Road access:
Access to Sierra de las Pansas is possible from Yecla across the road RM-424 connecting the town with Pinoso. At kilometre 17 we take the road A-15 on the right leading to Jumilla. You will find it after 5 km, on the left towards the shadows of the mountain rage. It’s also accessible by the road RM-424 at kilometre 18 towards Raspay, a district from which a forest road going across the mountain range departs.
The best time of year to visit:
Throughout the year, but preferably in spring and autumn.
The main points of interest are:
Fuente de las Pansas, Casa de la Ermita, Barranco del Saltaor, Sierra del Carche.
Visit conditions:
Hiking activities carried out in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way don’t require license. For other types of activities it is recommended to contact the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia or the wildlife officer.
Location:
In the southern part of the town of Yecla.
An area of approximate:
680 hectares.
Altitude:
630 – 1,036 metres above sea level.
Protection regime:
Protected Site. Declared as Regional Park, it is called “Sierra del Carche”.
Administrative authority:
Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia. Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources Department. There are some areas of private property.
Topography:
Situated very close to Sierra del Carche, it is a mountainous massif with steep mountainsides, precipices and ledges.
Vegetation:
Aleppo pine woodland, together with Holm oaks, strawberry trees, Viburnum tinus (laurestine), honeysuckle, Mock-privet, rosh bash, esparto grass, rosemary.
Fauna:
Common midwife toad, ladder snake, ocellated lizard, long-tailed tit, coal tit, European robin, sub alpine warbler, wild boar, genet, badger.
What’s so special about it?:
El Carche and Las Pansas are declared as Regional Park due to their forest value.
Sierra de las Pansas is a group of mountains of a certain elevation, representing a morphological and forestry extension of Sierra del Carche in its north-Eastern part. Las Pansas is separated through the cliffs of “el Saltador” and “de la Yedra”. It is 1,036 metres high. The northern side of the mountain range is the most interesting one, due to its precipices and crags standing out among the pine trees. On the slopes there are some natural springs and caves, such as the one called Jaime el Barbudo, about which popular tradition says that it was the hideout of this well-known bandit.
A great part of pine trees are natural, although small repopulation areas of pine trees can be found. There are also holm oaks and brushes forming an impenetrable maquis. The fauna, concentrated in the forest and the brushwood, is highlighted by the abundance of wild boar.
