“Our” local castle can be seen in the distance from our roof-terrace, on the peak of a mountain by Ayelo de Rugat which is the neighbouring village to Montichelvo.
The castle dates back to Muslim origins sometime before the 11th Century and is apparently best know for being the place where King Jaime 1 (otherwise know as The Conquistador) was nearly killed, along with several of his horsemen, when they were ambushed by the rebel, Al-Azraq, who had invited the Aragonese king to a pretend wedding. – Exciting times!
In 1339 parts of the castle were dismantled and from about 1500 it was left to decay.
Today, there are still parts of exterior walls and battlements, interior walls window openings and an almost intact hallway of some kind.
Click on any of the photos for a full-size picture
A fascinating place to sit and ponder and with the castle being some 490 mtrs above sea-level the views are stunning.
The castle is reached by way of a signed trail that leads out from the back of Ayelo de Rugat, crossing streams via stepping stones and rising steeply towards the summit which is visible for most of the walk.
Good shoes or walking boots are a must as the going is tough in places but the result is well worth the effort! There and back is under 3 hours so it can be walked either side of the hottest part of the day.
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