Galaroza-Castaño del Robledo Trail
GALAROZA-CASTAÑO (by the Rivera de Jabugo).
We start from Paseo Nuestra Señora del Carmen, which is next to the church of the same name, where the Fountain of the Twelve Spouts and its washhouses are also located.
We go down La Fuente Street, Doctor Gumersindo Márquez Street, reaching Plaza de la Constitución, where the town hall is located.
We continue along Don Pedro González Street, reaching Plaza Venecia, which is next to the national road Sevilla-Portugal, we take the path to the left. Walking about 45 meters on the left side of the road, we cross it, and take the path that starts on the right (1).
The path is marked with public use signs from the Junta de Andalucía.
The path begins between stone walls, the cobblestone path ascends, and we find herbaceous species such as nettles, widow’s pincushions, violets, and ivy covering part of the walls.
We reach a small grove of cork oaks, where there is abundant shrubbery, such as wild broom, kermes oak, brambles, and a species difficult to see in the sierra, the damson plum, Prunus insititia.
We arrive at a crossroads, we take the left path, descend until we reach the river, and cross it by a concrete bridge (2).
Leaving the river on our right, the path continues mostly parallel to the river. The path is frequently accompanied by orchards and chestnut trees until we approach the riverbed.
We continue with a small ascent, where halfway up, there is a wooden bench (3), from which we can contemplate the riparian vegetation and relax before the beautiful spectacle that is shown to us: hazelnut trees, willows, alders, ash trees, poplars… We move away from the river again, reaching a meadow that can be seen from the right side of the path. There we will see walnut trees, planted for the production of walnuts. Also, along the same stretch, we find beautiful specimens of gall oaks, a tree that in another era would have populated more of the Park, if it were not for human intervention.
Later on, we will join a path, which we will take to the right (4). We continue seeing orchards on the right and chestnut trees on the left. Shortly after, we approach the river again, crossing it, and shortly after we join another path, we take the left for about 50 meters to another crossroads where we take the left again, crossing the river again, over some stones, which would be difficult to cross if it had rained.
In this area, we can see, in its splendor, the riparian forest, finding botanical jewels such as elderberry, hazelnut trees, clematis, as well as gall oaks, Pyrenean oaks, cherry trees, rose hips, etc.
The path continues with an ascent, between stone walls, moving away from the river. The valley opens to our right, showing us the river running between the orchards, seeing the different floristic formations of the riverbed, pine forests, chestnut groves among others.
Continuing with the ascent, we reach a crossroads (5) that we will take to the left.
Further on, the path begins to be paved, always uphill between walls with a dehesa vegetation of cork oaks and holm oaks, reaching the village, Castaño del Robledo, entering through the Calvario neighborhood, being able to see a washhouse before entering it (6).
After crossing the neighborhood, we reach the Fuenteheridos-Castaño road, which we will cross, taking the street right in front, entering the village.
Nota:
Information obtained from the “Quercus Association, education and sport”.