Walking in Castillia La Mancha Spain

At the very heart of Spain, is Castilla de Mancha one of the largest provinces, bordering seven of its seventeen regions. Its natural parks offer walkers and ramblers several opportunities to appreciate the beauty of this area. This province is the homeland of Don Quixote written by Miguel De Cervantes. It is the city of Cuidad Real, in the southern area of the province, where Don Quixote tilted at a windmill.

The majority of the region is plains and agricultural land, but there are some more mountainous features to this region and its population is one the smallest amongst the Spanish provinces. It has Lagunas de Ruidera, the natural park, which is made up of seventeen lagoons. It is east of the town Manzanares in the southern area of the region. It also has the National Park Las Tablas de Daimiel, just east of the city Cuidad Real, and Cabaneros, just south west of Toledo. These national parks offer some wonderful walking, especially around the main lagoons.

The weather in this region is similar to that of the Madrid province that of hot dry summers and cold winters.  Typical temperatures for July-August are between 30-40°C, but due to the altitude evenings are cooler. When walking in the summer it is best to take sufficient drinks and food with you due to the heat.  Winter can often fall below freezing. The autumn and spring are the rainy times for this region.

Airports
This region has no direct flights into it, but for the northern area of the province you would fly to Madrid as Toledo is only 80 km away it would be 1-2 hour drive. To access the southern half of the province you would need to fly into Valencia, Alicante or Granada, but you would have several hours drive depending on your destination.

• North of Region - Madrid (Toledo 80km away.)
• South of Region -  Valencia, Alicante or Granada (all drives 2-4 hours depending on destination)

The whole region of Castilla la Mancha is steeped in history both Roman and Muslim. It is also  has the Ruta de los Pueblos Negros, which offers you a wonderful opportunity to explore the province and see the evidence of the slate used in the region where it gets the name Route of the Black Villages.

Walking Around Toledo
Toledo which is only 80km south of Madrid was the former capital of Spain. It has many national architectural treasures and monuments, the most notable from the Moorish, Mudejar, Gothic and Renaissance periods. It has a wealth of art and many of the cities own artist and painter El Greco.