Cuenca seems to grow straight out of the rock. The old town stands on a narrow limestone ridge between two deep gorges, carved by the Júcar and Huécar rivers, and its houses cling to the cliff edges as if they might slip off at any moment. The most famous of them, the Casas Colgadas, or hanging houses, have wooden balconies that project over the void of the Huécar gorge, and they are one of the most photographed sights in Spain. The whole old town is a World Heritage Site.
The best way to see the hanging houses is from the San Pablo bridge, an iron footbridge that crosses the gorge to a former convent, now a Parador hotel. Walking across it, with the river far below and the houses on the cliff opposite, is a slightly dizzying experience. Inside one of the hanging houses, the Museum of Spanish Abstract Art has a collection of works by artists who gathered in Cuenca in the 1960s. The cathedral, one of the earliest Gothic cathedrals in Spain, stands on the main square at the top of the town.
Cuenca's food is hearty and rustic, suited to its harsh winters. Morteruelo, a rich pâté of game and liver, is a local speciality, and zarajos, lamb intestines wrapped around vine shoots and grilled, are an acquired taste. For dessert, alajú, a sweet of honey, almonds and breadcrumbs, has Moorish roots. The restaurants in the old town and the newer town below serve all of this and more.
For riders, the real treasure lies to the north. The road up the Júcar gorge, towards the Serranía de Cuenca, winds through spectacular limestone scenery, with cliffs, pinnacles and pine forests, and about thirty kilometres from the city, the Ciudad Encantada is a natural park of strangely eroded rock formations. The roads are quiet and well surfaced, with plenty of curves, and the scenery is outstanding. Fuel and services are available in Cuenca, but they become scarce in the mountains, so fill up before heading out. Summers are hot, winters cold, and spring and autumn are ideal.