The best MTB trails around Marmolejo

It is a river that originates in the south of the province of Ciudad Real and is formed by the confluence of the Montoro and Ojailén rivers. It creates two reservoirs before flowing past the Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Head. The first reservoir is called "La Lancha" and the second, "Encinarejo," is used for swimming during the summer months. It flows into the Guadalquivir River very near the town of Marmolejo.

The first stop on the old road to the Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Head is where pilgrims rest and have a light lunch before continuing their journey. Here you'll find several watering troughs so the horses can quench their thirst during the approximately 20-kilometer trek from the city of Andújar. A small chapel has also been built where pilgrims can pray to the Virgin.

In Lopera, we find one of the best examples of castles built by the Military Order of Calatrava in the province of Jaén. Declared a Cultural Monument in 1991, this fortress retains its original walled enclosure, although over the years it has also served as a residence and, in the mid-20th century, even as a winery.

The Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Head is located in the Sierra de Andújar Natural Park. This sanctuary is one of the oldest in Spain, with a history dating back to the 13th century. It is known for its impressive Gothic architecture and religious significance, making it a very popular pilgrimage site. Every year, on the last weekend of April, a pilgrimage is held in honor of the Virgin of the Head, attracting thousands of pilgrims from all over Spain. During this festival, devotees climb the Cabezo hill, where the sanctuary is located, to pay homage to the Virgin.

Since 1227, the date on which the apparition of the Virgin of the Head to Pastor Juan de Rivas is recorded, the celebration of the pilgrimage is commemorated on the last Sunday of April of each year, although the apparition took place on the night of the 11th. to August 12, 1227 in whose memory a kind of small pilgrimage is also celebrated on that date in the same Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Head.

The hermitage of San Ginés is an important milestone for pilgrim walkers who make the journey from Andújar to the Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Cabeza, along what is known as the old road or bridle path. San Ginés is the place where there is a kind of hill that leaves Andújar behind in the view, to soon resume the views of the Jándula river valley. Walkers usually stop there to rest and regain strength. The hermitage and its surroundings were also rehabilitated a few years ago.

Impressive Basilica full of history that guards the Virgen de la Cabeza, patron saint of Andújar and the Diocese of Jaén, becoming the oldest Pilgrimage in Spain since 1227

It is a hermitage of the same name and a resting place for pilgrims on the way up to the Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Head. From here a descent begins until the passage through the Jándula River.