Loarre Castle

Using Huesca as a base we wanted to explore a few towns within easy reach that were highly recommended. The first of these was the Loarre Castle, one of the oldest castles in Spain and still in reasonable condition given it is 1000 years old.

Building of the castle started in 1020 and further developed in the 1200’s when its position on the frontier between Christian and Muslim lands gave it strategic importance.

We climbed to the top of that tower.

The castle stands 1100 m above sea level and 400 m above the surrounding valley. The views from anywhere in the castle are incredible but the smoke and heat haze spoils it.

Inside the chapel.

Stone mason marks which indicated how much work was done by each and therefore how much they would be paid.

A defibrillator stands at the bottom of the stairs to the tower, maybe as a warning of what lies ahead.

Courtyard, cooking and soldiers accomodation on top of the castle.

The tallest watchtower boasted its own fireplace and toilet.

Loo with a view and a wash basin.

A well on top of the castle.

I think the most incredible thing about this castle is that it is still substantially intact 1000 years on. The second most incredible thing is that we are allowed to crawl all over it with very little restriction.

The castle is presented just as it is. It cost us 8 Euros each with free audio tour to spend as long as we like in the castle. It wasn’t set up to make money, just cover costs. A great experience.

That’s it for the castle and Loarre. We move on to Aquezar and the 1200 year history that began in the 9th C as an Islamic military fortress before its Christian reconquest in the 11th C.

This is an amazing town built high in the hills with huge gorges all around. Due to the number of tourists (mostly Spanish) and the small old streets, parking is restricted to the top of the hill, leaving a 2 km steep walk downhill to the village. That means a 2 km steep uphill walk back to the car.

Cute doggie door.

Love the letterbox.

One of the main attractions is the opportunity for canyoning in the many gorges. This is big business with at least 5 businesses offering adventure experiences. Walking and cycling is also a big attraction.

Subsequently the town is very much set up for the tourist trade and is dominated by accomodation houses and restaurants. Its is pretty town and worth a visit but essentially a tourist trap.

Collette has found a new favourite drink. It is non alcoholic lemon beer and on a hot day, it is delicious and comes pre made in its own bottle.. However obtaining it is not always easy and sometimes we end up with some strange solutions. Today we were presented with a non alcoholic beer and very nice lemon cordial that we could mix as we see fit.

The restaurant strip.

The forecast for tomorrow is 42C and wild fires are about still. We are going to have a re think on our plans an will let you know.

David & Collette