START The route begins on the esplanade of the Nogales Castle next to the environmental interpretation center. Descending the castle with its slope adorned with olive trees, we find a crossroads 160 m... (plus +)
START The route begins on the esplanade of the Nogales Castle next to the environmental interpretation center. Descending the castle with its slope adorned with olive trees, we find a crossroads 160 m from the medieval bridge, this section coincides with the PR-BA 221 "Route of the 12 Apostles".
ROUTE The route is partly traced by the Barcarrota road, flanked on both sides by a stone wall and where, upon reaching a crossroads, we can choose to divert 100 m to see the Hermitage located 2 km from the start of the route. These remains or ruins of Roman origin, is where a marble slab has been unearthed which, it is said, is the tombstone of a King.
Continuing our journey, the mountain range that we enjoy at all times is the Monsalud range, where we find the Monsalud Hill, the Maderos pass, and the Cabezo Alto as the highest points. This entire landscape can be admired for its environmental characteristics represented in a high-quality Mediterranean forest composed of holm oaks, cork oaks, and gall oaks, accompanied by shrubs, rockrose, asparagus plant, strawberry tree, viburnum, spurge, etc., supporting populations of forest birds.
From here and for 2 km, we will walk along a small path next to the Nogales riverbank.
At 5.1 km from the start of the route, we encounter the crossing of the BA-V3029 road that connects the towns of Nogales and Salvaleón and approximately 2 km later, we find the sign towards the La Jara estate. Starting the second half of the route, the path leads us to the reservoir where the bird observatory is located.
As we pass by the La Jara Estate, we encounter several gates to cross the estate, which on the return path from Salvatierra to Nogales places us in a strategic location between the Mª Andrés mountain range and the reservoir, and we can enjoy the Mediterranean mountain of holm oak. The route path traced along the slope of the mountain range offers us magnificent panoramic views of the Cerro de la Jarilla and Pico Valbellido, finally leading us towards the town of Nogales where we end our journey.
Information obtained from the publication of the Badajoz Provincial Council "Hiking and Nature in the province of Badajoz" and having said this, it is also worth mentioning that the signage has fallen into neglect, making it impossible to follow without our friend Wikiloc app and having fenced one of the estates through which it initially ran after passing the reservoir, forcing to walk along a parallel path.
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