the times Saturday April 30 202240
19 Morella
Castellon
Dominated by an 11th-century
castle said to have been rebuilt
by El Cid, Morella lies in truffle
territory at the Valencian edge of
the Maestrazgo. Its impressive
double-walled defences betray its
strategic importance on the road
from the Ebro to the Valencian plain.
Within the first of those walls you’ll findnarrow, car-scraping streets, criss-
crossed by stepped alleyways and home
to siren-like shops that will charm the
cash out of your wallet. The cheese is
especially good: try the sheep’s milk,
leche cruda, or the truffle-infused goat’s
cheese, leche de cabra. Stay at the Hotel
Cardenal Ram, a former cardinal’s house
turned foodie boutique hotel at the top
end of town.
Details B&B doubles from £68
(hotelcardenalram.com). Fly to Valencia20 Potes Cantabria
Potes stands at the confluence of the
rivers Bullon, Deva and Quiviesa, and,
as any witch knows, any meeting of
waters generates powerful magic. East
of the Picos de Europa nature reserve,
90 minutes’ drive southwest of
Santander, this mellow medieval
village is at its most gorgeous in
autumn, when the leaves are
turning, the walnut harvest
has begun and — while the
days are still warm — the
nights are cool enough to
justify a shot or two of
aguardiente de orujo.
The cuisine here suits
autumn too, especially
the cocido lebaniego, an
enormity made from
chickpeas, potatoes, beef,
chorizo and black pudding.
Stay in Hotel Valdecoro,
which has modern rooms with
mountain views.
Details B&B doubles from £59
(hotelvaldecoro.com). Fly to BilbaoMorella, CastellonPotes, Cantabriawater is channelled into verdant
gardens, lies an exquisite medieval
heart that’s clearly the pride and
joy of its inhabitants. Just west of
here, before Losar de la Vera, the
Garganta de Cuartos is a gorgeous
natural waterpark. Stay at the Hotel
Rural Spa Don Juan de Austria in
nearby Jarandilla de la Vera.
Details B&B doubles from £60
(hoteldonjuandeaustria.com).
Fly to Madrid17 Castillo de Castellar
Cadiz
In 1971 the residents of Castillo de
Castellar deserted their medieval
homes in the fortified, mountaintop
village and moved into brand-new
houses in the new town of Nuevo
Castellar down in the valley. Unloved
and uncared for, the houses within the
castle walls became squats for a
community of hippies. When I lived
nearby in the Nineties, a two-up,
two-down with roof terrace sold for
£850; I’ve seen a two-bedroom place
on offer there for £257,000 recently.
The attractions of this once rough,
now gentrified pueblo aren’t hard to see
— car-free streets of white houses,
wrought iron and jasmine, cheap tapas
and vino mosto, ancient history and
views across the Straits to Africa.
Stay at the Hotel Castillo de Castellar,
where some of the rooms are in the
old houses.
Details B&B doubles £66 (tugasa.com).
Fly to Malaga
18 Valverde de la Vera
Caceres
Only the most curious tourist takes
the EX-203 across the Extremaduran
plain of La Vera, looking, no doubt,
for the district’s celebrated pimenton,
or the raptors of the Sierra de Gredos.
Even then they probably skip Valverde
because, from the road, it looks a bit
scruffy. But hidden in its cobbled
streets, through which mountain
ALAMY; GETTY IMAGES