The reason for the empty highway leading to the town became obvious as we wandered around the completely empty town. It's a much prettier, more historic town than Arenas de San Pedro, and much, much quieter. Since the town is built on a hill we thought it would be a great place to grab a beer and enjoy the now sun-filled view, but the town didn't cooperate. We finally found one bar that was open, but it was indoors and very scruffy. So we enjoyed our beer watching Spanish game shows with the town drunk until our driver showed up and took us back to Madrid.

117. Mombeltran

Our hike ended in the decidedly nicer town of Mombeltran, which announces its presence from miles away with a picture perfect castle. The castle, which lords over the surrounding valley, was built by the Duke of Albequerque in the fifteenth century. It was quite palatial in its day, but is now abandoned, which is obvious when you get up close. But after a long slog in the rain, it's a stunning sight.