Villahermosa del Río - A Spanish Village Nestled in the Mountains

Hello everyone. Today I want to share my visit to Villahermosa del Río, a mountain village located in the Castellón mountains of Spain. Let’s explore together how life unfolds here and discover its interesting aspects. The village is situated approximately 750 meters above sea level, almost on the border with Aragon. This municipality neighbors Aragon and the views are breathtaking. Nearby is Pina de Peñagolosa, the highest mountain in the region.

The white houses are stunning and the village has a population of 470 people, almost 500. We saw a few people carrying climbing gear, likely heading for some climbing activities. As we walked around it was siesta time and a holiday, so there weren’t many people around. However, some were visiting a local restaurant, which is quite popular and of good quality. There’s a church and a castle right next to it.

Buses operate here, but they generally come from Castellón only once or twice a day. So, while not frequent transportation is still possible. The castle has decorations and it likely looks beautiful when illuminated at sunset. There’s also a tourism center and a fountain here. This is the general layout of Villahermosa del Río. The main attractions and roads are in this area. We got a map from the tourism office that includes hiking routes. There are paths leading to waterfalls, but currently, there’s little or no water there. So, we wandered around the village, thinking we might explore one of the hiking routes on a future visit.

The castle is currently privately owned. There also seems to be a wood workshop in the village. Overall agriculture is the primary livelihood here. And there’s a large meat processing facility in the Villahermosa area. Various sausages, hams and other products are produced there, providing jobs for over 100 people.

Just outside the village there are houses with larger gardens. Compared to the center, these homes are spread over larger areas. We headed to a viewpoint. By the way there’s a sports field here where you can play basketball and an outdoor swimming pool used in summer, offering a beautiful view.

From another viewpoint we could see the surrounding nature: a small pond, mountains, greenery and forests. Below, there are agricultural fields and further ahead, more mountains, including the highest peak, Peñagolosa.

We reached the old center, where houses are built very close to each other. We continued wandering through the narrow streets of the village. At a shop called Panadería (bakery), we saw a list of events held in Villahermosa. Since it was Saturday afternoon, most places were closed and there were very few people around. There’s a bank, a square, a butcher shop, the town hall and an ATM here. Many people also ride bicycles. The village streets are quite narrow and have a unique charm. The white houses look beautiful.

An interesting detail: there’s a house dating back to 1789 here. It has been completely renovated but remains an impressive part of the historic streets. The streets are narrow, winding and snake-like. Then we saw a butcher shop and a very beautiful house with carved roofing and flowers everywhere. It’s built in an old style but is entirely new.

There are several restaurants here and we came across one of them. Next to it there’s a pharmacy. While wandering the streets, we noticed some people working on construction projects. There’s also a fantastic area for barbecues, accompanied by the soothing sound of a small fountain, making it a peaceful spot.

As we continued exploring, we saw a house built on a rocky hill. We started descending and came across a school sign. It’s likely a place for kindergarten or early elementary school classes. In the distance we could still see the church building where we began our tour.

A bit further along there was a very old house, next to a more modern building resembling an apartment complex. The village also has a restaurant called Ruta de Aragón, which offers local wines and dishes. The atmosphere is lovely and it’s highly praised by the locals.

In the mountains the sun sets a bit earlier as it hides behind the peaks. We saw a palm tree, but its fruits hadn’t been harvested. Nearby a horse was grazing. A little further ahead, we noticed apples on the ground, likely those that had fallen and weren’t collected. There was also a garden nearby and most of the apples seemed to have been harvested.

The park continued, leading to a small pond. Black swans were swimming in the pond. One beautiful swan came close to us a true symbol of grace.

This concludes today’s journey. Villahermosa del Río was a fascinating place. Thanks for reading. Wishing you all a great day.