Population shifts in Spain in the latest decades have gone through a dramatic polarization trend. It’s not only the typical move from rural to urban but also the lack of any thriving population hotspots in most of the inland areas. The highland regions where farming is tough have particularly suffered from depopulation and there were no regional urban alternatives.

The villages and the roads are still there but they’re increasingly empty. Empty of human things which, in turn, means it’s nature that thrives.

Central-Eastern Uplands

Central-Eastern Spain is a particularly interesting case. The Atlantic-Mediterranean watershed runs north to south along a series of lesser mountain ranges and uplands that haven’t been farmed for a long time, if ever. This region is among the best remains of what the Iberian Peninsula highlands were in ancient times and unlike other geographically similar areas land property and use haven’t degenerated into heavy fencing. The land is open.

The Empty Quarter

It’s not a popular hiking area. It lacks the glamour of the big mountain ranges, there are not many recreational trails, there are no big towns around and not many hikers/mountaineers would travel to go there, myself included.

How I got there

Bike touring was my introduction to the region. Let me put this in perspective too: while Spain is about perfect for the activity, classic touring is far from popular. Specific infrastructure is mostly absent and there’s little literature, which doesn’t help selling the plan to riders from abroad. Yet the place has great potential with a dense network of small roads that bear very little traffic, traversing beautiful landscapes and offering a great way to approach the rural scene.

At this point, you can see it coming: the Empty Quarter in Central-Eastern Spain has become a personal favorite throughout years of riding across woodland and moorland, sleeping under the stars, marveling at the ancient architecture and enjoying the local pubs. If we travel in a group, sometimes there’s more riders than locals at the bar.

Forest road in the Serrania de Cuenca

Some similarly attractive areas in Spain suffer from lack of access, other than the roads, due to land property and use models. It’s too common to find yourself riding alongside a double row of fences, which doesn’t feel nice and prevents any travel off the road itself. Not in the Empty Quarter. During my cycling trips there, I couldn’t stop noticing the lack of fences and I started toying with the idea of a hiking trip across the territory. Just across. It’d feel as travel used to be in the very, very old times.

When the COVID-19 hit early in the year and 2020 started to look like a particularly good time to stay local, I thought of the Empty Quarter and it made sense.