Highway A-6202

We come out onto the A-6202 road that connects El Tranco with Villanueva del Arzobispo. We will go to the right, and after 800 meters we must turn to the left. At the entrance to this new track there are signs indicating access to Fuente Negra. Access is via a very narrow and asphalted track, with a steeper descent, and soon we will leave the small houses that make up this tourist town on both sides. When you reach the lowest area, there is a larger building and here the track ends.

Low Houses of Fuente Negra

Upon reaching the large building, we take a wide path to the right that runs parallel to the Guadalquivir river on its right bank. After almost a kilometer we arrive at the Charco del Aceite Recreational Area, which is an area with a lot of shade given the boxing of the river at this height. The Aleppo pine begins to share its habitat with many other species, which make up a dense and diverse forest.

Charco del Aceite Recreational Area

This area is on our left and is well worth a good stop. The Guadalquivir's water is still and it is a perfect place to take a bath in summer or to enjoy a magnificent day the rest of the year. The area has tables and a kiosk-bar. The place is very embedded, so it is very leafy, and is framed by pine forests that descend from the steep rocky slopes that surround it. In its fresh crystalline waters inhabit the queen of the park's rivers, the audacious common trout, as well as barbel and river bogas.

On a large rock, which juts into the middle of the river, an exceptional viewpoint is striking, giving us a magnificent view of this unique place, whose waters reflect the intense green of the vegetation. According to tradition, the name of this place is due to the fact that, on one occasion, a donkey loaded with oil skins rushed down the narrow path that was then, falling into this puddle and staining it with the contents of its load.

Augustines Bridge

We leave by the track that accesses the recreational area and we come out onto the JH-7155 road at the height of Venta de los Agustines, made up of some small buildings on the left of which the bridge of the same name crosses the Guadalquivir river. At this point, in summer and taking advantage of the El Tranco water discharges, it is common to observe the descent of the river in rafting and open kayaking carried out by some active tourism companies in the area, which have this enclave as their starting point.

On the other side of the bridge, we find a mural where the roads of the area are represented, and their most important places. Barely 50 meters further on, to the right, a dirt track starts along which we enter to cross the Arroyo María, and continue parallel to the Guadalquivir river, gradually gaining height.

Olive groves appear, which will intermittently accompany us during almost our entire journey until after the Hermitage of La Hoz. They are mountain olive trees, with very steep slopes. Wild boars, deer and mountain goats are very common, as shown by the abundance of their tracks, and that we can easily observe if we go in silence.

The track soon begins to twist and turn, twisting on the slope it ascends as the panoramas begin to get wider and wider.

Track cut

In the middle of the climb, at an altitude of 700 meters and, when the presence of olive groves becomes intermittent, the track is cut by a barrage of detached earth. Here begins a wide path, with loose stone, that just in 800 meters leads back to an olive track. To the right we see a wide panoramic view of the Guadalquivir Valley. On the other side we see some large warehouses that correspond to the Sierra de Cazorla Water Bottling Plant (located in the Las Villas region) and further on, also to the right, when our track begins to turn south, we will contemplate at a height the town of Iznatoraf.

Track

The vegetation becomes more diverse, the first black pines appear and we avoid numerous vertical walls, full of griffon vulture vultures.

Above 950 meters of altitude, the track we are traveling on turns to the right uphill, and we must continue along the path that appears in front, at first leveling, but soon descending. This path takes us into a magnificent forest, where pine is the most striking tree due to its size, but it is not the dominant species. The forests that from this moment on we travel have a remarkable diversity of species of both flora and fauna.

Cortijo Los Estrechos de la Hoz

The path leads to a stone era traditionally used for threshing cereal, and we are surprised by a small farmhouse, which we must skirt, leaving it on our left, to get to the access trail. This farmhouse is still inhabited, like those that we will find later in the Ermita de la Hoz. It is important to be respectful with the inhabitants of the area and with their orchards, fruit trees, walnut trees, vines, etc. They are very friendly and communicative people who have stoically endured the depopulation that these mountains suffered during the last century.

Barely 200 meters from the farmhouse we pass a large walnut tree, at the foot of which there is an old laundry room. At this point you have to pay special attention, since you have to discard the road, which is busier, which turns to the right uphill, reaching the Cortijos de Casa de Cuadros. Our route, however, turns left. About 100 meters after this crossing we find a simple and inconsistent gate that we will have to open and close, to continue along the olive track that will soon take us to the Ermita de la Hoz.

Farmhouses Ermita de la Hoz

To our left we pass several farmhouses that make up this small nucleus, where apparently there was a hermitage that gave them their name. From here we will go through a track in good condition, ascending again, highlighting the wonderful views to the left, where we will always have the reference of Risca de Guijarrón (or Quijarón) and Cumbres de Beas, and even in some points La Hoya de los Trevejiles, place of departure.

Soon the olive trees disappear and we continue through this magnificent black pine forest, going uphill, leaving the Poyo de Andaragasca and the Lancha del Tosero on the left, very characteristic formations, in a landscape in which steep slopes and steep slopes predominate. That area was hit in 2005 by a fire, hence the particularly rugged aspect of the current landscape.

Approximately 1.5 kilometers from the Ermita de la Hoz we find a metal barrier, which we must cross without further ado. Soon we come out onto the paved road, where we must turn left.

Controlled Camping Area Cherry Tree Fountain

On the road and continuing uphill, we will walk approximately 400 meters, leaving the Cortijo de Arroyo Martín on the right, to finally reach the source that gives its name to this Controlled Camping Area, which has good facilities for organized groups.