Stage 2: Tragacete - Huélamo

The interpretative panel beside the CM-2106 road marks the start of this second stage, while also marking the beginning of the branch of stage 1 and the end of stage 1 itself.

Without further ado, the traveller will advances a few metres along this road as it passes through Tragacete. This highland village is well worth a visit to immerse yourself in its distinctive streets, where you can also enjoy the Serranía de Cuenca Nature Reserve Interpretation Centre.

On the other hand, if you would like to faithfully follow the route of the Nature Trail, turn right from the road into Calle Cervantes and, after you reach the square, you will arrive at the parish church of San Miguel Arcángel on the left. Then, briefly turn left along Calle Fernando Royuela and, following the red and white markings characteristic of the Gran Recorridos (GR), go up Calle de la Fuente until you leave the village along a path on the right, following the GR markings.

The route ascends flanked by pine woods on the right and meadows to the left, leaving the village of Tragacete behind. Before reaching the second kilometre of this stage, the path turns right, revealing to the traveller the classic landscape of the Serranía de Cuenca. A panoramic view in which you can see the buttes and cliffs eroded into the limestone rock, where you can often see imposing specimens of griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus).

This climb ends shortly after the aforementioned kilometre marker, reaching the Tragacete Vantage Point (Cerro del Colmenarejo). To do so, the hiker will have to have diverted a little more than 250 m from the route of the Nature Trail, retracing his/her steps after enjoying the beautiful panoramic views of Tragacete, the surroundings of the source of the River Júcar and the Serranía de Cuenca this vantage point offers.

The next part of the stage runs through a good example of the most characteristic forest masses in the Serranía de Cuenca Natural Park: pine forests. It will not be difficult to find sheep ranging freely in these forests. Meanwhile, you can continue to enjoy the mountain scenery and the variety of scents with which the shrub and herbaceous stratum of these forests bewitches the touring cyclist’s sense of smell.

The kilometres pass with the traveller immersed in this sensory experience. A downhill section begins shortly before kilometre marker 6 and, once past this marker, you will Los Chorros Royal Drove Road. The stage does not abandon its transhumance and livestock farming roots and, after leaving the wide forest track and completing the descent, it turns right, where an interpretative panel offers further information about transhumance.

Once on the Cordel de Huélamo, there begins a long pedestrian section more than three kilometres long, along a narrow and sometimes cross-country path, so it is important to pay special attention to the Caminos Naturales signage. In this pedestrian section you can see the mouth of the River Almagrero emptying into the River Júcar from an enviable perspective. In fact, it was precisely at this mouth that most of the timber rafting along the Júcar began; this ancient practice consisted of transporting whole trunks of wood from the sierra along the course of the river. The people responsible for this work were rafters, who travelled along the river with only the help of a pole called a gancho.

Then, a 100 m stretch marked as dangerous again forces hikers to sharpen their senses. Several small streams cross the route to meet the waters of the Júcar shortly afterwards. There are some stone steps and two wooden footbridges so you can cross them with no difficulty.

The walking section ends at kilometre point 11 of the stage, and there begins an ascent along a wide track into a new stand of pine trees where, after a little more than a kilometre, you will have to open a metal livestock gate to continue your journey; the gate must be properly closed after you pass through it.

After completing the ascent, cliffs and buttes rise up in the landscape, delighting the hiker’s eyes. This particularly beautiful spot also features specimens of gall oak (Quercus faginea) and other species in the genus Quercus, as well as spectacular species such as the Montpellier maple (Acer monspessulanum). Hikers should also keep their ears open here, especially if travelling in autumn, to enjoy the intense bellowing of the red deer (Cervus elaphus) and even to listen to the twittering of various bird species and the ripe acorns falling from the gall oaks.

Cattle accompany travellers, who now leave the wide path and turn left onto a narrow path that precedes the beginning of the second and last pedestrian section. Shortly after kilometre 14 of the stage, there is a new gate, which travellers must open and close properly to prevent cattle from escaping.

The descent starts from here. Huélamo and its hill are witnesses to this part of the stage and will be the star attractions until the end. At the end of the pedestrian section, which is just over one kilometre long, the route continues to descend until it reaches the CM-2105 road. After a few metres, cross the road using extreme caution, turn right and continue along the CM-9231 road. After crossing the River Júcar, the Nature Trail forks into two different routes, one for walkers and one for cyclists. The hiking route runs 600 m along the PR-CU 07 and is signposted with two parallel yellow and white horizontal stripes, as far as the village of Huélamo. Cyclists, in contrast, can make the final climb, with extreme caution, along the CM-9231 road for 1,200 m. This is a stretch with bends shared with road traffic as far as the interpretative panel, which brings this second stage to an end in the village of Huélamo.