We followed the advice from the outdoor store and took the Via Verde rail trail out of town.  What a fantastic experience we had on this trail all day long!  The trail follows an old rail line that was used until the mid 1990’s.  It’s conversion to a regional trail seems to be relatively recent.  We picked up the trail at its terminus in Plasencia.

Right away we started out impressed with a long tunnel that even had lights.  Out the other side we were immediately in the country instead of the densely packed outskirts of Plasencia.   A river raged below us and wildflowers burst from the ground on either side.  There were glowing poppies all along the trail.

In rapid succession we rode over two high bridges.  We were appropriately wowed and stopped to peer over the edge at the rapids far below.  We joked that this trail was going to take us twice as long as the road would since we were stopping so often for pictures.

H got cold from all the rock cut-out shadows along the trail and we stopped several times to add more layers.  As the day progressed it heated up and the shadows retreated. 

Eventually we emerged from the rock cut-outs into a wider plain with horses and cows and trees on either side.  At one point the trail brushed against a road and a service station so we could grab some soda and coffee.  We met a cyclist from Hungary there who had a heavily loaded bike and was sticking to the roads.

The trail climbed up gently towards the mountain towns.  Our pace slowed.  The girls delighted in sticking their feet to the side to have the plants brush against them. As we gained altitude we entered a treed area full of shade. 

Right before 2pm we entered the historical town of Hervas.  We wanted so desperately to get some ice cream, but the grocery stores here close at 2 for the siesta.  At exactly 1:59 Jason dashed into a supermarket only seconds before they started lowering the shades… and he emerged with ice cream cones!  We sat in delight and ate our cones as the local schools let out and packs of school children surged by on the pedestrian street.

The town was beautiful.  We walked and rode through the narrow streets back to the trail, which wound above the town and along the mountainside through lovely terraced farms.  Looking back on the village impressed us until we turned around the mountain and into the next valley.

Just as the trail leveled out it was time to descend to our destination: Baños de Montemayor.  There are some hot springs here that make the town a legitimate destination for tourists.  We are staying at a small hostel and we are the only ones here.  The small alleys and mountain-style houses are delightful to explore. 

We went out to eat for the very first time on this trip – H ate an entire pizza (not a personal pizza, more like a pizza for two). What a day!