PueblosBlancosDiscoveryTours: Jimena de la Frontera, Los Alcornocales

Rio Hozgarganta,

on the Cork cutters trail.

Prologue:

Jimena de la Frontera is situated in the south east of the Cádiz Province and on the top end of Campo de Gibraltar. A trip to the village of Jimena de la Frontera and the adjoining Nature Park of the cork Oaks (Parque Natural Alcornocales), is always pleasing on the eye as you drive along the lush river valley of the Rio Guadiaro. You witness the different stages of the countryside, from fertile farm land (wheat fields, orange groves etc.) to herds of grazing livestock (cattle, horses, sheep etc.) and not to forget the nesting storks.

When thinking of Los Alcornocales, what comes to mind is the pure rugged nature, both untamed and very lush.

Los Alcornocales is known for its cork oak trees and a large area of untouched Mediterranean forest. The area was declared a Nature Park in 1989 and it is one of the biggest in Spain, with an area of 167.767 ha. It reaches from the Straits of Gibraltar in the south, to the mountain ranges of Serranía de Ronda and Sierra de Grazalema to the north.

The river Hozgarganta flows its whole length of 35 km through the Nature Park and enters into the Guadiaro river. The surrounding countryside along the river is virtually untouched and is of outstanding beauty. This area is very rich in fauna and flora, and in addition farm animals are allowed to roam freely in the countryside.

Cork oak tree, Alcornoque, (Quercus suber)

The cork oak, (Alcornoque) is native to the western Mediterranean region, (Spain, , Italy, France, Morocco,Tunisia, Algeria, and including Portugal). The use of the cork has a long history, dating back to the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans, for sealing jars, roofing and making beehives and many other things. In 17th century a French Benedictine monk (Don Pierre Pérignon) was considered responsible for the use of cork as stoppers for bottles to preserve wine, this method is still widely in use today.

The art of harvesting the cork from oak trees is done by skilled local people (los Corcheros). The bark is stripped of the stem every 9 - 12 year intervals, when it has reached a thickness of 3 cm, in spring or early summer.

After the cork has been harvest it is collected and carried on mules to the nearest road, and thereafter taken by lorry to a collection point (i.e. Jimena de la Frontera), the cork is then piled up and laid out to dry.

Directions:
Coming from Marbella on the A7 take the turn off by Guadiaro near Sotogrande towards Castellar de la Frontera A-2100.
When you come to a crossroad turn right towards the village of Jimena de la Frontera A-405.
You pass through the village of Los Angeles and carry on towards Ubrique CA- 8201.
After 2 km you turn left towards Jimena driving past the Camping of Los Alcornocales. You enter Jimena from the north. There is plenty of parking along side this road.
It is about 1 1/2 hour drive to get to the village of Jimena de la Frontera coming from Marbella.

Between the Camping park and the village you find a small park and the white cross

(Mirador de la Cruz Blanco).

From there we follow a gravel road down to the river Rio Hozgarganta.

A view down to the river.

We crossed the river to the other side at the ford.

Note: the road surface can be slippery and you might get wet shoes!

Untamed nature on either side of the river as far as the eye can see.

Crystal clear water and the sound of croaking frogs.

From May - June you will find wild Oleander bushes in bloom along the river.

The sweet scented flowers brighten up the Andalusian countryside when the surrounding area is already turning brown.

Nerium oleander

All parts of Nerium oleander are toxic, it withstands drought and poor soil. The wild variety`s flowers are usually pink whereas in the gardens you can find whites and deep reds.

On the other side of the river we follow the road uphill. From here we look south and across to the Ethnobotanical gardens "El Risco" with the rock-face of Laja del Águíla and to the right the Castle of Jimena (Cerro del Castillo) with the tower (Torre del Homenaje).

A majestic cork oak tree stood tall at a way-point.

We follow the track with the river to our right.

In the sky high above us we noticed some birds of prey sailing weightless through the air.

This area is certainly made for them and very often you can view Griffon vultures (Buitres leonado), Bonelli eagles (Aquila de Bonelli) and many more.

Along the way we notice that the oak trees have had their bark recently stripped off as they present their clean orange stem.

A view of the river Rio Hozgarganta.

A giant rock near the roadside, gave us an ideal viewing point from where we could observe the river and the surrounding areas.

The sound of Bee-eaters (Abejarucos) filled the air,they can be observed along the river valley during the summer months (May - September).

...and even from here, we were able to see large fish below us in the deep pools. We have

been told that they are Barbel (Barbo) a type of small fresh water carp.

A Majestic landscape!

The rivers course winds its way south and sometime over small rapids.

A view north across the nature park.

As we sat here, we heard the sound of hoofs and bells approaching. These were the "Corcheros" with their mules, on their way to the nearest farm for lunch.

A rare sight in modern day Spain, but this rugged and hilly terrain of the "Alcornocales" can only be reached on horse back.

After we exchanged a few words with the men we followed them until we reached the outskirt of the farm.

Here, under large Eucalyptus trees and Holm oak (Encinas) we saw black Iberian pigs, and goats (Cabras) wandering around freely.

A friendly farm worker advised us to follow the path on the other side of the river.

Now we are on the right hand side of the river walking upstream

A view south along the river valley.

This stretch of the path is well worn with time.

A view across the river and towards where we came from.

A view down stream and towards the Ethnobotanical gardens "El Risco" with the rock-face of Laja del Águíla and to the right the Castle of Jimena (Cerro del Castillo) with the tower (Torre del Homenaje).

At times we walk on an ancient cobblestone path.

We pass through a gate.

At this point I like to mention to keep a lookout for chameleons, which like to hide in rocks. They can reach a length of between 20-40 cm.

The arrow points us in the right direction.

We carry on upstream.

Remains left over by vultures!

We walked as far as the clearing,

but we wanted to find a route which takes us back to the river.

Here we literally walked in the riverbed.

We found some stepping stones across the river.

Quite amazing to see the roots of that Oleander bush so exposed.

How vast and untamed!

A view upstream.

We retraced our steps back across the river,

and on our way back,

we found a perfect spot for a picnic near the water.

From here we were able to observe the the river and its tranquil surroundings.

By the river, the Bee-eaters gave us merry company.

What a beautiful bird!

Near the river crossing we saw a cow taking a sand bath,

and we left the tranquil scenery behind and turned left uphill.

Some wildflowers we saw on our hike.

Yellow Star,Thistle, Cardo amarillo,

These sheep they are wise, they stay in the shade during the hottest time of day.

Epilogue:

We arrive at the end of a wonderful hike, and leave with our memories of this amazing countryside, already looking forward to our next trip to this nature park Alcornocales.