The PR-MU 41 walking route in Sierra Espuña, the Senda de los Siete Hermanos
A lineal 3.3-kilometre walk in the mountains of Sierra Espuña
This 3.35-kilometre lineal walk in the mountains of Sierra Espuña takes walkers along a route between two of the most popular places in the regional park, namely the Ricardo Codorníu Visitor Centre and the La Perdiz recreational area. Including 106 metres of climbs and 121 metres of descent, it takes around 1 hour 10 minutes at a steady pace without pausing for rest, making the return journey quite feasible without any need to be picked up by a driver!
Along the route of the “Senda de los Siete Hermanos” (the path of the seven brothers) are various sites of historical interest, including the remains of some of the places where the inhabitants of Sierra Espuña lived in centuries gone by.
The route begins at the Ricardo Codorniú visitors centre, which is named after the man who was primarily responsible for the re-forestation of the mountains of Sierra Espuña in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and from here it is only a couple of minutes’ walk along the SL-MU 1 route (also named after Sr Codorniú) to the monument erected in honour of his achievements in 1927. At this point, follow the yellow and white “PR” markings, crossing the road with care, and enter the forestry nurseries along a stepped path.
The steps in the terrain here are the terraces which were used in the past to grow crops, and were then taken over by Sr Codorniú to nurture young pine saplings as part of his reforestation program, and as the route continues downhill towards the bed of the River Espuña there are also elms, poplars, wild roses and ivy growing in abundance.
From here the path leads upwards to the Collado de los Siete Hermanos, passing a monitoring point which was used in the past to measure the flow rate of the Río Espuña in order to determine the effect of the reforestation project on the river. Higher up it’s possible to see the Cabeza de la Mezquita, which owes its name to an old castle which the Moors built centuries ago close to the peak of the hill (“mezquita” means mosque), and then finally walkers reach the top of the Collado de los Siete Hermanos, where a firewall has been created within the forest.
The name of this hill (the Seven Brothers) refers to seven cypress trees which were planted alongside a series of stone benches during the reforestation program in the early years of the 20th century, but the original trees were cut down and now the seven “heirs” are growing next to the stumps of their predecessors.
The PR-MU route then zig-zags down towards the old sanatorium for tuberculosis sufferers which was built in the 1930s, but before reaching it heads off to the left, leaving behind the GR-252 route and heading instead for the road which leads to the recreational area of La Perdiz. Before completing the walk, an attractive place to stop for a short rest is alongside the statue of the Virgen del Pilar.
The route is well signposted and is on well-trodden pathways, making it easy to follow.
Click for map, opening times etc: Ricardo Codorniu Visitor's Centre
Click here for further information about visiting the Sierra Espuña in English: Sierra Espuña
Click here for full information in English about the Alhama de Murcia municipality
