Walking in La Serena: Sendero del Abrigo del Águila, in Magacela

SL-BA 82 Sendero del Abrigo del Águila is an easy short walk outside the village of Magacela, in La Serena area, which treats the visitor to great views and some interesting cave paintings at the end.

This article includes a general overview of the route, practical details, some thoughts, and personal tips to help you plan your walk.

Overview

SL-BA 82 Sendero del Abrigo del Águila is a local (SL) FEXME-approved route starting at the western end of Magacela, just off the BA-084 road from La Haba. It’s a linear route and the information available about length and duration varies depending on the source you check

According to FEXME: it’s 2.8km long in total and it takes 1h to complete.

According to the signpost at the start point: it’s 1.1km one way and it takes 20min.

For reference, it took me 12min one way.

The main highlights of this short route are the view of Magacela castle from the path, the cave paintings at the end and the wonderful views of the surrounding plains.

Sendero del Abrigo del Águila on a map

(Please note that I manually drew the route and it’s meant for rough reference only.)

My thoughts on walking Sendero del Abrigo del Águila

The route starts just before the (BA-084) exit to Magacela coming from La Haba. You’ll see the wooden sign for the route on your left. Bear in mind that there’s no place to park by the start point, so you’ll need to leave your car nearby (see my suggestion in the ‘Tips and practical info’ section below) and walk across.

Despite its short length, the route has three distinguishable stages:

Stage one: a gently ascent on a hillside towards the sierra.

Stage two: a comfortable stroll zigzagging the hillside.

Stage three: a short final stretch amongst rocks to reach the rock shelter.

The initially fairly wide unpaved path which follows the side of the hill west-bound gets narrower as it climbs. The white and green local route signs are clearly visible on the side of the now narrower stone edged path. At this point of the route is when you should take a moment and look back to enjoy a great view of Castillo de Magacela and the village.

Then you arrive at a gate, where two homemade signs ask the visitor to keep the gate closed, because there’s free roaming livestock around. Once past the gate, the path zigzags a bit and leads straight up to the rocky top of the hill.

The last stretch involves walking across to the other side of the hill and then a bit further towards the large rock shelter ahead – the Abrigo del Águila.

We walked Sendero del Abrigo del Águila in early January on a rather overcast day at around noon. The terrain was dry and visibility was good throughout the route. Despite the cloudy skies, the northern views from the cave paintings area were fantastic. The countryside looked nice and green, with a thick line of fog covering the blue hill range in the distance.

Cave art

The rock (Peña del Águila) is located on the northern side of the Sierra de Magacela, at about 510m over sea level. There are, in total, 26 groups of cave paintings, although only the most relevant and curious ones appear on information panels. They depict human figures, animal, and abstract patterns such as lines or dots. Colours range from dark red to black to white. According to the on-site panels, these paintings could date from between 5000-4000 BCE to the first century BCE. I spent a good hour reading the panels and trying to find each painting on the rock.

Practical info

When to do this route: Sendero del Abrigo del Águila is suitable for winter, spring and autumn. I wouldn’t recommend it for summer (mid-June to mid-September), because it’s simply too hot to enjoy country walking and during this route you’re constantly exposed to the sun. You will not feel like spending a bit of time looking for cave paintings either. Moreover, La Serena area looks very dry in summer and the views wouldn’t be as nice.

After the walk: Magacela may be a small village, but it has several interesting things to see and do. I strongly recommend walking up to the castle (Castillo de Magacela). It’s free to visit and it affords some fantastic views of the surrounding areas (you’ll be able to spot part of the walking route you just completed). If you have some time to spare, visit the dolmen, too, located to the north of the village, off the EX-348 road.

Where to park: the closest place to the start point of the route where you can find free on-street parking is Avenida de la Constitución. If you’re driving to Magacela from La Haba, get off the BA-084 towards Avenida de la Constitución (keeping the Magacela tiled sign on your left). There’s usually tons of free parking spaces there.