From Cabra to Monturque

The vegetable gardens are one of Cabra’s defining features, always linked to watercourses, the irrigation system and the fertile land of the river valleys. The first section of this route takes us along the banks of the River Cabra via the Camino de las Islas and the vegetable gardens situated there. A well-preserved irrigation channel will serve as our guide on this part of the route, providing us with coolness and a soothing sound. We will leave the Cabra river valley to take the path known as the Camino de las Lomas or Portocarrero, where we will be surprised by the presence of old salt flats that exploited the salt content of some now-vanished lagoons, whose waters owed their composition to the outcrops of Subbetic terrain rich in gypsum and salts from the Triassic period. These salt flats, now disused and known as Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza, became one of the most important in the region, covering an area of 2 hectares. There are several significant paths that cross the Portocarrero route, notably those of Matavinos and Cárdenas, as well as their links to large, active farmsteads such as Lastres and La Jarana. Now approaching the municipality of Monturque, the track crosses the River Santa María, an important watercourse within the municipal area and one of the main tributaries of the River Cabra.