River canyons in the Gulley of the Virgin. Rodellar (Bierge)
The first part of the path is along the “Camino de la Montaña” (Mountain Pathway) between dry stone walls (built to keep the migratory flocks out of the cereal fields). Following this path we go through the abandoned village of Cheto.
This first part traverses shady oak and olive groves (disused mixed orchards), with undergrowth made up of Elder (Sambucus nigra), Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo), Prickly Juniper (Juniperus oxicedrus), Phoenician Juniper (Juniperus phoenicea), Rosemary (Rosmarinus oficianilis), Gorse (Genista scorpius) etc. On the drystone walls Wall Pennywort (Umbilicus rupestris) can be found.
The second part of the walk goes halfway along the slope of the “Barranco de la Virgen” (Gulley of the Virgin) which ends in the River Mascún, which we walk along to return to Rodellar. This new landscape allows us to see how the karstic river canyons were formed (limestone rock eroded by water), forming steep valleys with vertical walls, habitat for a large number of interesting species, both fauna (Bearded, Egyptian and Griffon vultures, Wallcreeper etc.) and flora such as Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris), Phoenician Juniper (Juniperus phoenicea), Rock Tea (Jasonia glutinosa), Ramonda (Ramonda myconi) or Pyrenean Saxifrage (Saxifraga Longifolia).
This two-hour circular route (approx.) from Rodellar takes us through two separate ecosystems with great scenic, geomorphological and botanical interest - the Mediterranean Holm Oak forest and the montane river canyon.
