The N-420 is a highway in
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.
The road starts 36 km east of
Córdoba at Montoro (Junction 356 of the
Autovía A-4
The A-4 or Autovía del Sur (Spanish for ''Southern Highway'') is a major Spanish highway and autopista route connecting Madrid to Cádiz. One of the six radial highways of the country, it was also known as Autovía de Andalucía (Spanish for '' ...
). The N-420 runs north through the heavily wooded
Sierra Morena
The Sierra Morena is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. It stretches for 450 kilometres from east to west across the south of the Iberian Peninsula, forming the southern border of the ''Meseta Central'' plateau and providi ...
passing over the Puerto de Niella (902m) then crossing the valley of the Rio Montoro before taking the Puerto Pulido to
Puertollano
Puertollano () is a municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain located in the province of Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha. The city has a population of 45,539 (2022). Contrasting to the largely rural character of the region, Puertollano stands o ...
. The
AVE
is a Latin word, used by the Roman Empire, Romans as a salutation (greeting), salutation and greeting, meaning 'wikt:hail, hail'. It is the singular imperative mood, imperative form of the verb , which meant 'Well-being, to be well'; thus on ...
Sevilla-Madrid runs parallel to the road on its way to
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real (, ) is a municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha, capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It is the 5th most populated municipality in the region.
It was founded as Villa Real in 1255 as a ro ...
.
Thereafter the road follows the
Autovía A-43
The Autovía A-43 (also known as ''Autovía Extremadura - Comunidad Valenciana'') is an autovía in south-central Spain.
As of 2013, it lies entirely in the community of Castile-La Mancha. It starts at the Autovía A-41 at Ciudad Real and runs ...
before branching north to cross the A-4 again at Puerto Lapice, south of the Montes de Toledo. 21 km to the east the road passes Alcázar de San Juan and the
Autovía CM-42 which is an upgrade of the CM-400. The landscape here is dominated by hill top
Windmills
A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery.
Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern periods; ...
. The road reaches Mota del Cuervo with a junction on the
N-301 and Autopista AP-36, before passing the Castle of Belmonte 15 km later. After a junction with the
Autovía A-3
The Autovía A-3 (also called ''Autovía del Este'') () is a Spanish autovía that starts in Madrid and ends in Valencia, Spain, Valencia. It is the shortest of the six radial autovías stemming from Madrid, at 355 km (220.5 miles), and the ...
(155 km) in
La Almarcha
La Almarcha is a municipality in Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost ...
the road passes along the valley of the Rio Jucar to
Cuenca, where it crosses
N-320. The road then heads east through the
Serranía de Cuenca, crossing the Puerto de Rocho (1,150m) and into the Rincón de Ademuz before joining the
N-330 and heading north. After 34 km the road reaches
Teruel
Teruel () is a city in Aragon, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of Teruel (province), Teruel Province. It had a population of 35,900 as of 2022, making it the least populated provincial capital in Spain. It is noted for its har ...
and junction with the
Autovía A-23
The Autovía A-23 is a motorway in Aragon, Spain.
A-23 is an upgrade of the N-330 and N-234. As of June 2020, it starts in the province of Huesca then runs south to Zaragoza. Then, it follows the Jiloca River south to Teruel, through the Sie ...
, upgrade of the N-234.
The N-420 heads north through the Sierra Palomera, joining the
N-211 towards
Alcañiz
Alcañiz () is a town and municipality of Teruel province in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. The town is located on the banks of the river Guadalope. Alcañiz is the unofficial capital of the Lower Aragon historical region. It lies ...
. Then, N-420 crosses the Puerto del Esquinazo (1,381m) and Puerto St Just (1,381m), ending at
Tarragona
Tarragona (, ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in Catalonia (Spain). It is the capital and largest town of Tarragonès county, the Camp de Tarragona region and the province of Tarragona. Geographically, it is located on the Costa Daurada ar ...
.
National roads in Spain