Route · Checa
Sendero 19: Trail 19: Collado del Aire via La Campana (Checa)
Gentle linear walk of 3.1 km (6.3 km round trip) from the gates of La Campana estate in Checa, along the old shepherd trail linking Collado Manchego with Sierra Molina pastures. Crosses Portillo de La Campana, blasted in the early 20th century, to Collado del Aire.
Lands and landscapes
From here, follow the memory of the territory
These readings connect Trail 19: Collado del Aire via La Campana (Checa) with the history, work, and villages around it.
- Code
- Sendero 19
- Distance
- 3.1 km
- Duration
- 1 h
- Trail type
- Linear
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Altitude
- 1,654 m
Walking duration without transfers or stops. Check in the official source whether distance and time include the return leg. Difficulty estimated from distance and elevation when no official classification exists. “Easy” does not imply wheelchair or stroller accessibility.
- Sendero 19
- Linear, out and back
- Portillo de La Campana
- Raptors and ungulates
A traditional shepherd path
The newest trail in the Natural Park. Park at the gates of La Campana public estate in Checa and follow the path formerly used by shepherds and their flocks between Collado Manchego in Cuenca and the grazing grounds of Sierra Molina. Its highest point lies at La Campana.
Grazing horses
The path crosses young Scots pine woods. Alongside fallow deer, red deer, and Spanish ibex, hardy horses graze here to maintain the pasture: without grazing pressure, scrub would encroach and close the mosaic of open meadow and forest. Pass a fold with estate outbuildings and a rocky gully up to the Portillo de La Campana, a pass opened using explosives in the early 20th century to connect with the Tagus slopes.
Collado del Aire
From the notch you behold one of the wilder corners of the Alto Tajo, and a zig-zag trail descends to the meadows of Collado del Aire. Ahead lies Collado Manchego; behind, the knife-edge crags of Altos de la Campana (1,742 m), where all the cliff-nesting raptors of the Park breed: Egyptian vulture, golden eagle, griffon vulture, and occasionally a transient bearded vulture (lammergeier). Return along the same path.
Before you set out
Carry water, mountain footwear, and download the GPS track in advance: mobile reception is absent in many areas. Check the forecast on Today in the Alto Tajo and the official trail sheet for notices and closures, and respect seasonal restrictions during raptor breeding periods.
Official route · Parque Natural del Alto Tajo (Junta de Castilla-La Mancha). Description, track and notices on the official guide. Before setting out, verify there whether changes or closures apply.
Location
● Reference point · ● Villages · ● Places · ━ Simplified official route
Location diagram. Detailed map with tracks and names loads on zoom.
Reference villages: Masegosa · Vega del Codorno · Peralejos de las Truchas · Checa.
Open the full map and historical layers →