Exquisite waters and a decent bit of ochre.

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 neighborhood is supplied; a parish church (St. John the Baptist) served by a vicar appointed by the Order. Within its boundaries are found many springs of good water, a fine ochre mine, and the hermitage of Our Lady of the Towers. The terrain , mostly mountainous, is cold and of medium quality; it includes good forests in all directions, mostly pine, with some holm oaks; the Tagus River flows along the boundary of the district, over which there are two footbridges. Roads : those leading to the neighboring villages and to the district capital, all bridle paths and rugged, like mountain trails. Mail : received and dispatched in Molina. Products : cereals, potatoes, firewood and charcoal, timber for construction, and good pastures that support sheep, goats, and cattle; there is abundant hunting of hares, rabbits, partridges, deer, and roe deer. ind. : agriculture, livestock breeding and ochre extraction. Trade : export of ochre, some livestock and wool and import of art. that are missing. population : 241 



As always the populace rose slowly to 383 in 1960, collapsed to 159 in 1981, recovered a bit and then continued to decline.  Today 72 people dwell there.



The village has four places to stay, so tourism is important today.  



Round we go, through micro-squares, to Bar apartments [an extra place to stay] Navajo.   Five days ago Miguel was impressed. ‘An extraordinary place to spend a great time enjoying their delicious food. The people who run it are phenomenal and attentive.’  A month ago Mila reported ‘We had a delicious paella and an unbeatable roast kid goat, and if you also find such friendly and attentive people, you can't ask for more.’




That’s it for things.  Back to the trees and the joys of the countryside.

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