The Road from Santiago

  Strap yourself in, we are going for a bit of a walk up the Bullones valley and take a few detours. But first a sign. It says ‘Attention crossing respect the signage’.  We shall. Across the way is a place to picnic and what looks like a small bridge over nothing, going nowhere. We are entering a hamlet. To our left is one of those grand two-and-a-half storied houses whose time has passed and is now being allowed to slowly fade. On the other side is the Salinas de Armalla. David sums it up for us. ‘Saltworks of ancient origin (the name is Arabic, although they appear to have been in use during Roman times), yet surprisingly well-preserved. Strategically located in the Bullones River valley, the mill, the granary, and the administrator's house are still standing. A truly unique and fascinating place.’ A little beyond it is bar, restaurant and Casa Rural.  https://casaruralsalinas.com/   Yesterday Jaime said of it ‘We were just passing through, we only had a drink ther...

We are going up 186m today and then down the same amount.  Balance has been brought to the force. A lot of the day will be spent on roads that have been improved so you can dash through the trees, scrub and occasional field. We will kiss the edge of Taravilla, which is really the other side of the hill. That is enough for a few details. Once 408 people lived here.  Now a mere 65. It is the same story as other places nearby - the flight to the cities for jobs and being too far from town for commuting repopulation.  Our old friend the GSH Dictionary was here in 1845. TARAVILLA:  Situated on a plain at a high point on the right bank of the Cabrilla River , it enjoys good ventilation and a healthy climate , it has 100 houses ; the town hall; a primary school, attended by 30 students; a parish church served by a priest and a sacristan:  The land , watered by the aforementioned river, is partly hilly and partly flat, and is of good quality: it includes good patch...

We start the day 1414 metres above sea level. That puts us 69m above the top of Ben Nevis.  We will sink down to 1034m [Carn Dearg, 140th highest in UK] by the end of the day. We are on our way to Penalen.  It really will have what you want out of an upland village - narrow lanes, lots of geography and old stone. I was hoping to give you pith and depth however it needs a bit of work.  The wiki pages [in 33 languages] seem to begin History in 1845, so on to our old chum the GSH Dictionary. PEÑALÉN: village with town hall in the province of Guadalajara (18 leagues) . Situated on the slope of a hill that protects it from the west winds and is exposed to the other directions; its climate is cold and the most common illnesses are pleurisy and some pneumonias: it has 70 houses ; the town hall with a jail; a primary school, attended by 12 students, whose parents pay the teacher according to the respective classes in which they are; a well of exquisite waters, from which the n...