Hoz del río Gritos

A limestone canyon

The Gritos has carved a deep limestone gorge around Valeria, shaping the whole landscape. Thyme, rosemary, Phoenician juniper, white poplars and poplars grow, and peregrine falcons, Bonelli’s eagles and eagle owls live on the cliffs. It is also a climbing area.

A CuenCANP guide describes a dolostone gorge meeting three environments: plateau steppe, waterside riparian habitat and cliff rock. Valeria’s houses overlooking the rock recall Cuenca’s Casas Colgadas. Below the village is a bridge thought medieval and another called Roman, undated. A battle legend is associated with the river’s name, mentioned but not told by the source.

On the gorge walls, up to about eighty metres high, is a climbing area with about three hundred routes, according to a local climber who started there in 1987; parts close during bird breeding season. In spring and autumn, he said in 2023, hundreds of cars gathered on some weekends. Cueva de la Judía, with large chambers, is protected for its bat colony and cannot be visited.

Plan your visit

SL-CU 3, a local trail, follows the gorge along the right bank beside the river, joining PR-CU 52 near Valeria. It is a quiet walk.

Before you travel

Birds of prey breed on the cliffs: keep away from nests.

Combine with

Valeria’s ruins and La Sey church. The municipality is in Las Valeras.