The Crystal of Hispania

When: 
Where: 
Specific place: 
Cuenca and Guadalajara: Sacedón - Alcocer - Huete - Saelices - Villar de la Encina - San Clemente
Level: 
IBP Index: 
29
Group min/máx: 
4-8 people
The Alcarria landscape of Cuenca

The Alcarria landscape of Cuenca

This is linear, 5-days route for intermediate cyclists, and above all, for lovers of the Roman culture, because it runs on bike the GR-163, or Route of the Crystal of Hispania.

The itinerary goes all along dirty roads  in better or worse condition, within a landscape first 'alcarreño' and then 'manchego'. With this route we extend our offert of historical routes on bicycle, and in this case we will explore the remains of Roman cities as Ercavica and Segobriga, as well as the mines of lapis specularis, or 'espejillo', a form of gypsum crystal that prompted a flourishing industry in this region during 1st and 2nd centuries.

This route runs through the Lagoon El Hito, and the gypsum steppes of the Alcarria conquense, sites classified as SCI (Site of Community Importance); also the Lagoon El Hito is an area protected as SPA (Special Protection Area) in the Natura 2000 network.

Scheduled itinerary: 

Day 1.- Transportation to Sacedón. Ride to Alcocer (16 km). Lodging.
Day 2.- Ride from Alcocer to Huete (55 km), by the gypsum steppes of the Alcarria conquense. Visit to the Roman city of Ercávica. Lodging at Casa Palacio Conde de Garcinarro.
Day 3.- Ride from Huete to Saelices (58 km), by the gypsum steppes of the Alcarria conquense. Visit to the lapis specularis mine of the Enchanted Moor woman, in Torrejoncillo del Rey. Lodging.
Day 4.- Ride from Saelices to Villar de la Encina (57 km), by the Lagoon El Hito. Visit to the Roman city of Segóbriga. Lodging.
Day 5.- Ride from Villar to San Clemente (35 km). Transportation back home.

Pieces of lapis specularis Pieces of lapis specularis
Cigüela riverside Cigüela riverside
Renaissance plaza in San Clemente Renaissance plaza in San Clemente
More routes around the area: 
More information in the blog (Spanish only): 
Recommended reading: 

A good dossier: LAPIS SPECULARIS EL CRISTAL DEL IMPERIO, Memoria magazine, nº2, 2006.

 

Reservations:

For reservation you should either call previously by phone to Josetxu (+34 644299532) or send us an email to info@bicicletos.org, to verify that there are still free places. We will send you a booking form and instructions for payment at that time.

Prices

Last update: 
21/03/2022

(Final price may vary depending on the availability of accommodation and the update of rates of the different providers.)

Guided route: 
590,00 €
(Minimum group: 4 people)
Self-guided route: 
50,00 €
Customized route: 
325,00 €

Different route types are explained in General conditions.

Registration