The best MTB trails around National Park Lagunas Ruidera

You absolutely must visit this unique and striking castle. I recommend climbing to the top to enjoy the views from its privileged elevated position and imagining the times when such thick walls were necessary.

The Ossero Ford is located in the Ruidera Lakes Natural Park, within the municipality of Ossa de Montiel (Albacete), on the border with Villahermosa (Ciudad Real). It is a natural area that forms part of the Ossero Trail, an easy interpretive route (5.3 km one way) that skirts the Tomilla and Conceja lagoons, connecting with the Laguna Blanca.

The Lagunas de Ruidera Natural Park, located between the provinces of Ciudad Real and Albacete, is one of the most spectacular natural areas in Castilla-La Mancha. It consists of 15 terraced lagoons connected by waterfalls, streams, and springs, forming a unique landscape of turquoise and sapphire-green waters.

A magnificent example of a montane castle, meaning one whose shape adapts exactly to the hill on which it stands. Its most beautiful feature is the main gate, opening into a bend in the wall and built as a reentrant in its uniform circular path. The magnificent ashlar work with which it was built is worth a visit alone, as is the pointed arch between its two strong towers. Erected by a Muslim garrison in the mid-12th century, it was continually conquered and recaptured, and Christians and Arabs alternated possession many times. It came to belong to the Order of Santiago in 1214, a possession confirmed by a papal bull. When the Alhambra district was divided between the Orders of Calatrava and Saint John, it lost its strategic importance and was gradually abandoned. The most curious thing about the castle is that, being mountainous, it never had an external enclosure or barbican, but rather a covered or protected path in its last section by a small wall, which allowed access under protected conditions.

It tells a little about the history of the place, the geographical plan of the Lagunas de Ruidera from 1781.

Beautiful castle ruins on top of the swamp

A magnificent example of a mountain castle, that is, one whose shape is exactly adapted to the hill on which it stands. Its most beautiful element is the main gate, opening at a bend in the wall and built as a re-entrant in its homogeneous circular path. The magnificent stonework with which it was built is worth the visit alone, as well as the pointed arch between its two strong towers. Built by a Muslim garrison in the mid-12th century, it was continually conquered and lost, and Christians and Arabs took turns in its possession many times. It came to belong to the Order of Santiago in 1214, possession confirmed by a papal bull. When the Alhambra district was divided between the orders of Calatrava and San Juan, it lost its strategic importance and was gradually abandoned. The most curious thing about the castle is that, because it is a mountain castle, it never had an external enclosure or barbican, but rather a covered or protected path in its last section by a small wall, which allowed access under protected conditions.

A magnificent example of a mountain castle, meaning its shape is perfectly adapted to the hill on which it stands. Its most beautiful feature is the main gate, opening into a bend in the wall and built as a re-entrant in its uniform circular layout. The magnificent stonework alone makes it worth visiting, as does the pointed arch between its two strong towers. Erected by a Muslim garrison in the mid-12th century, it was repeatedly conquered and lost, with Christians and Arabs alternating its possession many times. It came under the control of the Order of Santiago in 1214, a possession confirmed by a papal bull. When the district of Alhambra was divided between the Orders of Calatrava and Saint John, it lost its strategic importance and was gradually abandoned. The most curious thing about the castle is that, being in the mountains, it never had an outer enclosure or barbican, but rather a covered or protected path in its final stretch, enclosed by a small wall, which allowed access under protected conditions.