Through ghost villages to the Torre de Celigueta

It is estimated that there are several thousand so-called ghost villages in Spain. These are small hamlets that were abandoned at some point and have not been inhabited since. Why, the traveler asks himself, were these places abandoned? A good question, because for centuries their inhabitants made a living as farmers, shepherds and cattle breeders. But then came the industrial revolution and with it such useful inventions as electricity and steam engines. This improved living conditions throughout Spain. Not in the remote mountain villages, because they were too far away. So the mountain dwellers lagged behind progress, which eventually overtook them. Soon farming was no longer profitable and people migrated to the valleys where they found easier and better paid work. Old people remained behind, the last of whom died in the 1960s. Now nature is gradually reclaiming the mountain villages. 

A number of such ghost villages are located along a route that leads from Urroz past the Torre de Celigueta to Izco. On field and forest paths that are basically easy to ride, the route first goes up to a plateau and then back down to Izco on the A 21 motorway. The start: One kilometer behind Urroz, a gravel path branches off to the left and soon reaches the first ghost village, Mendinueta. On pleasant gravel, the route takes you through a gently rolling landscape past one or two ruins. A small plateau with a picnic area is ideal for a break or an overnight stay. After that, the track becomes rougher and its surface coarser. Driving with foresight is just as advisable as having a reasonable ground clearance. Past the beautifully restored Torre di Celigueta, the route climbs briefly again before descending into the valley to Izco.