Puebla de Arenoso: Castle Ruins, Mijares Landscape and Trails

Landscape along the Mijares

Puebla de Arenoso lies within the Espacio Natural del Curso Alto del Río Mijares y Sierra del Espadán. The town's landscape is also associated with the Paraje Natural Municipal Castillo de Arenós. It covers 32.510 hectares and is characterised by a small, 770-metre-high hill on the Arenós Reservoir in the upper reaches of the Mijares River.

Another natural site is the Pozo de las Palomas. This is a natural bathing pool formed by the Mijares River between La Monzona and Los Cantos.

Hiking, cycling and regional trails

The Camino del Cid enters the province of Castelló via Puebla de Arenoso. In addition, several signposted routes for hikers and cyclists, including circular routes, start from Puebla de Arenoso. This gives visitors various ways to explore the surrounding area on foot or by bicycle.

For mountain bikers, the Sendas Grana-Juana route begins here. It is a 20.1 km circular route with a high level of physical and technical difficulty. As a counterpart, the circular hiking route El Viso – Ermita de San Cristóbal – Mirador de la Carrasquica – Chorrador de la Umbría leads from Puebla de Arenoso through a differently structured sequence of destinations.

Castle ruins, churches and town centre

The Castillo de La Viñaza o de Arenós is a rocky castle ruin with preserved sections of wall and standing towers. At the foot of the castle stands the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles, a medieval Christian chapel from the 14th century. It was built after the castle was Christianised and is one of the archaeological sites listed in the Inventario General del Patrimonio Cultural Valenciano.

In the town itself, the Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles is a Renaissance church. The historic town centre of Puebla de Arenoso has a medieval layout, and the church square is triangular in shape. These clearly distinguishable features give a walk through Puebla de Arenoso a historical orientation, without limiting the cultural themes to a single building.

Festivals and living memory

Puebla de Arenoso's patron saint festivals in honour of San Mateo and the Virgen de Loreto take place during the week of 21 September. The municipality's religious and popular traditions also include the pilgrimage to the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles. Residents recently revived this pilgrimage after it had not taken place since Campos de Arenoso disappeared as a result of the construction of the reservoir.

Other places

Los Cantos, Cirat, Ballestar, Onda, Coll D'ares, Figueroles, Les Alqueries, Fanzara

For the broader travel overview: Castellon.