Summary
This is an accessible and highly recommended Stage because it is one of the routes in high demand with groups of walkers. The possibility of using the train for the return journey, few inclines, and the landscapes of the Angosturas Guadiaro make it ideal for family groups.
Following mainly the south-west direction the walk connects Benaoján Station and Jimera de Líbar, located on opposite banks of the River Guadiaro, and then takes you up the road adapted for walking by the town hall to reach the end of Stage at the village.
At first the walk passes through a wooded footpath that climbs amongst the oaks of Monte de las Viñas and than descends to the Arroyo del Agua, turns into a narrow path and passes by an old ruined inn. From this point the walk leads up and down repeatedly to access the river banks or the river tributaries. This occurs at the mouth of the Fuente Enrique and Arroyo Seco. The last time this happens is at Jimera Station, at the bathing area and a pier used for canoes.
You will cross the railway line Algeciras-Bobadilla three times, first at the beginning on a level crossing with barriers and twice on a pathway without barriers.
The best
At least two different settlements have grown around the train stops; there are many orchards and irrigated farmed land with trees, mainly in the right bank and with irrigation ditches coming from the tributaries and not the river itself. In Benaoján this would be the Cascajales river and in Jimera the Artezuelas. The horticultural and fruit varieties of each place are significant, Jimera growing those requiring a much milder climate and little frost. In fact, the mild climate of Jimera Station should be considered an incentive for walkers; it is small wonder there used to be a spa in the area.
At the beginning of the stage there were numerous mills, eleven in total. Some of them are at the foot of the path, and others are equally distributed on both sides, sometimes between orchards. The star feature of the day is Guadiaro Valley, which runs through the area known as Las Angosturas (narrow gullies) with the characterised V shape. The landscape consists of gray ridges reaching over 1,000 meters, Holm and Portuguese gall oak woods on the sides and a sizeable belt of riparian wood makes one want to look around at every possible vantage point which there are many of along the path. Another attraction is the plentiful tributaries on either side of the river; some of them carry water year round.
Permanent human presence in las Angosturas, the southern boundary of the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, could be described as non-existent. Only if you pay close attention you will fi nd farmsteads immersed in the forest, and the only feasible access is to the ruins of the Venta del Arroyo del Agua, with its threshing circle and paved front yard.
