After the Maratón de Almagro: Calatrava la Nueva

The Route: Almagro → Calzada de Calatrava → Calatrava la Nueva → Almagro Logistics: Car, about 40 minutes each way. A steep final road to the castle gate, then uneven stone inside. Marathon Month: January Duration: Day trip

Almagro ──(about 40 mins by car via Calzada de Calatrava)──> Calatrava la Nueva ──(about 40 mins)──> Almagro

Almagro's grandeur, its Plaza Mayor, its convents and its palaces, came from the Order of Calatrava, the military religious order founded in the twelfth century to hold the frontier against the Moors, which made the town the seat of its government. The order's great fortress stands about 30 km south, on a volcanic hilltop above the pass of Puerto de Calatrava. After a flat 14-lap marathon, it is the one place nearby with a view.

January at Calatrava la Nueva is cold and often windy on the hilltop, with bright winter light over the Campo de Calatrava, a plain dotted with the stumps of old volcanoes. The castle keeps winter hours from October to March, and it is closed on Mondays. The day after a Sunday race is the wrong day: go on the Saturday before, or from Tuesday.

There is no public transport. Drive south from Almagro through Calzada de Calatrava and take the Puertollano road; the castle is signed at km 7.2. A narrow road climbs the hill to a car park below the walls.

The fortress

The Sacro Convento y Castillo de Calatrava la Nueva was built from the early thirteenth century, after the order's first stronghold at Calatrava la Vieja on the Guadiana was lost. It is both a castle and a monastery: behind three rings of walls are a church with a large rose window, cloisters, a chapter house, refectories and cisterns, much of it restored.

Entry is €4. In winter the castle opens Tuesday to Friday from 11:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 18:00, Saturday from 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 18:00, and Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. Free guided visits, included in the ticket, run on weekends at 11:30 and 16:15.

From the car park, the approach to the gate is a short, steep walk on stone and gravel. Inside, the ground is uneven, with ramps, steps and worn paving. It is manageable slowly two or three days after a marathon, less so the day after. Bring a warm coat for the ramparts.

Across the valley on the facing hill are the ruins of the Castillo de Salvatierra, an older fortress, visible from the walls.

The return

Calzada de Calatrava, on the way back, is the birthplace of the film director Pedro Almodóvar and has a small old centre for a coffee. Almagro is about 40 minutes from the castle; lunch in the Plaza Mayor is the natural end to the day.