Hiking routes
Popular saying
Don't trade old paths for new ones.
Popular saying
La Vall de Gallinera
Els corrals de la Carroja
This trail gives the hiker some good examples of what life was like for the shepherds that dwelled on these mountains, up until half a century ago. The typical architecture of livestock pens in these lands —the mountain corrals— can be seen along this trail. They are perhaps the most fragile part of our heritage, seeing that they have been abandoned and forgotten, and are therefore subject to irreparable deterioration. And this trail brings the hikers to tread along the same paths that animals and humans used to move along.
The route begins in the village of La Carroja itself and goes down the main street right to the end of the village, until the last house, from where a path begins that goes downhill towards the Gallinera River. This track is La Carroja's cattle path, a path intended for moving herds towards the pastures, and from here it is already possible to see what the destination will be: the three livestock pens of La Carroja, on the valley's south-facing slope. The trail goes along this path until reaching a large carob tree, where the path forks into two paths. The path on the right is the one the hiker should take. Near this fork, and before starting the descent towards the river, it is possible to see a shelter built into the edge of a terrace, next to the path, where, in the event of an unexpected storm, the farmer could take refuge or be able to leave the harvest in a safe place.
The trail continues down towards the riverbed. It is important to bear in mind that during periods of rain it is not possible to cross due to the fact that, when it rains a lot, the river usually has a good flow of water. But if there is no water, the hiker can cross easily and continue a few metres upstream until there is a cobbled path which climbs to the right, on a gentle staircase. The path leads to the gates of the first pen, which is slightly separated from the other two. Upon arrival, the cattle path ends, due to the fact that the sheep could at that point roam freely in search of pastures, or take refuge in their pen. From this first livestock pen there is a small path that leads to the other two.
The path that goes to the pens continues to the east until reaching the ravine called Barranc dels Coloms, where the trail dives down towards the bed of the ravine and then ascends to the other side. The path then continues and reaches the road known as Camí de La Solana, and from there it is possible to return to Benissivà, crossing the Gallinera River again. From Benissivà the return to the starting point, La Carroja, is along the Route of the 8 Villages, thereby completing this circular trail.
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La Vall de Gallinera
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