In Pitarque, the path to the source of the river begins between adobe, rammed earth and wooden houses. A few steps further are the laundry room, the oven and the church of Santa María la Mayor. As you leave the town, the orchards appear and, later, the rock walls. This municipality of Teruel, with only 62 inhabitants, hides one of the most unique excursions to do this fall.
The name of the route promises to reach the source of the Pitarque River, although what awaits at the end has a more interesting story. The water is born in the municipality of Fortanete, disappears underground and comes back to the surface in different slopes. One of them falls from the rock forming a waterfall when the rains give it enough flow.
The landscape, therefore, changes depending on the time of the visit. Of course, it is advisable to do this path as much for what may be found at the end as for the path itself.
Maestrazgo Tourism
What to see in Pitarque
The town center is worth a walk before heading to the outskirts. The neoclassical church of Santa María la Mayor, built in 1818, stands out among the popular architecture homes. The old oven, the laundry, the fountain and the blacksmith's building are also preserved: small places, but linked to the daily life of the town and that explain more about Pitarque than any guide.
The main excursion is the SL-TE 30 trail. It starts from the lower area of Pitarque and first advances along orchards and fields. The hermitage of the Virgen de la Peña marks approximately half of the way; Afterwards, the path enters the canyon, between poplars, willows, hazelnut trees and walls shaped by the river. Further on it passes next to an old hydroelectric plant and crosses to the other bank before reaching the springs.
Aragon Tourism
In total, it is a round trip of 8.7 kilometers, 345 meters of positive slope and about three hours of travel. At the end, the spring known as the Chimenea appears first, whose waterfall depends on rainfall. There are also the Ojal de los Planos and the Ojal de Malburgo, considered the main spring. There is a curious nuance: the birth itself is located in the Boca Negra cave, already in Fortanete. The route allows you to see how the river reappears after its underground journey.
Where to eat delicious and cheap in Pitarque
La Posada de Pitarque is the town restaurant. At night they serve pork and beef cachopos, but during the day they have sandwiches and portions of traditional plantains such as morro, ear or squid. Although if you prefer to eat after continuing the route by car, in Villarluengo there is the Fonda Villarluengo, a rural accommodation whose bar serves meals, homemade tapas and sandwiches.
po.psi.que
What to do around Pitarque
From Pitarque you can continue towards the Órganos de Montoro, rock walls whose shape is reminiscent of the pipes of an organ. They can be seen from a viewpoint where there are explanatory panels, without the need to take another long walk after the one along the river. The access road is part of The Silent Route, one of the panoramic routes of the Maestrazgo.
This completes a getaway with two very different landscapes: the humid, wooded canyon that can be explored on foot from Pitarque and, later, the large stone walls seen from the road. In autumn, interest does not depend so much on finding the Chimney turned into a waterfall. It is enough to walk through nature following the course of the river until the point where it can be seen again.
Cover photo | Juan Carlos
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