The Pinar de Cánava is an interesting forest ecosystem that has the carrasco pine as its protagonist. The uniqueness of this pineapple, of about 120 copies, is found in its high degree of naturality and, above all, in its longevity, with pine trees between 100 and 250 years old.

This pineapple has great value as an educational resource, as it offers a unique opportunity to understand the different stages of ripening of a forest. In addition, the appearance of a pine can be observed at a stage near old age. In front of the typical forms of young pineapples with straight trunks and conical cups, they contrast the twisted specimens of this Natural Monument. Its rounded, parasol-shaped cups remind of other tree species. The bush in this forest has almost disappeared. This complex aspect is the one that every forest would have in a natural way, but man's intervention changes this process, tending towards greater simplicity.

The complaint is one of the most representative trees of Mediterranean vegetation, especially of those territories with a subhumid climate. A few kilometers from the municipality ofValdepeñas de Jaénis found a centenary of this species, the Natural MonumentCoal Complaints.

From the nearby viewpoint you can see this monument, whose origin is surprising. 500 million years ago the whole area was covered by the sea, though with little depth, so it was filled with sands and clays brought by the rivers that were flowing there from the Iberian plateau. It was 300 million years ago that the forces of the land made these lands emerge and since then, the erosion of the river, the rains and the wind have been sculpting the relief, creating beautiful forms like these organs. On these rocks, oaks, alcornoques and shrubs have found their substrate, forming a Mediterranean forest in which they inhabit ginets, chickpeas and numerous rapaces.

In this paleontological field there are a series of 24 tracks up to nine centimeters deep belonging to the Triassic bipedic dinosaurs. Prints on red clays, possibly belonging to the Arcosauri group, are more than 230 million years old. It is a very enigmatic field, since the almost parallel placement of the fingers and above all the central finger shorter than the two sides, make them, for now, unique in the world.

These tracks, also known as icnites, are not easy to locate, because for their formation there have to be several environmental conditions. Among them, the material on which these animals walked was different from the material on which it was later deposited. Almost certainly, these prints were printed on sediments of a river bed or lagoon to, later, be covered by some other material that allowed it to be preserved until today.

The shape of the prints reveals that these dinosaurs were walking on two legs, with movements similar to those of a kangaroo. You can even know data such as its approximate size and weight, age and social habits. The arrangement of the 24 icnites in the same direction suggests the scene of a group of animals heading to some particular place.

The remains of pollen or vegetation, also fossilized, reveal environmental conditions very different from the present ones, where the vegetation was made up of coniferous, palm and ferns, which were encouraged by a warmer and damp climate than the present.

In the place a kind of cabin has been raised that protects them from unnecessary wear. A metal sculpture that reminds the "owner" of the prints has also been placed next to the prints. It should be mentioned that in the vicinity there are also interesting cave paintings, such as the Apolinary Cave dating from the Copper Age; all of them are very similar to those found in the nearby natural spaces of Despeñacolos and La Cimbarra.

More information by phone: 953 368 800

The "Natural Monument the Pat" is located to the north of the municipality of Linares. To get to it you have to follow the A-312 autonomous road towards Arquillos, after the station of Vadollano we find a detour to the left - Vilch- that leads us directly to the site.

This is an area of special landscape and historical interest, since the beauty of the route of the river Guarrizas is joined by the existence of the Roman bridge of Vadollano, which is part of the route of the Via Augusta.

Just below the Roman bridge, we found the ruins of what was a chocolate factory, which used the driving force of the river water to generate energy.

If by anything it is characterized by Jaén it is by its olive trees. There are very old people and there are also large ones (which is not about their age) spread over different municipalities in the provincial geography. The uniqueness of the Arroyo del Ojanco olive tree lies, rather than its age, in its gigantic dimensions, so it has been proposed to be declared a Natural Monument of Andalusia. It is said that it is the largest olive tree in the world, and possibly it is, because the figures that cast its measures, referred to in the tab at the beginning of the article, tell us of a single copy. This should be added to its productive capacity, which is around 600 kg. olive per campaign (an adult irrigated olive tree usually does not reach 70 kg).

The two large branches (2.10 and 2.80 m of perimeter) that are bifurcan from its thick fuse bear all the weight of the cup, which becomes of such magnitude - especially when the fruit develops - which forces its dense foliage to rest on the ground at many ends of the cup. Anyway, everything in this portentous specimen is Guinness record.

So long a centenary history has generated some legendary accounts around this olive tree, as it was planted in the Roman era (which indeed built a magnificent villa a few hundred metres from Fuentebuena) or by friars after the Christian reconquest of these lands. Another version states that its size, so different from that of the olive trees around it, is because it was born from a blessed bouquet on a Palm Sunday.

To access the Fuentebuena olive, you have to go from the urban core of Arroyo del Ojanco to the local road JV-7.005 towards Beas de Segura. As you pass the crossing of Prados de Armijo, the olive tree is about 50 metres from the road.

Here we can observe plant species such as the whining, coscoja, peach, yellow jasmine, clematides, madreselva and so to complete a multitude of trees and shrubs among which the Arrayan de La Bañizuela, a unique specimen, stands out. The arrayan or myrtle usually has an arbustive bearing, but the one we find in the Bañizuela Forest stands out precisely for its large size and the thickness of its trunk, more specific to a tree than to a bush. Another element that has made possible the recognition of this space as a natural monument has been the characteristic of its soil: limestones, dolomies and margocalizas belonging to the Jurassic period.

At 1440 m high is the MONTE ARDAL, which can be accessed by the road that reaches San Bartolomé, to the crossing that is moving to the left. It is a classroom of nature located in a forest shelter, with views of the village, the surrounding mountains,... in addition to the shelter, there is also a recreation area, adapted don barbecues, tables, and covered by a porch.

If you already know Covadonga and then discover this place, you will be amazed at the aesthetic, mystical and historical parallels between this and a place in the Cangas Valley, where it is said that Don Pelayo began the war against Muslims, and that, at that time, he was known as Cave Dominica. There are those who consider this overwhelming space as the Covadonga Andaluza and, according to tradition, here appeared the Virgin of Tiscar, an image exalted after the fall of the Arab fortress in the 14th century. The building is less majestic than the Asturian, but the sacred cave...

The enclave must have been sacred already from remote times. Tradition speaks of an appearance in the Water Cave, which is actually a closed cannon and sculpted by the Tícar Arroyo. This tradition also tells that it was already venerated at a time when the Arabs kept a square they considered unexpugnable, just above the grotto. On the main floor of the fortress, the present abode of Our Lady, dating back to the 15th or 16th centuries, was erected with subsequent remodeling.

In front of the entrance to the hermitage there is a fountain with a poem by Antonio Machado, dedicated to the patron of Quesada. From the old fortin is the majestic tower of tribute, with the shield of arms of Peter I (11th century) embedded in the armchair and the walled enclosure of the courtyard of arms, riding on a neckline hardly accessible to Peña Negra, a spectacular vertical wall, frequented by the mountain goats, vultures and eagles. You can climb up to him, from the sanctuary, by a metal step.

The Cueva del Agua is set down by an asphalt lane that leaves from the same A-6206, about 300 m from the sanctuary, where you can access a few small parking spaces, from where you will leave stairs that go down to a narrow and under tunnel (you have to bend down to cross it) through which a waterfall takes the water to the traditional gardens nearby. Through artificial oquity, the road offers us several alternatives to visit this magical place. Here, on a small obscene on the wall of the cave, there is a small replica of the Virgin, where the devotees, considering that this is their first and true abode, place their offerings. It is recommended to wear shoes with non-slip soles and to take precautions, as the floor and stairs are sometimes slippery.

We suggest...

• Visit the birth of the Arroyo de Tíscar and the road of the Vadillo de Tíscar, very close to the sanctuary.

Tiscar is located at a crossroads of roads, right over the villages of Don Pedro and Belerda. The A-6206, also known as Tícar, which links Quesada with Hinojares and Pozo Alcón passes through a tunnel that crosses the rocky wall on which the Sanctuary and the Castle of Peña Negra are based and under which is the Cueva del Agua. This way Hinojares is 12 km, Quesada 15 km and Pozo Alcón 17 km. However, the nearest town is Huesa (10 km). From the same village a narrow local road is set up which, passing through Belerda, links with the previous one very close to the area.