Sunny Walkers 190120: Río de la Miel y Senda de los Prisioneros, Algeciras (Cádiz)

A great hike adjacent the Rio del la Miel aka Honey River following for part it along the Senda de los Prisioneros aka Path of the Prisoners before descending into beautiful landscape of the river valley.

A description of its history is given below:

Senda de los Prisioneros
The path of the prisoners so called because it runs along open roads in forced labor by prisons full of political prisoners after the Civil War known as disciplinary battalion number 22 an organized group of political prisoners to perform forced labor created by Franco that was located between Venta de Ojén and Cerro del Rayo from 1940 to 1943.
It is located southwest of the municipality of Algeciras, on the border between the municipal terms of Algeciras and Tarifa. The path, within the limits of the Natural Park of Los Alcornocales, is located between the mountains of Algarrobo and Bujeo.
With prisons full of prisoners, Franco decides to create disciplinary battalions, an organized group of political prisoners to perform forced labor. After the outbreak of World War II, Franco launches the Fortification Plan on the northern shore of the Strait, with the aim of fortifying and defending the area from possible attacks from the coast. To do this, he built a network of roads in this coastal area of ​​southern Spain from Conil to the Guadiaro River and precisely the path of the prisoners belongs to this network of roads.

Municipal term: Algeciras and Tarifa.
Type: Linear
Distance: 11.5 Km
Duration: 5 hours
Difficulty: Medium
Signaling:
Maximum height: 565 m
Minimum height: 46 m
Protection: Los Alcornocales Natural Park, LIC, ZEPA, Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Andalusia-Morocco Mediterranean, and Serrano Complex of Environmental Interest (PEPMF)
Permissions:
Heritage: -
How to get there: The route begins in the El Cobre neighborhood (Algeciras). To get here, take exit 103 of the Autovía del Mediterráneo (A-7), direction Barriada El Cobre on the CA-9208 road. From the Maestra Maria Luisa street there is a forest track where the Río de la Miel trail is signposted, at which point the route begins.
Region: Campo de Gibraltar
Type: Linear
Excuse me:
Difficulty: Medium

The Río de la Miel known as the honey river is a short river in the south of Spain, emptying into the Bay of Gibraltar at Algeciras. It falls over a distance of 350 metres including some waterfalls and working water mills. As the port of Algeciras expanded, docks on the river became marooned inland, and within the town much of the river is now culverted.

The Río de la Miel now represents one of the natural environments of greatest ecological value in the Campo de Gibraltar. Its privileged location, sheltered by the slopes of rugged mountains, provides a special microclimate, characterized by high humidity and the existence of cloud forests. The richness of endemic species, is due to the special climatic conditions, which allow the survival of numerous species representing the laurel forests of the tertiary era. Among the species present are numerous types of ferns, some of them from tropical regions. The fauna is typical of the Mediterranean forest, with roe deer, cerdalies, deer, jinetas and mongoose.