Sunny Walkers 161022: Castellar de la Frontera y Guadarranque Reservoir- Circular Route 3

Starting from Venta Jarandilla, the route takes us on a circular route around the Castellar Castle located in the Los Alcornocales Natural Park.

First we pick up the well identified Cañuelo Trail running parallel to the Arroyo de la Jarandilla.
The trail continues along through charming cork oak forest adjacent the estate of La Boyal. On the other side of the stream is the public estate La Almoraima where at the right time of the year deer are easily seen. Adjacent the trail is a covacha (cubbyhole) in a sandstone slab.
When going out into the open field you will see the fortress on its promontory position.

Further along the trail you’ll pass through the ruins of the Casa del Lagar from which you’ll enjoy great views of the surrounding area.
From here we’ll head towards the Guadarranque Reservoir, reaching its very edge where we are greeted by Monarch butterflies.
A beautiful place to stop for a lunch break with views of the surrounding mountains still part of the La Almoraima estate, which gives an idea of ​​its size.

After lunch we circumnavigate the reservoir where there are even more Monarch butterflies.
Beware of getting too close to the shoreline as the mud can be a little soft.

Shortly before the dam we ascend to the main road which we follow for a short distance before we pick up the trail (Roman Road) again back to our starting point for some well earned refreshments.
Despite its name, the origin of this cobbled road is medieval and not Roman.

All in all a beautiful hike and a dream world for photographers who like their Monarch butterflies especially in January.

History - Roman Road
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A Stunning Hike Among Nature & History: Castellar’s Ancient Roman Road

Along this beautiful trail, nestled between La Boyal estate and the 13th century Castle of Castellar, you’ll walk along an incredibly well-preserved ancient Roman road which once connected the old Córdoba with the Phoenician city of Carteia.

Within the Los Alcornocales Natural Park, known as the green lung of the Campo de Gibraltar (Cádiz), a beautiful stretch of an ancient Roman road which has been almost frozen in time still exists.

This route is in the municipality of Castellar de la Frontera, between La Boyal estate and the 13th century Castle-Fortress complex. It is an especially scenic hike in the springtime, when the afternoons grow longer, and the surrounding area becomes a vibrant green; covered with small aromatic flowers.

The trail is well sign-posted and begins at the Venta Jaarandilla, on the CA-9201 road, and is classed as a “moderate” level hike because it is one way and almost entirely uphill.

After driving through a paved track, you’ll be able to park your car about 300 metres from where the trail begins. You can also reach the entrance by going around the countryside so long as the nearby stream is not overflowing.

The route, which is also part of the “GR-7”, a long-distance European path which “connects” Tarifa with the Greek city of Athens, cuts through the pastures of a public estate managed by the Castellar City Council called La Boyal. This paved section spans 1.5 kilometres and leads to the castle and was also once used as an access road by residents of Castellar during the first half of the 20th century.

During your tour surrounded by the omnipresent cork oaks of Los Alcornocales, you will also find a variety of native plants such as the Mediterranean scrub, an abundance of palm hearts, heather, mastic, rockrose and lavender which have all evolved and adapted to withstand local weather conditions, strong winds and mountain soil.

According to remaining historical texts, before the Moorish castle was built during the Middle Ages, a fortress constructed by the Iberians known as the “Torre Lascutana” once stood in the area.
Some time later, the Romans, who had built a road that connected the old Córdoba with the port city of Carteia (which is now known as Guadarranque in San Roque), conquered the tower and built a settlement on it from which they would monitor and control the road.
About 300 metres before reaching the castle, the route will take you to a spectacular vantagepoint made of wood and stone where you will see the Bermeja, la Almenara and Ara mountains, the new town of Catellar and, a little further into the distance, the unmistakable silhouette of the Rock of Gibraltar.

As indicted by an explanatory poster placed by the Ministry of the Environment, on a clear day with cold northerly winds, it is even possible to see the haughty silhouette of the Jebel Musa mountain and the coast of North Africa on the horizon.

From this rocky promontory, those who once defended the Caste-Fortress from attacks were easily able to monitor the coast for enemy ships, and, once detected, they would prepare to defend themselves.

While you traverse the ancient roman road and stand upon this vantage point, keep in mind that this area was a borderland and the site of continuous battles, especially in the middle ages, mainly between Christians and Moors, and the castle consistently passed from one hand to another.

The paved road begins to disappear as you approach the access road to the castle but will remerge further down the line along a path which leads to the so-called “Fuente Vieja” (Old Fountain), some anthropomorphic tombs dug into the rocks and an archaeological site from the Roman occupation known as “El Lagar”, which is a must-see during your adventure.