Peaks n Plains Explorer

For this trip we return to a route we recc’ed way back in 2012 - a route from 10th century Northern Christian Spain to the Moorish south, initially following in the footsteps of the great Christian liberator, El Cid. Starting near Zaragoza, in the Bardenas Reales desert, we head southeast towards the coast and then south through the mountains towards El Cid’s capital at Valencia. The track then heads deeper through the Sierra Martes into Moorish Spain and Murcia. We then travel across the plains to the vineyards of Valdepenas before entering the Muslim heartlands of Al-Andulus, modern day Andalucia. We’ll explore the great southern mountains of Sierra de Segura before heading back to the Mediterranean near Almeria and the snow-capped Sierra Nevada. We’ll then enter the great former Moorish capital city of Granada to visit its great “Red Palace”, the Alhambra. Built in the 14th century, this remains Spain’s best example of Moorish architecture, its Muslim builders attempting show a glimpse of paradise, while on earth. After a rest day in Granada, we head to the southernmost Spanish desert at Tabernas and the backdrop for many of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti Westerns. We’ll visit some of the film sets – A Fistful of Dollars (what you need when going into a Toyota main dealer) and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (a Land Cruiser, a Defender and a Jeep), OK, OK enough gringo!

This trip will take you exploring through some of the best of Spain’s wild countryside as we see the lasting Muslim Moorish influence on this vibrant exciting country. We have recced parts of the route before in 2012 but I’m sure things will have changed so expect a bit of exploration and route finding on this Explorer – new for 2026.