La Mancha: windmills and the hanging houses of Cuenca

Route description

After Toledo, take the CM-400 south-east into the plains of La Mancha, a world of vineyards, wheat and huge skies. At Consuegra a line of white windmills and a castle crown the ridge above the town; drive up for sunset. The windmills are the ones Don Quixote took for giants.

Continue east on the N-420 to Campo de Criptana, another ridge of windmills above a village of whitewashed houses with blue trim; some mills are open as small museums. Further east, the fifteenth-century castle of Belmonte stands over its village, one of the best-preserved in Spain.

From Belmonte the road runs north-east into the hills to Cuenca, whose old town sits on a narrow ridge between two gorges. Cross the iron San Pablo bridge for the classic view of the hanging houses; park in the new town and walk or take the bus up, as the old town is steep and narrow.

To finish, drive north into the Serranía de Cuenca to the Ciudad Encantada, a labyrinth of rocks eroded into strange shapes in the pine forest. The plains are hot in summer and cold in winter, so spring and autumn, with harvest in September, are best. Try Manchego cheese and pisto on the way.