Barranco de las Fuentes, finding water near the piscifactoria behind Huescar [Granada]
Isolated, quiet, scenic and by a river, this is what you will discover at Barranco de las Fuentes which is hidden away in woodland near the town of Huescar in the Granada region. It’s the kind of place you would never find unless you knew about it or unless you go exploring around the area.
Our day began at the San Clemente reservoir, exploring the other side of the water which until now we had never been to. Various roads and tracks can be found around the reservoir and one that takes you towards the ‘piscifactoria’ [trout lake]. Instead of following the traditional route to reel in some trout we hung a left which, in typical rural style was un-signposted and headed off into the hills.
The track is far from a challenge and comes abruptly to dead end however this isn’t a turn around and go back job, rather stay and explore a bit, there is enough room for parking and the first thing you hear when you get out of your rig is running water but you can’t see it.
The spot is ideal for chilling out for a bit and exploring about on foot leads you to hiking trails and also an intriguing winding footpath that leads to a natural cave in the rock. There are no signs to suggest that you cannot enter so applying caution we had an explore inside a cave tunnel which seems to go on forever, you’d need a proper flashlight to go any further.
Working your way back down the track there is open space reachable by vehicle and this is where you find the river [or at least one stretch of it], the area is clean, back to nature joy and you have the water which of course kept our son happy.
Walking down the trail and you can follow the river which becomes wider and more interesting with convergence, waterfalls and crystal clear water.
Due to time constraints we couldn’t explore the river further but this is one place we’ll be coming back to to find the ‘secret waterfall’ and spend some more time. Even on a Sunday in September this place was very quiet with the the odd hiker passing by, it is a great place to set up for a few hours.
Conclusion
Well worth a visit, San Clemente reservoir is very close by which is worth a visit on it’s own then heading off into the hills for some quiet time to relax is ideal.
There are no signs to this place, if you find yourself at the trout lake you’ve gone too far, you need to hang a left before the lake [which is signposted] then follow your nose until the trail ends.
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