Cañada Catena: Black Pines, Hiking Trails and Festivals

Cañada Catena is located in one of the most extensive vegas in the surrounding area. The first stands of black pine surround the village and stand out from the olive groves of the landscape.

Nature and Landscape

Cañada Catena serves as the entrance to the Sierra de Segura. Nearby lies Poyo de los Burgos on the slopes of Monte Fuente Pinilla. The Poyo de los Burgos recreational area offers tables, a spring and barbecue facilities for a stay in nature.

The boundary of the nature park adjoins the outer outline of Monte “Cañada Catena”, which runs approximately parallel and close to the Arroyo de Cañada Catena. Poyo de los Burgos can be reached via the A-6301 from Cortijos Nuevos to Beas de Segura. After Cañada Catena, at kilometre 16, a left turn follows after 2,400 metres. From this turn, a track leads to the recreational area after a further 1,600 metres.

Hiking Trails

The PR-BS-38 circular hike passes by the Piedra del Moro, the Cerrillo de las Particiones and the Barranco del Pinarón in Cañada Catena. The route is 11.5 kilometres long, takes around three hours and has a medium level of difficulty.

The SL-BS-37 circular hike leads over the Alto de las Muelas and offers panoramic views of the valleys of Cañada Catena and Segura de la Sierra. On the route from Cañada Catena via the Alto de las Muelas, the short-toed snake eagle is one of the characteristic animal species.

History

The valley of Cañada Catena was formerly used for livestock drives as part of transhumance between the mountains and the plain. The oldest houses in Cañada Catena were built using rock shelters or caves in the rock. These rock shelters and caves once served as livestock pens and overnight stops for herds travelling from Beas into the interior of the Sierra.

Opposite Cañada Catena rises Cerro “Burdés”, crowned by a rocky ridge. The Ruta cultural del Aceite runs along a section from Beas to Cortijos Nuevos through Cañada Catena.

Culture and Festivals

The parish of Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas is located on Calle Iglesia. The church of Cañada Catena has a small interior and an altarpiece dominated by the Virgen de las Maravillas.

Cañada Catena’s patron saint festival in honour of the Virgen de las Maravillas takes place at the beginning of September. Over the weekend, the celebration includes a public verbena and various leisure activities.

The San Antón celebration on 17 January 2018 in Cañada Catena included a nighttime fire in the village square, a mass, a procession and a communal meal. The historic San Antón tradition in Cañada Catena involved a pig that was raised freely in the village and raffled among the residents the following year.

For the higher-level travel overview: Beas de Segura.