Aldea del Cerezo-Venta del Charco

The track between Aldea del Cerezo and Venta del Charco takes you through the only pastureland with Pyrenean oaks in the province of Córdoba.

Before the Despeñaperros pass was opened, the route to the Guadalquivir valley in Andalusia passed through here, or through the Muradal pass for those travelling to Jaén or Granada.

This route took them through a territory now known as the Cardeña y Montoro Nature Reserve with numerous villages and hamlets. The district of Cardeña includes both the Aldea del Cerezo and the Venta del Charco.

Between these two places there is a hiking route where you can discover the only pastureland with Pyrenean oaks in the province of Córdoba. With so much pastureland, livestock has historically always played a leading role in the Sierra Morena. This is why the hiking route between Aldea del Cerezo and Venta del Charco follows an old livestock trail, the Colada del Cerezo.

The starting point is easy to find in the restored village to the south. The route takes you up to the Loma del Garrullo at an altitude of 777 metres.

A place of singular beauty through Pyrenean oaks that are similar to holm oaks and cork oaks but typical of colder and more humid environments. It is a deciduous tree with wider, softer, serrated leaves. The greyish green of the cork oaks and holm oaks contrasts with the more vivid green of this oak. Although being deciduous, in autumn they have more of an ochre colour until the leaves fall to form a carpet under the bare trees.

The region through which the trail runs is acknowledged to be a good example of the sustainable use of natural resources. This can be seen is how the livestock are kept and a series of activities such as mycology and the gathering of aromatic and medicinal plants.

The flora includes cork oaks and holm oaks typical of the Sierra Morena pastureland but one species that deserves special mention as it is less common in this environment is the Pyrenean oak.

We find ourselves in the Cardeña y Montoro Nature Reserve and even though their presence is scarce, we really should mention the importance of two of the most threatened predators in Andalusia, the Iberian lynx and the wolf. 

Finally, there are the formations of granite with capricious shapes that are distributed along the pathway between Aldea del Cerezo and Venta del Charco, which are an unusual geological feature. This is stone which the men and women of Los Pedroches use to build their homes.