The road from Soria to Sos del Rey Catolico

posted in: Home, Spain | 1

I was slowly mending and we had both enjoyed our stay in Soria, in varying degrees. Now it was time to move on and take the road from Soria to Sos del Rey Catolico, our next stop.

N122 from Soria to Arguedas on The road from Soria to Sos del Rey Catolico
Heading towards Arguedas on the N122

Bardenas Reales

Our first point of call lay behind the mountains between Arguedas and Tudela.

The Bardenas Reales is a semi-desert area of c.42,000 acres north-west of Soria. The area has been eroded by wind and water and it is a countryside of extraordinary shapes. The wind which blows down the Ebro river valley here is the cierzo which can be very strong indeed. The roads are dirt roads and as I was strapped into my surgical belt again there was no possibility of exploring the park in depth, or crossing the area.

There are two main areas: White Bardena and Black Bardena.

The White Bardena is the central area which we were looking down on from the viewing point just beyond the Tourist Information Centre. There is apparently a lot of gypsum and salt in the soil and that creates the whiteness. There is also a flat, elevated area in the north, the Plaza Blanca.

View from the Mirador Bardena Blanca
The view from the Mirador Bardena Blanca
One of the formations in the Bardenas Reales
One of the formations in the Bardenas Reales
Formations in the Bardenas Reales
Castildetierra formation
One of the formations in the Bardenas Reales
One of the formations in the Bardenas Reales near the air station

The Black Bardena to the south is greener, with pine and oak forests and rivers. It also has an elevated plain.

The road from Soria to Sos del Rey Catolico
The N125 road between Tudela and Valarena
Black Bardenas in the Bardenas Reales
Cornfields in the Black Bardenas
Black Bardenas
Shrubs and farmland in the Black Bardenas

The NATO and Spanish Firing and Bombing Range

The Spanish Air Force have a bombing range in the park and sometimes some of the roads are closed off. From the viewing platform we could see, and hear, the jets on their bombing runs for a while.


Spanish Air Force control centre
Spanish Air Force control centre

Spanish Air Force control centre

Spanish Air Force control centre

Arriving at Sos

The road from Soria to Sos del Rey Catolico
Heading up to the pass above Sos, on the N127
The pass above Sos
The pass above Sos
Sos del Rey Catolico
Sos del Rey Catolico on a hilltop

The day spent on the road from Soria to Sos del Rey Catolico was fascinating but it was also good to arrive at the Parador!

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