Los Charcos de Quesa: do we bathe in fresh water?
Just over an hour from Valencia, the region The Canal de Navarres hide places like the Charcos de Quesa: several natural pools created by narrowing of the Rio Grande, also called Río de las Cuevas, which draw whimsical shapes due to the erosion of water on the limestone rock over time.
In the first of them, in which bathing with dogs allowed, you'll want to take a dip, but before you get out your towel (or the table and chairs, as many who spend the whole day there do), it's worth continuing to walk until you discover natural waterfalls such as El Chorro, a small waterfall under which you can dive for a few seconds to release adrenaline; or the Charco de la Horteta, point where we can start a trail to the Voro Shelter, a set of cave paintings from the Neolithic period, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and showing war dances performed by archers.
Along the way, you will pass through leafy pine forests, centennial fig trees, strawberry trees, ash trees and endemic orchids while you admire the high limestone walls that rise several tens of meters (called “cinglas”) and that create the visors and coats sculpted by erosion in which they live mountain goats and golden eagles.
A dip in fresh water in the interior of Valencia
For the more adventurous, the natural environment of Charcos de Quesa also offers a via ferrata of high difficulty (it is a K4), in the form of an itinerary drawn on a rocky massif equipped with a cable and steps, as well as a climbing area.
And 7 kilometers from the puddles is the town: Quesa, located in the foothills of the Bicorp millstone, is picturesque and is presided over in its upper part by the Arab castle, which gives rise to the municipality.
Stroll through its picturesque streets, buy local pastries (anise rolls, rossegones or sweet potato cakes) and, above all, its two star products (honey and olive oil produced in the region) and visit the Sendero de las Fuentes: a circular route that passes by the sources that once supplied the town, by a demolished flour mill or by a disused quarry.
Quesa, settled in the foothills of the Bicorp millstone
WHERE TO SLEEP
In this area, and especially in summer, motorhome or tent tourism triumphs, since there are several camping areas, but there is also a wide range of rural houses. In Quesa, specifically, there is the La Rocha Mountain Hotel.
If you want to take advantage of the trip, you should know that the Charcos de Quesa are not the only freshwater bath in the Valencian region, because they are very close the Gorgo de la Escalera (Anna), the Playamonte lake (Navarrés) and the recreational area of the Bolbaite river: all of them, continental beaches.
If you go to Anna, call a few days before to visit the Castle-Palace of the Cervellón, Go to the Albufera (the most touristic part of the town) and try the typical baked rice casserole, the herb pastisos and the sausage cakes.
The Valencian hinterland
In Navarrés, lose yourself in the steep streets of the old Moorish neighborhood and discover the natural area Los Chorradores and el Barcal: a succession of natural waterfalls, which you can end with a visit to the Quebradas water well and practicing nautical activities on the pier of the escalona dam or caving in the chasm of Tous.
In Bolbaite , you will be surprised by the imposing castle-palace of the Cabanilles, the viewpoints to the river Sellent or the climb to the hermitage of Santa Bárbara. and you will still have Bicorp and its Spider Caves; Chella and its Salto Viewpoint (an imposing waterfall of 25 meters) or Estubeny and La Cabrentà, a natural area of karstic formations of stalactites and stalagmites.
For something they say that water is the soundtrack of this Valencian region.
The natural environment of Charcos de Quesa also offers a via ferrata