Ayora Valley - Inland Valencia

Situated approximately 70 miles north-west of Alicante and 70 miles south-west of Valencia, the Ayora valley offers a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of the coastal resorts and towns.

The Ayora Valley, cut through limestone by the rivers Jucar, Cautaban and Cabriel into deep gorges and ravines, offers a National Park area with hilltop fortress villages and small market towns, all set amid breathtaking natural beauty and stunning views where the pine covered mountains give way to rich, fertile farm land which produces grapes, fruit and olives in abundance.

The countryside can be explored by car, on almost deserted, but incredibly good roads or by foot or mountain bike, in the valleys and wooded slopes where you may see golden eagles, red-legged partridge, wild boar or Hispanic goats. Angling is another popular pastime with the locals, with pike, carp and trout in barely fished waters.

There are six villages in the Ayora Valley, and each one has bars and restaurants, a school, a clinic and some form of general goods shop plus bakery. Ayora is the capital of the valley and is the focal point for the villages around. It has a 24 hour clinic which feeds into the general hospital at Requena, plus the new state of the art hospital in Almansa. Every village has its own mayor and as a result taxes such as house rates, are spent on local amenities.

Each of the villages has their own fiestas and food specialities, together with outdoor and indoor markets.