Fork

We come across a fork in the forest tracks and at this point we leave the GR 144 on the right, which would take us to the village of Don Domingo. We continue on the left track, which soon begins to meander, to save the many sinkholes of the terrain. A sinkhole is a typical depression of the karst reliefs, formed by the dissolution of limestone rocks. In these sinkholes, when water is abundant and its reception capacity is saturated towards the interior of the rocky massif, lagoons can form that in winter become frozen. Other karst formations in this area are chasms and caves, sometimes associated with the center of the sinkholes. We always walk above 1600 meters, having on our left a mountain ridge around 1750 meters of altitude. The area is rockier than the initial section. Almost two kilometers from the detour, we pass a herd or herd of cattle to the left and the track continues on a slight ascent.

The tall

Continuing along the track we reach this point which, with an altitude of 1748 meters, an important point from which we can contemplate almost the entire route we have made and several of the kilometers that we will travel later. If it weren't for the fact that on the flanks of Los Campos we always have several higher altitude mountain sentries, it would be very difficult to find our bearings, since the landscape in which we are immersed is very homogeneous and has few references that stand out clearly. Without realizing it, from Rambla Seca, we have ascended 150 m in altitude in a predominantly flat-looking landscape. From this moment there is a slight descent to go back up later.

Cañada del Rincón refuge

To our left is this refuge, similar to the rest of those found in the Los Campos area, which were built by the Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICONA) in the 70s of the last century, traditionally used by shepherds and recently restored. Behind him is the Calar del Pino, a predominantly rocky mountain that rises above the plateau. Shallow wells are very common to collect water for cattle in the summer months. We will find one of them 1.3 kilometers from the refuge, at the foot of the track, on the right. Formerly, wooden logs were used, which were emptied to make the troughs (tornajos), although in recent times many of them have been replaced by metal basins, which represents a regrettable loss in terms of aesthetics.

Crossing tracks

Right in front of Calar de Camarillas we come to a crossroads where we must turn left; the track on the right would take us to the village of Don Domingo through the Barranco del Borbotón.

Our path continues to climb, until we reach a hill about 400 meters from the aforementioned crossing. At this point a less traveled track appears to the left that we must ignore. In addition, it is essential to move away momentarily just 100 meters to the left of our route to go down to the deepest part of the large bowl –dolina– on which we are. We will be able to contemplate the Sima del Hundimiento, which is an almost perfect funnel of about 16 m deep, with a first vertical section and two descending galleries parallel to each other.

Campo del Espino Natural Viewpoint

At 500 meters from the previous hill, having left a plantation of black pines on the left, and before starting to descend from the 1776 meters of altitude that we have reached, we find on the left a conical hill to whose top tracks of 4x4 vehicles. It is worth going up to it because it is an exceptional viewpoint of Campo del Espino, Pinar Negro, Cordillera del Banderillas and Calar de las Palomas, among other places. In the distance we can already see the Campo del Espino refuge, beyond the lonely poplar that constitutes the only vestige of the groves that existed in this area in times past.

Crossing tracks in Campo del Espino

To the right, and closed to traffic with a barrier, there is a track with GR 247 signs. It is one of the most attractive diversions (d-5) of the Bosques del Sur trail, the one that ascends to the Cumbre de El Banderillas, which is also described in this guide and from which you can enjoy one of the best mountain views in Andalusia.

Campo del Espino Refuge

The stage ends in this shepherd's refuge, which has a cistern to collect rainwater, with a manual pump for its extraction. Remember that it is water without any sanitary treatment. From the refuge we have several options. On the one hand, the aforementioned derivation to the Cumbre del Banderillas; on the other, one of the stages that make up variant 247.2 of this Bosques de Sur trail that would take us to the town of Coto Ríos; and, finally, stage 17 of the main route that will take us to Pontones.