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 Ruta Del Quixote
Although there are a number of different paths of Don Quixote let us consider the route from Campo de Criptana to Tomelloso, Argamasilla de Alba and La Solana.
The adventures of the ingenious Knight cover the heart of La Mancha from north to south, which begins in Campo de Criptana at the foot of the famous windmills set at the base of the Sierra de la Paz mountain range.
Although the area of Campo de Criptana once had as many as 34 windmills, the identifying symbol of the area, nowadays there are only 10, the most famous being the so-called "Burleta".
From here, travellers cross a vast flat plain covered in cereal fields where it is not uncommon to spot steppe birds such as great bustards, stone curlews and little bustards.
A narrow turn-off takes you to Tomelloso, which still conserves many testimonies to its past, such as the Posada de los Portales, where you can visit the museum dedicated to local-born painter Antonio Lopez Torres.
The main route continues, with a new turn-off to Argamasilla de Alba, a town that developed in the shadows of the nearby castles of Penarroya and Argamasilla. It is here that we find the Medrano Cave, where Cervantes was held prisoner. Legend has it that it was here that Cervantes began writing the adventures of the Ingenious Knight Don Quixote.
A fork along the route takes visitors to the castle of Penarroya which is situated next to the dam of lake Peñarroya offering wonderful views then continues along the shore line until we reach the now Natural Park of the Lagunas de Ruidera, consisting of a series of natural lagoons.
To continue to La Solana it is necessary to return to the main route, La Solana offers some great samples of architecture from no less than four centuries, once an important business centre of La Mesta as La Casa de Don Diego, the old Palacio de los Condes de Casa Valiente, that today is used as the Tourism Office and gallery and above all, the Plaza-Mayor.
Nowadays this village has important revenue due to a little mauve flower of yellow stamens, or better known as saffron, which is colleted by hand.
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