MUNICIPAL TERMS BY WHICH IT RUNS

RECOMMENDATIONS

The tour is suitable for everyone. Great slopes are not overcome and the roads are in good condition; the only difficulty lies in the first descent, somewhat inclined and with furrows. The best time to visit the lagoons is in winter; the same railway platform is a strategic observation point. A lot of patience, a bit of silence and good binoculars are all you need to enjoy this place.

DESCRIPTION

From the national road to Córdoba, take the regional road to the old Alcaudete station, which is abandoned shortly after (km 2.3) by a dirt lane to the right. As soon as you top a hillock (km 3.2), a fork emerges. To the right you begin to descend with steep slopes and then come to a crossroads (km 4.8). The route then turns left and, past a ruined farmhouse, connects with the platform of the old Oil Train (km. 5.4). Its unmistakable layout, indifferent to the vicissitudes of the terrain, raises no doubts. Trenches and slopes follow each other before reaching the old Alcaudete station. A little further on, the recently built regional road cuts the railway platform. It must be crossed with caution to connect with the roads, which now go to meet the Laguna Honda. In winter the reserve shelters a significant number of aquatic birds. The route continues along the road, however, next to a raft (10.8) it deviates to the right and soon reaches the Cortijo del Chinche, from where the second lagoon can already be seen. Although smaller than the previous one, it also houses ducks; the best way to observe them is from a lane that starts to the left, past the farmhouse. If you take the one on the right, shortly after another crossroads appears (km. 13.4) where you will face a road and then the regional road. To return to Alcaudete, it is best to opt for the regional one that goes up from the same station. The Honda and Chinche lagoons emerge as if by magic in the middle of the Jaen countryside. They are part of the Natural Network of Spanish Wetlands; in 1989 they were declared Natural Reserves. They are seasonal lagoons, that is to say, in summer they dry up and the autumn rains feed them, remaining flooded in winter and part of spring. The vegetation that surrounds them gives shelter to numerous aquatic birds; mallards, the elusive moorhen or the common coot, which is recognized by its frequent dives, often visit it. Occasionally the rare Malvasia or even a small flock of flamingos arrive that use it as a resting place on their migratory trips.