Cabra to Fuente de la B

From the Olivar Greenway, at the point known as Casilla de la Mina—so named after the mining operation that once operated on the land, and now home to the Andalusian Regional Government’s Centre for Agricultural and Fisheries Research and Training (IFAPA)—we will take the Camino Viejo de Baena footpath, one of the few ‘carretera’ footpaths, as they are known locally, that still retains its original width. This track acts as a true natural corridor, as the limited use made of it by livestock has allowed for the colonisation and subsequent growth of abundant natural vegetation. This, together with the effect of runoff in the more bare areas of the track, has led to the emergence of small, winding paths that bypass obstacles across the entire width of the track. This section also features a junction with other livestock trails of great environmental importance, given the well-preserved natural vegetation they harbour, such as the Gamonosa trail and the Fuente del Chorrillo path. The Encinilla and Castillejo track, sections of the wider and almost lost Gamonosa track, begins at the junction of the Camino Viejo de Baena track and the local road in the Micaelas district, once past the Duque farmhouse. Here, a well, amidst thick brambles and wild rose bushes, marks the start of a livestock track which, in this initial section, retains almost its original width and where it is not uncommon to find horses grazing freely. A large holm oak near the Encinilla farmhouse marks the start of the descent towards the Camino de los Metedores, which runs between the Santa María stream and the new route of the road to Doña Mencía. It is this very road that interrupts the natural course of this livestock track, forcing us to turn left to find a crossing to the other side. Several tarmac roads will help us bypass the dilapidated path from La Encinilla to Castillejo – an apt name for a farmhouse situated in the vicinity – until we reach the Camino de la Fuente de la B. Once on this path, a steady, prolonged climb will be rewarded by the arrival at the Cortijo de la Fuente de la B, with its fountain, the large open space that serves as an unbeatable vantage point over virtually the entire municipality of Cabra, and its old adjoining chapel. However, before that, we will have had to cross the bed of the Arraijanal stream, one of the route’s points of natural interest due to its lush riverside vegetation.