Siguenza

06 May

No trip to Spain is complete without a stay in a Parador, or so I’ve been told. These state-owned properties are all landmarks of varying prominence and historical significance. In a stroke of genius in 1928, the military government turned them into going-concerns, so that well-heeled tourists could fund their upkeep and preserve them for the nation.

It’s also a Sunday, and getting fed in the remote areas of Europe’s more devout countries is increasingly difficult. In desperation, you can normally find someone to flog you a manky kebab on the Sabbath, but this is a fate to be avoided where possible. But a Parador offers half-board, even on a Sunday, so removes this uncertainty.

I’ve set a single waypoint on the fastest route from Albacete just to see what’s there. After an hour of motorway across the central Spanish plain under a flawless blue sky, I’m diverted off the Autovia up the N420. It might not be quite as good as some sections from the previous day but it’s a close-run thing. As the route turns into the inauspicious sounding CM’s 220, 2015 & 2115, it remains almost boringly brilliant.

Comparing it to home, I pathetically look forward to a few turns in Rutland on the A606 on my regular journey to the Midlands. By contrast, this road is 100 miles of curves that eclipse anything on the best roads in the UK. Even the last five miles to Siguenza are mesmerising.

This parador, and my overnight billet, is a mediaeval castle of honeyed-stone construction and grand beyond belief. The public rooms are colossal and convey a sense of permanence. My ‘room’ is a labyrinth of various interconnected spaces with tiny windows. The thick walls have absorbed all heat and sound from outside so it's blissfully cool, darkened and silent. The neatly manicured gardens in the keep are shaded from the afternoon sun and reserved for the guests to sip their pre-dinner glasses of wine and pick at olives. Dinner is simple but fine. Much nicer than a kebab and well worth the €30 supplement.

The town is still very much a working place but ever-so-slightly twee, with more art galleries and craft shops that you might expect for its size. It is undeniably lovely though, and I’m mentally plotting to bring my partner back here. It’s 250 miles from Bilbao so reachable after the crossing that docks early in the morning. And there is a restaurant with a Michelin star in the town…