The gateway to the Cordoban Sierra Morena
After more than 600 km of riding, Balutia enters the Sierra de Hornachuelos Natural Park. It’s time to tackle the first stretch of the Cordoban Sierra Morena, in an environment as solitary as it is remote.
Sierra Morena is not, generally speaking, a mountain range of long climbs or major peaks in terms of altitude. However, its beauty lies in the sheer number of hills and passes, linked by winding roads—usually with good pavement—and with virtually no traffic.
SOLITARY ROADS. ENDLESS PASSES.
Those who enjoy road cycling will find in this second half of the route a paradise for smoother, more comfortable riding, with spectacular views in every direction.
That said, let no one be misled about the difficulty: there may be no long climbs, but the relentless rolling terrain is extremely demanding, especially when your strength begins to fade.
LEAVING THE HAMLETS OF FUENTE OBEJUNA
Before reaching the Sierra de Hornachuelos Natural Park, Balutia passes through Fuenteobejuna and several of its hamlets. A woodland territory that is less mountainous, but serves as the perfect warm-up for what comes next.
It’s more than just a recommendation to stock up on plenty of water and some food before leaving the hamlets and entering the Natural Park. Bar Paqui, in La Cardenchosa, is a great place to refuel, and it has generous opening hours.
San Calixto: silence, seclusion, and sierra
Just before reaching the town of Hornachuelos, which marks the southernmost point of Balutia, the route passes by the Convent of San Calixto.
Along a straight stretch flanked by towering eucalyptus trees, this small monastery of Discalced Carmelites stands quietly in the middle of the sierra.
A place to stop and observe, or perhaps to draw inspiration from. After all, the nuns who live here lead a monastic life far more austere than yours, dear ultracyclist.
The origins of the place trace back to the old Monasterio del Tardón, founded in the 16th century by the hermit Mateo de la Fuente, a disciple of San Juan de Ávila, in a landscape of holm oaks and rockrose near Hornachuelos. In 1940, the estate was acquired by the Marquess Consort of Salinas, who placed the building at the service of the community of Discalced Carmelites.
At present, the monastic community lives in an environment of complete enclosure: around fifteen nuns devoted to contemplation. With no telephone or public email, they produce handmade soaps, embroidered linens, sacred figures and other items to sustain the life of the monastery.
Today, that same place retains a sense of stillness that’s hard to find in other sections of the route. For anyone riding Balutia, it can become an unexpected moment of pause: the sound of the wind, the holm oaks closing in on both sides, and the feeling of moving through a land where history, spirituality, and nature blend together in complete tranquility.
Text and photography David Molina @davidmolinagrande
On the bike: Lucas Silva @lucasssssilva78
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