Marble Path

For the more active, access to the quarries is possible by walking along this trail of 4.6 km in length and low difficulty, which links the village with the quarries through the ancient road where marble blocks were lowered in pulled carts By oxen, whose footprints engraved on the rock are clearly observable.

The Marble Trail enters the heart of the quarries from where the precious marble of Macael is extracted. Along the way we can see how the landscape has been transformed due to the intense exploitation and its contrast with the unexploited areas of the surroundings. From the two viewpoints that we can find in the tour you can enjoy excellent views of the Almanzora Valley and the quarries.

This trail runs in parallel to the Rally circuit “Rise of the Marble”, a mythical test that has been taking place since the 50’s. It is signposted and homologated by the Andalusian Mountaineering Federation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PATH

The trail starts at the top of the village, taking the old AL-840 road linking Macael with the provincial capital, on the outskirts of the village, on the first turning to the left.

Start the itinerary to the right of the road, ascending a steep but short slope. We continue along a rocky terrain where you see marks of the passage of the carts, continuing until you find a paved curve that we skirt on the right without stepping to follow an old plasterer that is on our right.

We continue the path without leaving to see the road until arriving at the old dining rooms. We follow parallel to the road about 500 meters to reach the Mirador de Cosentino. Parallel to the road we continue along the path to another viewpoint, the one of the Quarries, where we finish.

Code: SL-A-170 | Type of trail: Linear | Starting point: Macael | End point: Mirador de las Canteras

Total distance (meters): 4,600 m. | Estimated running time: 1 h 33 min.

Cumulative ascent climb: 352 m. | Cumulative descent gradient: 37 m.

Difficulty (Valuation according to MIDE method):

POINTS OF INTEREST

FOOTPRINTS

During the initial part of the route we can walk along the old access road to the quarries, through which the wagons loaded with the marble blocks descend. His footprints are clearly visible on the rocky floor. The wagons were thrown by two oxen, who were leaning forward and stopped in their descent by two other oxen behind.

YESERA DE LOS PINARICOS

Ancient plasterer of the Moorish period (1489-1568). Arab culture introduced the widespread use of plaster on the peninsula. Located near a deposit of this mineral, the plaster was cooked in the furnaces for its dehydration and finally ground.

POND

After the old dining rooms of the stonecutters, leaning to the right we can see a small turquoise blue balsa that is formed between the marble walls when the water used in the extraction process is filtered.

MIRADOR DE COSENTINO

From this viewpoint, built by the Cosentino Group on the quarry that explodes, it is possible to observe the process of marble extraction. To the right you can also see the quarries of the Puntilla, the oldest of the area, from which the marble used in the Alhambra Palace of Granada was extracted.

OLYMPICS PRESENCE

Before arriving at the Mirador de las Canteras we can see large rocks in the road covered with oligyste, mineral from which iron is extracted.

MIRADOR DE LAS CANTERAS

From this viewpoint, we will see the most remote quarries of the urban area such as Pozo, Azules, Cerro Pelao, or Rambla Orica. It has spectacular views of the Almanzora Valley and the Sierra de las Estancias.

Pre-sale Questions