Jérez – Balsilla del Partidor Trail – PR-A 158

The Jérez – Balsilla del Partidor Trail – PR-A 158, is a circular route leaving from Jerez del Marquesado, one of the most interesting towns in the area. The current town centre appeared in medieval times, near to several Iberian-Roman mining establishments that remained in operation until very recent times. The most visible Medieval remains are the towers, one in the town itself and the other, called the Alcázar, the other side of the ravine, although the oldest houses in the town are of Arabic and Moorish origin. The Mudejar church is one of the most interesting in the area.

We start the route at the top of the Calle Alcázar, where the hill of El Chortal begins. We go down this hill to the Jérez River, passing by a bridge and a fountain. When we come to a fork we take the track on the left to visit the remains of the Medieval towers of Los Casarones and Alcázar, with magnificent panoramic views of the Picón de Jérez (3,090 m)

From here we continue along a path running between old chestnut trees and an irrigation channel which takes us over flat terrain to the Balsilla del Partidor, so-called because it distributes the water between the irrigation channels of Guadix and Alcázar. We carry on down beside the Alcázar River and in a few minutes we reach the foot of the hill called the Loma de Enmedio, the dividing line between the Alcázar and Alhorí gorges. From here we take a track which will return us to our starting point.