What'saround it.
Fuentes de Ayódar is a small village in the Sierra de Espadán, in Castellón, Comunidad Valenciana. Two hundred people and not one traffic light. What surrounds it is sierra: water, cork oaks and real silence, the kind your body notices within a few hours.
The Pozo Negro
A turquoise pool cut into red rock, with a small waterfall at the far end. It is in no guidebook and almost nobody knows it. It is the reason most people come back.
You walk there from the village along a dirt path. The last stretch drops down to the riverbed over bare rock, so wear closed shoes. In summer the water is cold even at midday.
The Río Chico
In spring it carries enough water to put your feet in and stay longer than you meant to. This is the short walk: out of the house, down, and back without touching the car.
The GR 333 and the paths
The GR 333 long-distance path crosses the Sierra de Espadán and passes close to the village. Off it run red dirt tracks through pines and cork oaks, an hour long or a whole morning, whichever you feel like.
The great mastic tree
A mastic tree of extraordinary size, the kind that takes centuries to grow. It is on the protected register and worth the detour just to stand next to it.
The springs
Fuentes de Ayódar is named after its springs, and for good reason. They are scattered across the whole area, some right by the path and some you have to go looking for.
The village
Two hundred residents, cobbled streets and a bell tower. There is a bar. There is no supermarket, so it is worth arriving with the shopping done.
The quiet
Crickets, and not much else. At first it is unsettling. By the second day you do not want anything else.
