Revilla is one of the most spectacularly placed hamlets in the Spanish Pyrenees, perched on a ledge above the Garganta de Escuaín, a deep gorge cut into the limestone of the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park. It looks down into the canyon from a terrace of meadows, with the high peaks behind. The Cueva de Revilla is a cave in the cliffs near the hamlet, and the area between Bielsa, Plan and Boltaña is some of the wildest country in Aragón.
The Escuaín gorge is the least visited of the four great valleys of the national park, and that is a large part of its charm. Revilla and Escuaín, a neighbouring hamlet, were nearly abandoned in the twentieth century, and only a few houses are lived in today. The gorge is home to the lammergeier, or bearded vulture, a huge bird that feeds on bones, dropping them from a height to break them. There is an observation point for spotting them, and the sight of one gliding over the canyon is extraordinary. The cave itself is one of many in this limestone country, and caves in the area have yielded traces of prehistoric occupation.
Getting to Revilla is a ride in itself. The access road branches off the road up the Cinca valley toward Bielsa and climbs on a narrow, twisting, sometimes broken lane through the hamlets of Tella-Sin. It is single track in places, with steep drops and no barriers, so take it slowly. The main road up the Cinca, toward Bielsa and the tunnel into France, is a great ride in its own right, through the gorge of Las Devotas and along the river.
Bielsa, about six kilometres away, is the nearest village with services, including fuel. It has a few hotels and restaurants, and is known for its carnival with figures dressed in goat horns and skins. During the Spanish Civil War, Bielsa was the site of a famous episode, the Bolsa de Bielsa, when Republican troops held out in the valley before retreating into France in 1938.
The road is often closed by snow in winter, so check conditions. Late spring to autumn is best, when the meadows are green and the peaks still have snow.