Old Chapel Path

The Chapel of the Virgin of the Sierra is situated on the peak known as Picacho (1,213 m), one of the highest summits in the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park, and tradition dictates that once a year the Virgin’s devotees bring her down to the village of Cabra so that the people can gaze upon her and enjoy her presence for a month. But in addition to this, as one of the local songs goes, “the mountains call us where the miraculous Virgin has her altar…”, and throughout the year the connection between Cabra and the Hermitage is constant, whether on foot, by bicycle, car, horse, etc. Over the many centuries of devotion to the Virgin of the Mountain, the route taken by the inhabitants of Cabra to reach the Hermitage has changed. There are currently two main access routes: the road, used for travelling by vehicle, and the dirt track used for walking, cycling or riding on horseback, which, for some years now, has been the route taken by the Virgin on her annual journeys up and down the mountain. However, before these, there were others, and although they are now disused and some sections have been lost, they remain public paths, of great beauty due to the surroundings through which they run and, of course, steeped in tradition. The old path to the Hermitage starts near the former Cabra railway station, now converted into a café-restaurant and refurbished as an interpretation centre, and joins the path currently in use very close to the spot known as Casilla de la Salve. This section of the climb to the Hermitage features steep gradients and abundant natural vegetation, comprising both scrub and trees, lending great beauty to a route that takes us deep into the Natural Park. The path, now largely overgrown and rarely used, fades away amongst olive groves in some sections and becomes a narrow track in others, adding even more charm and uniqueness to the route. Although the path does not disappear completely—as these sections are very short and pose no major navigational difficulties—the publication of this route also aims to encourage its use and, with it, its conservation, presenting an alternative to the traditional climb to the Hermitage and even offering the opportunity for both paths to complement each other to form a short circular route.