Cubas: Routes, the Júcar Gorge and Cultural Heritage

Cubas appeals to travellers who want to include riverside scenery, routes and religious heritage in their travel plans. The Ribera de Cubas settlement is nestled in the Júcar Gorge. Trails and the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Cubas offer different ways to discover the landscape and history of the area.

Gorge scenery and irrigation

Some irrigation channels of Arab origin are still in use in the Ribera de Cubas today. In the past, they irrigated the gardens along the riverbank. Their continued use connects today’s landscape with its former purpose. The Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Cubas stands below an impressive limestone cliff, amid lush natural surroundings. It can be reached via a winding road along the Júcar. The gorge, cliff and water infrastructure offer different points of reference for the landscape and history of the area.

Routes between Cubas and Jorquera

The Cubas–Jorquera route is ten kilometres long and starts at the Ermita de Cubas. It crosses the Júcar over a bridge, follows an irrigation channel and runs along the riverbank in the shade of poplars, walnut trees and fig trees. When planning, two aspects can be considered separately: the length of the route and the landscape that shapes its course. The riverbank, channel and named tree species give a concrete picture of the route, without reducing its description to distance alone.

The Maldonado–Cubas route leads from the Maldonado Bridge via Cañahorro to the Cubas Bridge. In the Cañahorro section, it passes through areas of dense vegetation. This route description has a different focus: the sequence of bridge, intermediate point and bridge makes its course easy to picture, while the ten-kilometre distance and riverside scenery stand out in the Cubas–Jorquera route. Comparing the routes this way lets you focus on the features specified for each, rather than assuming a walking time or level of difficulty that has not been provided.

The ermita and religious traditions

The image of the patron saint of Jorquera is venerated at the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Cubas. Processions are also part of the religious tradition surrounding the Virgen de Cubas. Every year on 22 May, following a short Mass at dawn, she is accompanied in a procession to her hermitage in Cubas. On the penultimate Sunday in April, she is taken from her hermitage in Cubas to Jorquera; the exact form of this ceremony may vary. The dates differ both in month and direction: in May, the procession goes to the hermitage; in April, it goes from there to Jorquera.

Cultural events in Jorquera

The Alardes de Moros y Cristianos take place along a route of about twelve kilometres in the Jorquera countryside. The summer festivities in Jorquera run from 16 to 20 August, and tourists play an important role in them. The specific programme may vary. If you want to plan your trip around one of these events, check the dates and programme in advance. The Alardes and summer festivities are associated with Jorquera and should therefore be distinguished from the processions around the Ermita in Cubas. This keeps the respective locations and cultural events clearly separate when planning your trip.

Discover more destinations: Bolaños De Calatrava, Jorquera and Piedrabuena.

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