The roads of my Spain ,part II !!!

Posted in Europe, Spain

I will try to tell you again about the roads of my Spain, This is a daunting task, but after so many towns and sights done in my road warrior mode , the temptation is great. As you have been reading my blog , you know I  love the road, the car is my second home! And while in Europe there is no difference, gone all over, Let me tell you on two picturesque quant areas of my Spain. Therefore, let me tell you the roads of my Spain, part II !!! Hope you enjoy it as I

The first stop was Arguis belonging to the region of La Hoya de Huesca, province of Huesca, in the Autonomous Community of Aragon. It is located at the Umbría of the Sierras de Gratal and the Aguila (eagle) , 24 km from Huesca city, connected to the road network by the Autovia de Mudejar highway (A-23), which I take a lot in my France/Spain runs, I first passed by it and was impressed by the embalse of Arguis or reservoir on the Isuela River, Off A23 (N330) Autovia de Mudéjar road, In 1929 re erection of the surface and increasing the capacity up to 2.7 hm³ , It is currently used for irrigation and recreational use such as fishing. The reservoir waters an area of ​​2500 ha, It is the oldest reservoir in Aragon. It was under construction for 24 years and was completed in 1704. It retained the seasonal waters of the Isuela river and was used exclusively for irrigation, mainly from the Hoya de Huesca area.

Huesca Embalse de Arguis off A23 to las Majadas aug16

The town of Arguis is limited by the Isuela river valley and some pre -pyrenean mountains such as the Sierra de Javierre (1546 m), Sierra de Gracia (1567 m), Sierra del Águila (1609 m) and Sierra de Loarre (1470 m) and Sierra Caballera (1565 m) . The first mention of Arguis is in the cartology of San Juan de la Peña by 1070, in which Dommus Balla de Argis (the Balla de Argis house) is cited, The things to see here with more time are the Parish Church of San Miguel ,Romanesque, of the 12C, although reformed in the 16C. An altarpiece of the 15C belonging to this church can be contemplated in the Prado Museum of Madrid ! In the vicinity of the town is the ermita de Nuestra Señora de Soldevilla or hermitage of Our Lady of Soldevilla, from the 16-17C, and the ermita de la Magdalena or hermitage of the Magdalena from the 16-17C, located in Los Prados Altos de Bonés and that has a medieval necropolis of slabs

The location of the town of Arguis next to the old C-136 road that takes you to the mythical Puerto de Monrepós has made this town an icon in the motor world with various editions of rallys and climbs, such as the famous Rallye Firestone and also in the world of cycling with various stages of the Vuelta de España or Tour of Spain and the classic cycling Zaragoza-Sabiñanigo or the Aragon-Bearn. However, where this town is considered a true icon is among bikers from all over Europe that frequent the old curves of the port throughout the year, considering by the people of Arguis as the “capital of Spanish motorcycling” and comparing it even with the road to Santiago.

The town of Arguis : https://www.arguis.es/bienvenidos-a-arguis

The Hoya de Huesca municipal tourist office on natural sites : https://turismo.hoyadehuesca.es/en/la-hoya-de-huesca/natural

Moving right along in my beautiful Spain, I reached Calomarde in the province of Teruel, in the Autonomous Community of Aragon. It is located in the center of the Sierra de Albarracín and 50 km from Teruel. Hoz del Barranco del Río Blanco. Conditioned with stairs, catwalks and safety chains. It reaches the neighboring town of Frías de Albarracín. While going on the road A-1704 mountain route we passed by Calomarde which is at 1584 meters elevation ! We didn’t have time to see as was not our destination but here there is the beautiful Barranco de la Hoz or canyon ravine, The Barranco de la Hoz route is one of the most spectacular routes of the Sierra de Albarracín on foot,,,, The route starts from the town of Calomarde very close to Albarracín (see post). In this route , it tells you will cross hanging bridges and catwalks of recent construction between cannons and cliffs. The route begins at the end of the town of Calomarde on the right hand as you come from Albarracín. Here you can park the car without difficulties, well we continue on,.And I am told if you want further action go visit La Cascada de Calomarde (aka Cascada Batida or Cascada del Molino Viejo) which takes you to listen to the murmurs of the Río Blanco river.

Calomarde to barranco de la hoz A1704 aug16

The Sierra del Albarracin on the barranco de la Hoz : https://sierraalbarracin.com/barranco-de-la-hoz

The Albarracin tourism site on Calomarde: https://albarracinturismo.com/calomarde/

Spain’s toll highways  known officially as Autopistas are designated by the letters AP, as in AP8. Spain’s free highways, usually known as Autovias, are generally designated by the letter A, as in A66. In addition to the A designated highway, the M highways for Madrid and R Radial highways (tolls). The highways  M30 (first finished in 1974 my sentimental as it passes near where I used to lived in Madrid!), M40, M45 and M50 , and even a short M55 nowdays are the main orbital routes round Madrid.  M50, the outermost, runs 80% of the way round Madrid, and connects all the main national A highways, from A1 to A6. The missing section is the northwest, from the A1 to the A6 – for which the A40 should be used. Orbital M highways are free, the radial R highways are toll roads (which i always avoid).

Highways are the roads that can be identified by the letter “A” followed by the corresponding number of the motorway / highway. The letters and numbers are white on a blue background. Within this type of roads we can make a subdivision: Nationals: are those identified with the “A” followed by the number. Toll: they are identified with the letters «AP» and as their own name indicates, they include tolls. Autonomous: when the road belongs to the community. Local: when they are under local jurisdiction and belong to a municipality. Roads of General Interest of the State: the roads of General Interest of the State, also known as national highways, are the roads that are marked with the letter «N» and with the corresponding number after the letter. Letters and numbers appear in white on a red background. These roads are single carriageways and are one of the roads that have the most kilometers.

First-level autonomous: these are the roads identified with the letters «CL» and behind the corresponding road number. The letters are black on an orange background. Second level autonomous: its letters are «CM» followed by the numbers that correspond to the road. Both letters and numbers are white on a brown background. And they are now even CU roads in a similar manner. Third-level autonomous are those identified with the following letters: «CR» followed by the numbers that correspond to the road itself. The letters are black on a yellow background. Roads of General Interest of the State in European Itinerary: they are the roads that belong to European itineraries and are identified because they carry a prefix with the letter “E”, followed by numbers. The signage has a green background.

The normal speed limits are as follows:   Highways/ Motorways (autovias and autopistas) : 120 km/h;  Main roads : 80 km/h,  90 km/h or 100 km/h as indicated; and  Built-up areas : 50 km/h or 70 km/h as indicated. There are now plenty of speed traps, or radars, on main roads in Spain, and police can and do issue on-the-spot fines. Advance warning of speed traps tends to be given,

The Six radial toll roads which connect Madrid with its coasts and its borders divide the Spanish continental territory into 6 radial sectors. These radial roads are enumerated in clockwise fashion as follows : A 1 from Madrid to France as Madrid, Aranda de Duero, Burgos, Vitoria, San Sebastiàn, Irùn to the French French border. A 2 from Madrid to France  as Madrid, Zaragoza, Lleida, Barcelona, Girona and French border.  A 3 from Madrid to Valencia or Carretera de Castilla La Mancha. I must say never pay toll on this road A 4 from Madrid to Cadiz or Carretera de Andalucia as Madrid, Cordoba,Sevilla, and Càdiz A 5 from Madrid to Mérida, Badajoz, and Portugal or Carretera de Extremadura, and A 6 from Madrid to A Coruña or Carretera de A Coruña as Madrid, Medina del Campo, Benavente, Ponferrada, Lugo, and A Coruña.

The General Directoire of Traffic information in Spain:https://www.dgt.es/conoce-el-estado-del-trafico/informacion-e-incidencias-de-trafico/ 

The General Directory of Traffic on conditions of roads, snow ,traffic etc : 
https://www.dgt.es/conoce-el-estado-del-trafico/informacion-e-incidencias-de-trafico/

The Royal Automobile Club of Spain (RACE) for highway maps:  https://www.race.es/mapas-de-carreteras

The official Repsol guides on itineraries ( Spanish Michelin) : https://www.guiarepsol.com/es/rutas/

The official weather service in Spain, AEMET : https://www.aemet.es/en/portada

There you go folks, a grandeur of freedom on the roads and to know more corners than you would like to believe, get on the road see all of Spain ! Take it from this world traveler , the best way to travel ,and in Spain you are in heaven, Do read my other posts on the roads of Spain,and you will be fine, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the roads of my Spain, part II as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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