San Pablo Bridge and a walk along the Huécar gorge

The San Pablo bridge is an iron footbridge over the Huécar gorge that links the old town with the former convent of San Pablo, now a Parador. Crossing it is the way to see the Hanging Houses face on, with the river far below. It is 40 metres high and 110 long, and the floor is made of planks: you can see the drop between the boards, so if you have a fear of heights, it takes a little nerve.

A little history

There used to be a stone bridge here from the mid-16th century, with five arches on piers, built to connect the Dominican convent of San Pablo with the city. Some remains of those piers are still in the gorge. The bridge deteriorated and was demolished at the end of the 19th century. The present one was begun in 1902, designed by the Valencian engineer José María Fuster y Tomás, built by the foundry of George H. Bartle, also from Valencia, and opened on 19 April 1903. It is a fine example of the iron architecture of that period.

On the other side is the convent, built from 1523 making use of the rock of the gorge. It has a very beautiful cloister and a late Gothic church with a doorway somewhere between Baroque and Rococo; today it is the Parador, and in the former church is the Espacio Torner, with work by the Cuenca artist Gustavo Torner.

A walk along the gorges

The bridge is also a crossing point on a waymarked trail suggested by the tourist office: the SL-CU 10, Hoces de Cuenca. It is an easy circular route of 3.8 km and 261 m of ascent, which rings the old town by its two gorges. It starts in the Castillo district, at the highest point, goes down by path to the sanctuary of Las Angustias and continues to the bank of the Júcar, the Trinidad park and the Huécar park. By Calle de los Tintes and the Puerta de Valencia it returns along the Paseo del Huécar to the San Pablo bridge, and below it a mid-slope path climbs back to the Castillo district. You can do it all, in an hour and a half or two at an easy pace, or just the final stretch, from the bridge.

If that is not enough, the office has more routes, such as the path and viewpoints of the hermitage of San Julián, 7.5 km along both banks of the Júcar.

Tips

It is free and always open. Go first thing or at sunset, when the light falls on the Hanging Houses and there are fewer people on the bridge. Wear comfortable shoes if you are going down into the gorge: the return to the old town is uphill. Dogs may go on a lead over the bridge and along the paths. To understand what you see from outside, first go into the Hanging Houses and the Abstract Art Museum, which are just on the other side, a couple of steps from the cathedral.