DETOUR 04: Puerto de las Palomas - Arroando Frío

Description

In order to carry out this itinerary, the mesta is used, that is, a 75-meter-wide pecuary road; traditionally they cross here flocks of sheep and cattle mainly, to go from the high areas of the Park to Sierra Morena, mountains in which they enjoy a softer climate in winter.

From the Port of the Doves to the cold Arroyo, almost 400 meters of altitude is down in less than 3 kilometres, giving us an idea of the abrupt terrain.
The Port of the Palomas suffered a major fire in 2001 that devastated more than 800 hectares, so the recovery efforts of the area and the road itself have been noticeable. The plant cover is currently recovering and many plant species have already colonized the medium.

Remains of the disaster are observed that have been left on the ground to stop the erosion, such as logs whose trawling would accentuate the erosion and perpendicular slices to the slope made with the same logs burned. The strong slopes and abundance of rocks make it difficult to regenerate the plant cover, which is supported by drip irrigation of some species in the summer months, so we will see PVC and hoses deposits in some places.
The journey for the most part is a horseshoe road, which saves the important gap by continuous spins, which does not prevent even the cavalry accompanying the cattle in the transhumance from going through it. The views of the Guadalquivir Valley, the Poyos de la Mesa, the Banderillas and including the Yelmo, compensate the severity of the environment by which we walk, because it dominates the green of the great forests that we will see in front of us.

Finally, we crossed the Guadalquivir in its main section, which in the Natural Park is still a mountain river with crystal clear waters, and we immediately arrived in Arroyo Frio, village of La Iruela which is the most developed tourist core within the Park, hence the interest of this route to link with the Southern Forest Path.