Cabra to the Cortijo de la Serona

This route is of great importance and has a long tradition of livestock farming, as it forms a crossroads for numerous livestock trails. These paths and tracks were not only used to move livestock between different grazing areas and large farmsteads, but also served as transport routes for the buying and selling of animals with other nearby towns, such as Baena, Castro del Río, Doña Mencía, Nueva Carteya and Montilla. We’ll start our walk along the Atalaya local track, skirting this iconic local hill, gaining height and taking in the views over the municipal area. We will cross the Gañana footpath, which we will rejoin later, and we will have the opportunity to take a detour to visit the Cruz de la Nava del Abad, also known as the Cruz de la Benabá or Cruz del Ben-Abad, following the signposting for a local route within the ‘Landscapes with History’ programme run by the Córdoba Provincial Council. These types of crosses, known as ‘crosses of humiliation’ or ‘boundary crosses’, are usually situated at crossroads; in this case, they are the subject of numerous traditions that attempt to explain their construction, which is attributed to Muslim princes, repentant monks or Arab warriors. From here, we will cross the Rata and Fresno streams, where we can see the Chorrillo path, which connects with the Baena footpath and, flanked by a rich array of well-preserved natural vegetation, provides a scenic contrast to the sea of olive trees surrounding us, along with the Gañana spring, very close to this point. Further on, the Gamonosa path (or Encinilla path) and the Old Baena Road path will join our route, which at this point becomes the Gañana path, given its proximity to the Casilla de la Gañana Alta. We will follow the path without taking any detours, although it will change its name from the Gañana footpath to the Micaelas local track, passing close to the Villanueva farmhouse—one of the largest and most significant—and the stream of the same name, which originates from a spring on its grounds, where we can see white and black poplars. This section will join the Doña Mencía road at the point known as Pasada de Valera or Valero. From here, after a short stretch of road, we will take the Vereda de la Serona (or Cerona), passing through the gate of the farmhouse of the same name, the end point of this route, and sheltered under the shade of a lush gallery forest with tall riverside trees. We find ourselves on a stretch of great beauty, thanks to the imposing stature of the trees and the well-preserved vegetation, which is clearly thriving, and which will take us to the Encinilla path, which we will take to return to the Gañana path.