Benagéber: Trails, Nature and Places of Remembrance
Accommodation in Benagéber
The municipality of Benagéber stretches along both sides of the Turia through mountains and gorges; pine forest covers most of the area. Present-day Benagéber was built around 1950 next to the former hamlet of Nieva. Straight streets and white houses are grouped around a square. The Fuente Muñoz recreation and camping area was established at the Benagéber Reservoir.
File:Flor de Almendro avisando de la Primavera. Benagéber (Alto Turia, Valencia, Spain, Marzo 2013).jpg
Photo: Pantanoobenageber via Source, CC BY-SA 3.0
Trails for different activities
The GR 7 E38 is a 26.60-kilometre route from Benagéber to Chera and is associated with the Generalitat Valenciana as its managing body. The PR-CV 114 Los Miradores de la Serranía–La Atalaya is a 12.60-kilometre circular route starting at the Ermita de San Isidro in Benagéber. The two routes in the Camino del Silencio project can be completed on foot and/or by bicycle.
Pine forest, shelters and expansive views
The PR-CV 114 continues through dense pine forest to Fuente de la Sabina and Collado de la Atalaya. Along the way, it passes through the Alto Turia Biosphere Reserve and the Alto Turia and Sierra del Negrete Special Protection Area for Birds. No quality checks are listed for the trail; after homologation, there may have been deficiencies in signage and maintenance, for which the managing body is responsible.
The Mirador del Pico Franco has picnic tables and offers views of the Benagéber Reservoir, Javalambre and parts of the Serranía de Cuenca. The low light pollution in Alto Turia makes it a suitable place for observing the Milky Way, shooting stars and the moon. The Regajo route from Charco Negro to La Pardala is a fluvial trail, with sections covered on foot and on the water. Aleppo pines (Pinus halepensis) grow mainly in the gorge, along with abundant mastic shrubs (Pistacia lentiscus) and Kermes oaks (Quercus coccifera). The Molino Harinero de La Pardala flour mill was built beside the Regajo in the 19th century.
Hamlets, townscape and remembrance
The Camino del Silencio is a 16-kilometre remembrance trail through the main hamlets in the municipality of Benagéber. It begins in the hamlet of Nieva and leads to the Mirador de Nieva, a washhouse and Fuente de San Isidro. The trail also continues to La Muela and the hamlet of Villanueva, where the Ermita and Fuente de Santa Ana can be visited.
The Benagéber Museum mainly presents a historical exhibition featuring objects from the old village, which was left beneath the reservoir waters. It also has an art exhibition, with works largely originating from competitions held as part of the Feria de los Pueblos Amigos, as well as a more recent palaeontological exhibition.
The Ermita de San Isidro Labrador is a church surrounded by nature. The Iglesia de la Purísima Concepción is located in the centre of Benagéber.
Plan Benagéber around your own interests
When choosing a hotel in Benagéber, you can first decide what you want your trip to focus on: trails through pine forest and protected areas, the remembrance trail to the hamlets, the history presented in the museum, churches, or the waterscape around the Regajo and the reservoir. This allows you to base your plans on specific experiences without reducing the different routes and places to a single experience.
Discover more destinations
For more travel ideas, you can also explore Albaida, Barx, Monserrat, Vilamarxant, Loriguilla, Gandía, San Rafael Del Río and Beniatjar.
For the main travel overview: Valencia.
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