Autumn Getaway

In early December I had the chance to visit an area than has been on my to-do list for a while - Sierra Madrona. This mountain range is part of the Sierra Morena and lies just beyond the provincial limitis of Cordoba in Castile-La Mancha. This was the perfect time of year to visit as autumn had turned the landscape a mixure of ochre yellows, oranges and browns. 

Autumn in Sierra Madrona

Leaf litter

Song Thrushes prefer areas of leaf litter to look for invertebrates

One of the nicest walks we did was near the hamlet of Ventillas and which followed a path alongside the curiously named Arroyo de Nueve Veces.

Soon after leaving the car a juvenile Spanish Imperial Eagle circled above us for a few minutes before disappearing over a nearby hill. 

Spanish Imperial Eagle

A little further ahead a fox sat and watched us for some time before practicing its hunting technique with playful jumps. A group of Jays were busy collecting acorns for their winter stores. 

Jay

Another hoarder, the red squirrel, was also preparing for the colder months. We eventually came the Rio Montoro and the remoteness of this area meant there was nobody else around to disturb the silence. 

Red Squirrel

 

Acorns are buried by Jays for the winter months

In other parts of Sierra Madrona people were out picking mushrooms. The recent rain seemed to have led to an abundance of fungi of varying shapes and colours.

Cauliflower mushroom

Witch's Butter

Numerous rivers and streams wind through the landscpae, bringing life and colour to the area, before spilling their waters into the rivers Guadiana or Guadalquivir.

Shades of green

Ruins of a farm house

Sierra Madrona also has numerous Neolithic cave paintings dipicting scenes of ritual dance, hunts, and chasing bulls and goat.This area easily accesible, although in varying states of preservations.

Cave paintings at Peña Escrito

Despite being so close to Cordoba, Sierra Madrona offered something a bit different. The variety and colours of the landscapes felt a world away from the monotonous olive groves of Andalucia. It was rich in flora and fauna. And it felt remote without being desolate. However I felt I still have so much to see so it is definitely an area I'll return to.

Route of the Bridges

In late autumn 2023 we decided to walk one of the more well known walking routes in the Sierra of Cordoba: la ruta de los puentes. This short route runs along the banks of the Guadiato just 30 minutes from Cordoba city. Taking in four bridges along the way, it also offers views of some of the most beautiful parts of the sierra.

We start at Arenales bridge, where we can park the car. The bridge itself is a good vantage point to look for the electric blue flash of Kingfishers. If we follow the path from the bridge, with the river on our right, we come to the ruins of a bridge which was reportedly destroyed during the Civil War to slow the advance of Francist troops. Now not much remains, except for the pilars covered in graffitti and vegetation.

 

Rio Guadiato

 

Returning to the Aranales Bridge, we head in the opposite direction, this time keeping the river on our left at all times. As we descend to the river we can enjoy the shade provided by the elms, willows and alders. The silence here is only broken by the song of great tits, blue tits, robins and blackcaps.

Blue Tit

Blackcap

Normally my eyes are scanning the trees and the sky for the movement of birds, but here it paid to pay attention to the ground. After a period of rainfall, mushrooms of numerous types had sprouted.

Puffball

After about 30 minutes pine trees become more abundant and in the gaps between the trees we caught sight of Griffon Vultures riding the thermals above. And then a flash of silent movement between the trees. A goshhawk, appearing to have come from nowhere, stopped in front of us with its prey..Its piercing yellow eyes scanning the area before it began to pluck the breast feathers of its victim.

Goshawk

Goshawk plucking the feathers of its prey

Before long we arrive at the Roman bridge at the mouth of the Guadalnuño River. This remarkably well conserved bridge was built in the 1st Century, and was an important passing point of goods and armies in Arab times, uniting Cordoba with Badajoz.

Roman bridge over the Guadalnuño River

From here we can cross the bridge and follow the path for about another 400 metres until we come to Puente de la Tejera. This bridge built in the 9th century and was used until the late 19th century as part of the main road between Córdoba and Villaviciosa. Originally composed of 9 arches, it now lies partially in ruins, with three of the arches having collapsed. However it is still possible to walk across the remaining section of the bridge for views of the river below.

View from the Puente de la Tejera

From here the path becomes much narrower and more difficult to follow, so we decided to retrace our steps and head back to Cordoba. This exercusion reminded me of both the beauty of nature and the wealth of history which lie on my doorstep.