Driving the 10 most haunted roads of Spain
The Spanish road network is full of 'cursed' sections of road that drivers prefer not to go through... under pain of suffering a terrifying encounter.
The stories of haunted stretches where travelers witness all kinds of terrifying visions are universal and timeless. They have existed for centuries in the traditions of the five continents and they are all practically identical in essentials, probably because –despite everything– traveling on lonely roads continues to arouse atavistic fears that know no borders or cultures.
What they all have in common is that they take place at night and in remote places, which obviously leads one to think that the power of suggestion continues to be the main driver of this type of testimony. Spain has a handful of enchanted or mysterious roads that, some say, should not be traveled at night...
A-472: between Seville and Sanlucar la Mayor (Andalusia)
The so-called Cuesta de las Doblas occupies its own space in the records of cursed Spanish roads. In fact, this 2.3 kilometer long section has the sad record of being the scene of some of the most serious traffic accidents in the history of Spain.
More than a hundred deaths have occurred in this tiny section between kilometer points 568 and 570 of the old national highway 431 since it was put into service in 1937. A badly designed curve is behind this bleeding of lives that - as it is natural– immediately gave rise to legends of apparitions.
Dozens of witnesses and testimonies speak of a girl dressed in a red jacket who appears hitchhiking late at night looking hurried just before reaching the curve.
EX-204: between Aceitunilla and Nuñomoral (Extremadura)
Las Hurdes is a land steeped in mystery and perhaps for this reason, for many fans of the paranormal, the twisty stretch that connects the beautiful Hurdana farmhouse of Aceitunilla with Nuñomoral is the most terrifying not only in Extremadura but also in Spain.
Local tradition tells of apparitions that go far beyond the usual blood-curdling women in period costumes with monstrous babies crying desperately in the middle of the asphalt, ghosts of children emerging from a nearby cemetery and strange red-eyed animals chasing to vehicles. Undoubtedly, the solitary surroundings greatly helps to create the right climate.
N-340: between Tarragona and Castellón (Catalonia)
In Spain, the other quintessential ghostly section is the one that runs at kilometer 159.5 of the N-340 at Sant Carles de la Rápita (Tarragona) and it is -effectively- the straight line that passes in front of the campsite of Los Alfaques. Dozens of drivers claim to have seen men, women and children with inert expressions watching their passage from the shoulder, right in front of the place where on July 11, 1978 , the accident of a tanker truck (carrying 25 tons of propylene) caused a fireball that killed 243 people.
Pure suggestion for knowing in a place marked by such a terrible tragedy or real mystery, the truth is that those who claim to have witnessed the phenomenon highlight –above all– the terrifying immobility of the figures.
AS-17: between Mengollo and Blimea (Asturias)
It may not be one of the best known or one of the most publicized, but this section of the AS-17 is one of the ones that registers the most complaints, even before the authorities, due to the sudden appearance of a strange dark-haired woman with long hair and an expressionless look. who, looking disoriented, suddenly comes out from behind a sign.
This stretch of road is located in what was once Valparaíso, in Extremadura, and has a history of terror that dates back to the 11th century.
The story occurred near kilometer 174 of the A-5 highway. Legend has it that a girl was returning to her family after making her first communion when she, due to unknown circumstances, lost her life when she fell from the carriage.
It is believed that when the parents and the girl were passing through Valparaíso, an abandoned city today, a pack of wolves and snakes scared the horse and caused it to gallop away.
When the animals calmed down, the parents came back for the girl. However, her daughter was missing when they arrived.
After many years, in the 1950s, a similar case occurred at the same point on the road, which is why Valparaíso has been considered a cursed place ever since.
Today, many drivers claim to have seen a girl dressed in her First Communion outfit and a rosary in her hand on the shoulder.
A-457: between Lora del Río and Carmona (Andalusia)
Before becoming better known in the world of national mystery, the strange phenomena that take place on this stretch of road had already filled the pages of the regional press.
Numerous drivers claim to have seen shadowy apparitions – many of them of incomplete parts of the body – of a being over 1.90 meters tall that was passing through a dangerous and difficult-to-drive area, causing accidents.
Mystery buffs attribute it to the nearby presence of a dam that was built by prisoners sentenced to forced labor after the Civil War, as a result of which many of them perished and whose bodies are still there, demanding burial.
EX-370: between Pozuelo de Zarzón and Monterhermoso (Extremadura)
The locals refer to km.32 of this 2-kilometre straight as “the stretch of death”. Crosses and bouquets of flowers nailed to the shoulder bear witness to an inexplicable concentration of accidents despite the fact that visibility is good and the asphalt is in good condition.
Skeptics say that it is a problem of decreased attention due to the monotony of the route..., but there is also a supernatural version linked to the sudden appearance of the ghost of a 17-year-old girl who was fatally run over on the spot and whose body was thrown into a nearby lagoon.
Some red stains can be seen on the asphalt that neither cleaning nor weathering has managed to erase and that some attribute simply to the ferrous oxide of the pavement but others to the blood of the creature.
CA-631: between Vega de Pas and Estacas de Trueba (Cantabria)
The entrance to the Cantabrian tunnel of Engaña is also the frequent scene of terrible visions. Once again, black history linked to an infrastructure built by political prisoners of the Franco regime gives rise to supernatural stories.
The tunnel was designed in 1942 to link the Bay of Biscay with the Mediterranean by rail, but funds ran out and the final stretch was abandoned, although hundreds of unfortunate prisoners had previously sacrificed their lives. Since then, stories of apparitions and mysterious sounds that come out in the path of drivers are frequent.
A-360: from Seville to Morón de la Frontera (Andalusia)
For 19 years, strange apparitions have been witnessed on this stretch of road that connects the towns of Arahal, Utrera, Montellano, and the Morón air base. There are drivers who talk about lines of children dressed in school uniforms crossing the road hand in hand... and disappearing.
Others claim to have seen the lean face of a woman appear in the middle of the road, shining so brightly that they thought it was some kind of traffic signal, and there are also references to humanoid figures and UFOs. Even the military – people by definition little given to fantasies – have had to take action on the matter.
Undoubtedly, the fact that the largest and most secretive Spanish air force base is located in Morón may contribute to the climate of mystery and the frequent presence of strange flying objects in the area.
N-240: from Puente de la Reina to Jaca (Huesca)
A pilgrim, eternally wandering along the Camino de Santiago or who passed right on this section of the N-240, throws himself at the cars that circulate on it. He even carried his staff and gourd as a canteen.
This is what dozens of drivers who circulated in the late afternoon through this beautiful Aragonese area claim to have seen. The Jacetania area has been charged for centuries with all kinds of legends... from the Holy Grail to apparitions of divine origin.
T-704: from Vilaplana to La Mussara (Catalonia)
Until the section of Los Alfaques stole the title of most haunted road in Catalonia, the one that leads to the ruins of the town of La Mussara held this honor. The route is really overwhelming; almost permanent fog and wind and loneliness on either side... it does not lack any element to be the perfect setting for a horror movie.
In fact, the place has been famous for being cursed for centuries, it has hosted satanic rituals and stories of disappearances, jumps in time –some carried out by soldiers from the nearby and also an already abandoned Castillejos base– and terrifying encounters with strange beings are more frequent. Beyond the myth, electromagnetic interferences have been measured –indeed– in the old town abandoned since the fifties.
Image credit: Depositphotos