Logbook · 14 places

What to see and do in Tragacete

What to see and do in Tragacete (Serranía Alta, Cuenca): 14 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 1 Monuments · 5 Nature · 4 Activities · 2 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

When to go to Tragacete: festival calendar

February: San Blas in Tragacete (February 3)
August: Pilgrimage of la Virgen de la Zarza de Tragacete (August)
September: Festivities of San Miguel de Tragacete (late September)

How far each place is from the centre of Tragacete

Towns near Tragacete

What to see in Huélamo 8.8 km · 5 places
What to see in Vega del Codorno 11 km · 8 places
What to see in Guadalaviar 12 km · 6 places
What to see in Griegos 15 km · 3 places
What to see in Villar del Cobo 16 km · 2 places
What to see in Las Majadas 16 km · 13 places
What to see in Valdemeca 17 km · 7 places
What to see in Uña 18 km · 1 place

Spain › Castilla-La Mancha › Cuenca › Serranía Alta › Tragacete

What to see and do in Tragacete

Tragacete
Village
Municipality of the comarca of Serranía Alta, in the province of Cuenca, included in the Serranía de Cuenca Nature Park and close to the source of the Júcar, in the spot of the Ojuelos de Valdeminguete; down its river floated the logs of these pinewoods steered by the gancheros, its cold waters give the trout that is the village's benchmark dish and every year it hosts the Rural Fair of the Serranía, with craftwork in wood and leather.
Source of the Júcar River
Nature
The Júcar rises at the spot known as the Ojuelos de Valdeminguete, at the bottom of the valley separating the San Felipe tableland from La Mogorrita. It is reached from Tragacete by a narrow road that climbs the ravine.
Estrecho de San Blas
Nature
Narrow pass of the upper Júcar downstream from the source, hemmed in between great rock walls. Beside it stands the San Blas hostel, built in 1950.
Cerro de San Felipe
Nature
Limestone tableland of the Serranía Alta, one of the highest points in the province of Cuenca, whose shady side holds the springs of the Júcar. It is a classic climb from Tragacete.
La Mogorrita
Nature
La Mogorrita is a mountain in the Serranía de Cuenca that forms the highest point of the range and of the whole province, with a geodetic marker at its summit at 1864 metres above sea level. It neighbours the Muela de San Felipe and is a usual destination of the mountain routes starting from Tragacete. It is reached from the road linking Cuenca with Tragacete, taking the turn-off towards Teruel at kilometre 65 and following an 8.3-kilometre forest track that leads to an ICONA hut, already close to the summit.
Serranía de Cuenca Natural Park
Nature
Protected area of some 73,700 hectares declared under Law 5/2007 of Castilla-La Mancha, which covers ten municipalities including Tragacete, Huélamo, Valdemeca and Zafrilla, and borders on its north-western edge the Alto Tajo natural park. It preserves one of the finest forest masses in central Spain, with extensive pine forests and mixed woodland, and brings together sites of great value such as the Ciudad Encantada, the source of the río Cuervo, the Torcas de los Palancares, the Laguna de Uña and the Hoz de Beteta, several of them declared Natural Monuments. It has three visitor centres: the main one, in Tragacete, another dedicated to water in Uña, and one focused on the park's botany in Valdemeca.
Old Town of Tragacete
Monument
The traditional core of cobbled streets with stone houses, balconies with ironwork and timber framing, a characteristic example of the mountain architecture of Cuenca.
Festivities of San Miguel de Tragacete
Activity
Patron saint festival in honour of Saint Michael the Archangel, with a procession, open-air dances, bullfighting events and a gathering of local clubs.
San Blas in Tragacete
Activity
Winter celebration of San Blas, one of the three dates that mark the town's traditional festive calendar along with San Juan and San Miguel.
Rural Fair of the Serranía
Activity
Annual market and fair held in Tragacete with stallholders offering wood and leather crafts, local produce and activities, now established as one of the craft events of the Serranía.
Pilgrimage of la Virgen de la Zarza de Tragacete
Activity
Summer pilgrimage to the hermitage of the Virgen de la Zarza, with mass and a picnic lunch.
The gancheros of the Júcar
Historical milestone
The trunks cut in these pine forests came down the river floating as far as the sawmills and the building works of the peninsular interior. The gancheros guided them standing on the timber, with a boat hook, in a trade that lasted into the twentieth century.
The brine salt works of Tragacete
Historical milestone
Madoz's dictionary (1845-1850) describes salt works fed by water within the territory of Tragacete, along with two flour mills and two wooden bridges over the Júcar. Salt supplemented a very precarious mountain economy.
Trout of the Júcar
Food and drink
The Júcar rises a few kilometres upstream and its cold waters have always given trout of firm flesh. They are prepared on the griddle, marinated with vinegar and bay leaf or stuffed with serrano ham, and they are the town's benchmark dish.