CUEVAS DE CAÑART

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Driving from Alañiz along the main road towards Teruel I found myself in the small town of Molinos. Not feeling in the mood to explore this particular place, as I had had little or no recommendations to do so. However a coffee was necessary to brighten my day so I stopped at a very small bar that caught my eye. And it was there that one of the more friendly customers suggested that as I was in the area it would be a good idea to visit 'Las grutas de cristal' or 'The Crystal Grottoes' a short distance from the town.

The Crystal Grottoes

 As a keen cyclist when I was in my teens I expected to find something similar to the Chedder Caves in England. But I was in for a pleasant surprise. This was something really unique. I was expecting something of a cave with stalactites and stalagmites, (I can never remember which ones that hang down or the ones than grow upwards) with possibly a pool whose bottom seemed within touching distance but was, in fact, several feet deep. No this was a large impressive cave with an amazing quantity of bright crystal forms frozen into fountains, columns, waterfalls, images and many other shapes. What I liked about the guide was that there was no talk about, 'If you close you left eye and squint with the other you can make out the shape of an elephant over there.' No what he imparted was straight forward historical information.

So after this visit I consulted the map and decided to forget Teruel and drive on to the village of Cuevas de Cañart. Here I found another rather sad village that had been subjected to depopulation. At the last head count the authorities found that they had only 76 inhabitants. Quaint houses and archways with the remains of a Franciscan monastery it held little interest for me as lunchtime was approaching. So I decided to take a gamble on what is known in Spain 'Camino Forestal' towards a main highway. It was a mistake where the car was concerned but after many pot holes and avoiding rocks that appeared from nowhere I made it to the main road and the 'Hostal de la Trucha' where I ate an excellent meal that included 'Cabrito al Horno' or 'Roasted young Goat'.

Oficial Page (Spanish)

Cuevas de cañart (wiki only Spanish)