic and means "beautiful".

The Cabriel River forms a natural border between Albacete and the Valencian Community near the town of Villatoya. The river landscape is the backdrop to many gravel and mountain bike trails in the area.