The River Majaceite (El Bosque)

As you come into El Bosque from Arcos, just before the Hotel Las Truchas there is a turning that takes you up a crazy-paved road to the Youth Hostel (Albergue Juvenil) housed in one of the old mills known as Molino de Enmedio which is the best place to park. The path itself starts on the left just before the bridge that takes you to the Albergue and is marked with a green indicator board showing a route map.

This walk is best done in spring or autumn (or in winter if the weather is sunny) but it is a river walk and it needs water so always choose a day when there has been rain during the previous week to refresh the flow. I first did this walk in 1979 when Benamahoma was a tiny hamlet three hours drive from Cadiz with maybe a hundred inhabitants, no industry, one small B&B and very few visitors. The walk in those days was treacherous with many a muddy slope but the crystal waters absolutely gushed down the valley and virtually every section offered fleeting glimpses of the trout for which the river is famous.

Nowadays both Benamahoma and El Bosque have fish farms and other industries and the number of tourists has increased dramatically all of which means more water being extracted from the river and more pollution discharging into it. The only upside is the path itself has been improved immensely with bridges, steps up the muddy slopes, etc.

The river has always been an important part of the livelihood of the two villages and as you follow the banks one of the first features you will see is the abandoned remains of one of several flour mills. This particular one is now little more than a dry weir, possibly due to the uptake of water for the fish farm. The path is simple and follows the course of the river initially through sparse woodland with a few meadows and later through a narrowing ravine, first crossing a forestry track where a signpost indicates that Benamahoma lies straight ahead and then coming to another track where, just on your left, you will see the remains of an old hydroelectric plant known as the “Fábrica de Luz”. The water for this plant was taken off the river at a little meadow that you will see just outside Benamahoma and channelled for several miles along the mountainside before rushing down to power the turbine.

Leaving the hydroelectric plant behind we head on towards Benamahoma. A particular stretch of interesting vegetation is the gallery wood where the poplars, lianas, oleanders, willows, etc. grow up from both banks in search of light and eventually form a tunnel across the river with many of them dropping new roots from branches several metres off the ground back into the river. Birdlife consists mainly of finches, flycatchers and tits. There used to be kingfishers but I suspect they may have disappeared along with the otters. I’d be interested to hear from anyone who sees either of these creatures or even the (harmless!) water snakes which used to be so plentiful.

Look out for a sign on your left explaining the workings of the “batanes” or fulling mills that again used the force of the water this time to treat the wool which was used for clothing and blankets with the so-called Grazalema cloth being renowned for its warmth, water resistance and hard-wearing qualities.

Shortly after the fulling mills we arrive at Benamahoma where you have several bars and restaurants to choose from. If you have time the Museo del Agua is well worth a visit as it illustrates the ways that water has sustained and shaped life in these mountain villages.

If you have children or dogs with you, the return to El Bosque is best done via the same path. Otherwise you can follow the road as far as the cemetery and TV mast above El Bosque and then cut down through the town but be aware that the road has a lot of bends and oncoming traffic is always a danger.

My favourite route is to follow the road about halfway back (roughly opposite the entrance to the parapenting site) and then take one of the tracks that zigzag down to the Botanical Gardens at El Castillejo. The gardens appear to be well worth a visit but I have yet to catch them open! From the entrance to the Botanical Gardens, take a right and follow the track downhill towards the hydroelectric plant and, just before you reach it, rejoin the river path on your left which will take you directly back to the car. Alternatively you can take a left at the Botanical Gardens which will bring you into the streets of El Bosque and you make your way down to the bus station, over the bridge, past Las Truchas and back to the Youth Hostel.

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