|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As the rooms were not ready, we stowed our bags in the dining room and set off for a walk.
|
Busquistar
|
With the intention of picking up the GR7 we walked along the road towards Busquistar, but try as we might, even with the help of a waymarker post that directed us nowhere we couldn't find the path which is supposed to be part of a trans European path currently running from southern Spain to Greece. Perhaps now isn't quite so sceptical about us being unable to find a section of the same path the previous Sunday. Give up and continue on the road.
|
|
From Busquistar we descended into the Trevelez valley stopping for lunch at the bottom. As it started to drizzle we were told that it was a beautiful spot to picnic on a sunny day!
|
|
Made our way up the other side of the gorge to a road by the quarry and then turned west to Hoy del Magalite before again descending into the gorge to an old grain mill at the bottom. Continued on to Ferreirola and Atalbeitar before returning to the hotel to collect our room keys, unpack and view the scenery from our balcony.
|
Beautiful sunny day, so took the bus up to Trevelez and then walked up the Rio Trevelez, a rushing mountain stream passing through small cow pastures and over bridges made of branches with slabs of rock laid on them. In places the snow and spray from the tumbling stream combined to form sheets of icicles. Marvellous whilst the sun was out but cold as it clouded over later.
The narrow path was muddy and boulder strewn making if very difficult to walk, in places the water laying on the path was too deep to walk through and in others the path became a tributary of the stream.
|
Bridge over
Rio Trevelez
|
|
Out target had been to walk to the point at which the Rio Culo de Perro joined the Rio Trevelez but just before reaching it we met a farmer driving some very timid cows down the path, they were reluctant to pass us and we couldn't pass them. The matter was finally resolved by our climbing will up off the path to a point where the cows couldn't see us and the farmer passed by with much gesticulation and comments that it was probably just as well we couldn't understand.
|
|
Felt that it was time to turn back and so return to Trevelez on the same path that we had come up, but now further churned up by the cows.
|
|
A bright sunny day with hardly a cloud in the sky, so again took the bus to Trevelez with the intention of walking back to Portugos along the international footpath GR7/E4.
|
|
After a great deal of searching finally managed to locate the start of the path at the top of the old town and not as shown on our map. Walked away from Trevelez with great views back at the town and across to Penabon and Pena del los Papos.
|
Waterfalls
on Rio Bermejo
|
Again the path was not well marked and we often ended up walking along a track that runs parallel to it. In the end decided to stick to the track and follow it around to the recreational area shown as shown on the map as Area Recreativa Rio Bubion but on the sign to the area shown as Rio Bermejo!
From there we followed a very pleasant path down through scrub and chestnut woods back to Portugos having had the best days weather so far.
|
|
Again started out from Trevelez (we were starting to wonder why we weren't based in Trevelez rather than have to take a bus each morning) this time with the object of going up to Pena del los Papos 2533m via Penabon at 2002m.
|
|
Although we had no problems finding the start of the track we soon lost its line and ended up with our way blocked by a wide acequia and it was only by exploring along the acequia in both directions that we finally located a bridge.
|
After going part way up the track we formed a small breakaway group with Harvey, Hilary, Arlene and Adrian with the aim of making a quicker ascent and so giving us more time to walk along the ridge from Pena del los Papos.
In beautiful sunshine we quickly made our way up pausing at Penabon to take in the views before pressing on through low shrub and a steady climb, past numerous false summits and occasional patches of snow to reach the top. On the way we were delighted to be able to observe a heard of at least 12 ibex running up ahead of us.
|
Trevelez
from Penabon
|
|
As we ate our lunch at the top the cloud started to close in and so after a brief walk about on the high plateau we decided to descend and take a slightly longer path around some woods to get down. As we had time to spare as we neared the bottom we took our chance on using an unknown footpath that took us up the Trevelez valley to complete the walk but in the end had to turn around and locate the bridge that we originally used to cross the acequia standing between us and Trevelez. It did give us the chance to see where we had missed the path on the way up.
|
|
With a half hour to spare we went into a café bar and treated ourselves to hot chocolate.
|
|
A rest day and a chance to visit Granada and the Alhambra. Being very popular entrance to the Nasrid Palace in the Alhambra is tightly controlled. We weren't able to make a group booking and so we broke the group up into small parties of 3 and 4 and reserved tickets to be collected from the booking office on production of the party leaders passport. Our entry time was for 2.30pm and we would be required to enter within 30 minutes of this time.
|
|
Having arrived in Granada at 11.00am after a 2 hour bus ride we took some time to have a look around the city particularly the narrow streets of the market and the cathedral before having a snack and making our way up to the Alhambra, purchasing a guidebook to help up find our way around. Others hired audio players to have the area described to them.
|
Palace of Lions
Alhambra
|
Although we wouldn't be able to enter the Nasrid Palace until 2.30 we were able to visit other areas and so we started off with the Alcazaba, the ancient fort at the western end of the hill on which the Alhambra stands. Always conscious of the time we looked around the Alcazaba with its views over the city of Granada then off to the Nasrid Palace.
The Palace had been built and occupied by the Moors who occupied and ruled the area from the 13th to the 15th century though parts were later adapted. As followers of Islam the Moors did not depict human forms and therefore made extensive use of geometric designs in their decoration which in their intricacy and craftsmanship are unbelievable, words and photos cannot do the work justice and anyone who has not seen it should add it to their future itinery.
|
|
Rooms with tiled floors and walls in bright mosaics had timbered ceilings in complicated marquetry supported by simple pillars with intricately carved capitals. Some of the rooms had channels of running water in their doorways leading out into shaded courtyards with pools, fountains and more running water, beautiful in this weak autumn sunshine but must be most soothing on a hot summers day.
|
|
Our visit concluded with the Generalife, a garden area to the north of the Alhambra that doubles both as a provider of horticultural products and shaded walks for warm days.
|
|
The time we spent at the Alhambra was too short, we will have to return another day when we can spend longer and now have more idea of the layout.
|
|
Yet another good walk, first we followed in reverse the route we took on our first day at Portugos, going down into the bottom of the Trevelez gorge and then up the other side to the quarry road at Hoy del Magalite.
|
|
The main walk was to head westerly along the track on the Sierra de Mecina, however, with Hilary, Arlene, Angie and Adrian we decided to follow the ridge instead and meat up with the main group again later.
|
|
The first part of the climb took us along a farm track from Hoy del Magalite around the southern side of Corona before turning north and picking our way though scrub towards the summit, finishing off with a scramble to reach the eastern end of the ridged. We then followed a faint path along the top of the ridge before descending to a forest track that re-joined the main track.
|
Continued along the main track for some time, we had been told that we would have no problem finding the right hand turn that would take us down and back up the valley and sure enough it appeared as expected. Although not on the map the track which later became a path was excellent with trees in their autumn colours in the bottom of the gorge.
Reached a bridge and the rest of the group, crossed over and turned back down the gorge to make our way to Mecinilla and Mecina for a stop at a café bar for a drink before picking our way by track and road back to Portugos.
|
Down Trevelez gorge
from Roman Bridge
|
|
Our last walking day. As we had not been restricted by the weather, all the main walks on the itinerary had been completed and we were lift with a couple of rainy day walks, so together with Harvey, Hilary and Arlene we decided on a walk to Las Seite Laguns at the base of Mulhacen.
|
|
Earlier in the holiday we had hoped to be able to make it to the summit of Mulhacen but the local guide had said that to do so would require crampons and be a long slog so we gave up the idea with the intention of returning sometime in the future. A walk to the Lagunas would get us about as high as we could hope at this time of the year without winter equipment.
|
|
We set off from Travelez at about 10.00. Using instructions from the Lonely Planet Book 'Walking in Spain', we soon located the start of the part which wasn't shown on our map. The path we were following is the first section of the Sierra Nevada traverse and with the good directions from the book we easily found our way and headed up the west side of the Rio Trevelez valley, under cloudy skies, gaining height steadily as we went.
|
Approach to
Seite Lagunas
|
The path was regularly marked with dabs of red paint and so we made progress without trouble until we reach the Cortijo de la Campinuela after which we started to encounter ice as well as snow, making progress more difficult. On reaching Chorreras Negras we decided that it would not be possible to reach the Lagunas in the time available, with the conditions, and combined with the fact that the clouds were descending. We therefore retraced our path and returned to Trevelez, having reach a height of 2600m.
|
|
|
