This month's walk begins in the Sierra de Huétor Santillán, a mountainous, natural park, covered in pines, holm oaks, and even Portugues oaks and maple trees. There you will find trenches from the Civil War.
This article was originally published in the May paper edition of the Seaside Gazette.
The Maúllo Trenches are built on the hill at an hight of over 1,300 meters. Stretching along a section of approximately ten kilometers, the defensive works, which are very well preserved, recall the battles between Republicans and rebel troops in the late 1930s following the military uprising led by Francisco Franco kicking off a civil war of three bitter years.
These trenches belonged to Franco’s forces and were built with local rocks and cement. They were an important front during the Civil War, extending from the Motril Port, through the western Sierra Nevada, Peñón de la Mata, Tózar, Limones, and as far as the town of Porcuna in Jaén, as well as through the aforementioned Sierra de Huétor.
From there, they connected with the Valley de Pedroches in Córdoba and Extremadura. Its rugged mountainous structure was ideal for building lookout points and communication routes in this strong vantage point overlooking the entire Vega.
In the ravine
The route begins at the Puerto Lobo Visitor Centre, which you can reach by car, via the A-92, taking the Huétor-Santillán exit. The visitors centre is worth a visit in itself, by the way.
Next to the centre there is an easily recognisable path, well signposted , identifying it as the Trincheras del Maúllo Route.
This route goes down into the Barranco del Maúllo and then climbs back up to where the trenches are. Once at the top, one can enjoy a magnificent view of the Natural Park, as well as the nearby mountains, from these old defensive works. The Sierra de Huétor boasts a diverse flora and fauna that contributing to a very intresting hike.
The trenches still have their parapets, observation & firing points, emplacements for machine-gun nest, and command posts, all of which are fully accessible to visitors. They blend into the natural landscape of the Sierra de Huétor Natural Park, which spreads through several municipalities such as Huétor Santillán, Alfacar, and Víznar.
From the trench to the cavern
However, the adventure doesn’t have to end in the trenches. Retracing their steps, hikers can retrace their steps to the Barranco de la Umbría, where a path will take them to La Cueva del Gato, crossing open ground.
Used for livestock farming, La Cueva del Gato has a large cavernous area that allows visitors to reach the end of the cave without difficulty. This is undoubtedly an added attraction for a day out which not only provides breath-taking panorama but is also an insight into the area’s past.
Finally, did you know that In 1850 there was a spectacular gold rush in Granada? Thousands of people from the area and from the rest of Spain quickly became impromptu miners, invading the banks of the Río Darro, which springs from the Sierra de Huétor (Huétor-Santillán).
The river was originally named after the Roman word for gold (aurus) because people used to pan for gold on its banks. This name was then changed by the Arabs to Hadarro and after being renamed Dauro by the Christians, it finally became known as the Darro.
However, the gold fever lasted only a few years, due to the scarcity of the precious metal. Around 1950, however, a few gold prospectors returned to the Darro, but the rewards were minimal.
Distance: 10.64 km
Time: 3 hours
Route Type: Circular
Difficulty: Moderate
(Feature: Maúllo Trenches, Huetor-Santillan, Granada, Andalucia)
Keywords: Civil War Trenches, Franco’s Troops, Visitor’s Centre, Holm Oaks, Maple Trees, Pines, Cueva del Gato
feature, andalucia, granada, montes orientales, huetor-santillan, civil war trenches, franco’s troops, visitor’s centre, holm oaks, maple trees, pines, cueva del gato