The original town of Ainsa was the capital of the old kingdom of Sobrarbe, which became part of the kingdom of Aragon in the 11th century.
The town is a magnificent example of a medieval city & has an old quarter with a series of closely packed & uniform houses, the slender tower of the Collegiate Church and the enormous castle enclosure – almost as big as the rest of the village.
The walls that surrounded it are almost completely preserved, and it is full of monuments going back to the Middle Ages.

Our ride starts in the more modern part of town, before heading north to the spectacular Anisclo Canyon.

The Anisclo Canyon is one of the most spectacular sceneries in Aragón, a deep gorge sculpted for centuries by the intense erosion of the Bellós river.
You enter through a narrow, winding one-way route, which opens into a chaos of rocks and mountain pines. It’s definitely one of the most spectacular routes in the Pyrenees.
The canyon is now part of a national Park.
The route has a small backtrack up to the Mirador de Vio (RP 8), which has an amazing view of the Anisclo fault and the exposed rock strata.

Take care on the small mountain road through Fanlo to Sarvise.
In Sarvise you will join the N-260, or Pyrenean Axis, which is the northernmost east–west national road in Spain.
In contrast to the majority of Spanish national roads, which were specially constructed during the mid-20th century, the route for this highway was established in the 1980s over several previously existing secondary (or even local) roads.
It starts in Portbou and ends in the town of Sabiñanigo. It is often a challenging road, popular with motorcyclists.
You can enjoy this road through Biescas to Sabinanigo before heading for Jaca and the hairpins up to the viewpoint at Rapitan Fort.
Located on the Rapitán hill, at 1142m, the fort was conceived at the end of the 19th century as part of the dense defensive network that was intended to be built parallel to the Oloron-Canfranc international railway line.
The still close memory of the War of Independence, the demands of the Ministry of War in the Canfranc project and the ancestral fear of invasions from the other side of the Pyrenees explain the historical context in which these works were planned.
The first stone of the Rapitán castle was laid in 1884.
Six years later, in 1890, eleven cannons arrived from the Trubia foundry to gun the future castle.
The fort is built of ashlar (fine stone masonry) and most of it is concentrated underground to ensure that damage was minimized in the event of an attack from enemy artillery.
In the Civil War its moats saw dramatic scenes of the rearguard, and during the Franco era its activity gradually declined until it was eventually abandoned.

Next you drop down into the town of Jaca itself, where you may choose to take lunch and explore the beautiful star shaped castle.
The castle, with its pentagonal plan, was built at the end of the 16th century.
All of its characteristic parts: moat, bastions, escarpments, barracks, magazines, tunnels are well preserved... as well as a beautiful entrance that is accessed via a drawbridge.
The fortification was designed to embrace new schemes of military architecture derived from the use of artillery, in which lower and thicker walls predominated, with slopes and specific locations for cannons and other firing outlets. This construction system was called the Italian style .
In1809, it was taken by French troops due to the capitulation of the city and the very small number of troops defending it.
The Spanish, under the command of General Espoz y Mina, retook the castle in 1814, after several months of siege.
It's deteriorated walls and buildings were magnificently restored in 1968, earning it the “Europa Nostra” award.

Leaving the town you have the option to visit the San Miguel bridge which was probably built in the mid-15th century (its exact date is unknown). It became the most important communication route between the city of Jaca and the western valleys of the Aragonese Pyrenees. Its name comes from a hermitage (now disappeared), located on a hill very close to the bridge
The bridge, more than 96 metres long, crossing the Aragón River, has a central arch 17m high and two smaller semicircular arches.

Next you will ride west along the gentle slopes of the low Pyrenees to then follow the Estarron River valley north before joining the main road towards Canfranc station.
Along here you will have the option to visit the Guixas Caves which have served as a refuge from the Neolithic, through to Roman, medieval and modern times and also …… a meeting place for witches.
Often used as a refuge, or dungeon, for soldiers during the Spanish Civil War.
Currently its only inhabitants are up to eight different species of bats, which due to their morphological conditions, are especially adapted to life in the cave.

After passing the village of Canfranc, you will spot the the Arañones Castle, or ‘Torre de Fusileros', which is a defensive tower built in 1876 after the completion of the road from Zaragoza to France through Somport.
Originally one of two, intended to defend the new communication route.
It was built as part of the defensive system of the Coll de Ladrones fort. The second tower was demolished in 1910 when the entrance to the railway tunnel was built.

Canfranc Station opened as an opulent rail hub in 1928, with an inauguration ceremony attended by both the King of Spain and the President of the French Republic
The station was constructed on a grand scale to serve as a major hub for cross-border railway traffic.
Although rail traffic was more modest than imagined, this came to a full and abrupt end during 1970 following a train derailment that damaged a key bridge in France.
The French government decided not to rebuild the bridge which forced the closure of the cross-border line. 
Spanish train traffic continued but used a smaller, more modest facility as the station.  
The result was the grand Canfranc station fell into disuse and disrepair. It was fenced off and closed to the public except for guided tours.
Even as a ruin, Canfranc attracted visitors: Photographers flocked to the station, designed by Spanish architect Fernando Ramirez de Dampierre, keen to capture a forgotten slice of European rail history.
Those who find beauty in abandoned buildings might suggest the hotel was more appealing in this eerie, dilapidated state.
The station lay dormant for decades until work began to transform the still beautiful, but long neglected, building into a hotel operated by the Barcelo Hotel Group.
After years of regeneration, Canfranc Station Hotel welcomed its first guests in January 2023.

You are free to wander and explore around the restored station, where there are several railcars from its heyday.
Access to the main structure is limited to the main reception area, unless you take an organised tour.. or check-in as a hotel guest.
Tours can be booked at the Canfranc Tourist Information office, but may be in French & Spanish only.

The return leg sees you retaking your steps to head south.
Passing Jaca, on the ring road you may spot the Iglesia de San Miguel de Abos.
This Romanesque church is the only remaining sign of the town of Abos. It has an interesting history, as in the 19th century it was one of several churches converted into powder magazines by the French.
Many of the original, and later conversion, features can still be seen.
Unfortunately it appears to be difficult to access to explore, due to its position surrounded by modern roads
Soon you leave the main road to cut across country on deserted twisting roads until meeting the N-330 for a short stretch, leaving it as it becomes the A-23 Autovia Mudejar, to follow the Rio Guyarga valley for many km.
Keep an eye out for the old rope bridge, reminiscent of a scene from indiana Jones. Don’t try to cross it!

The last few kilometres are along twisting mountain roads that return you to Ainsa & a well earned rest.