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Holiday Walks in the Alpujarra
Jeremy Rabjohns
Revised in 2006!
The most up-to-date and accurate collection of walks
for this wild and beautiful region of Spain, conveniently located between
the busy Costa del Sol and the cosmopolitan city of Granada. The intended
audience is independent travellers with a sense of adventure.
Go to updates section for this book ...
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Contents | Location
| The Alpujarra | Sample Walk
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The Alpujarra is a dramatic part of Andalucia in Southern
Spain. Terraced farmland, dramatic mountains and ancient Moorish villages provide
the perfect environment for walkers who love to experience Spain at its wildest
and most authentic - far away from the populous "costas". The region has come
to prominence recently with the best-seller "Driving Over Lemons" (Chris Stewart).
Though seemingly remote, it is easy to reach from both Granada in the north
and from all of the coastal resorts along the Costa del Sol. So this really
is a chance to get away from it all! Jeremy Rabjohns lives in the Alpujarra
and has been leading walks there for 15 years. His book contains 27 walks from
5 to 25km based on villages typical of the region. No other guide is as accurate
or up-to-date as this - and scarcely any other book provides such an abundance
of background information, which can only be appreciated by exploring the Alpujarra
on foot. An exploration of Granada is included - demonstrating that there is
more to discover than the famous Alhambra.
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Contents
The Walks
The Poqueira Valley: Pampaneira, Bubión, Capileira
Capileira Village Stroll - 2½ hours including
visits
Capileira - Mulhacén - Capileira - Circular route
omitting the hostal, 7½ to 10 hours including rests. Capileira to
hostal 6 to 8 hours including rests. Hostal to Capileira 4½ to 6 hours
including rests.
Capileira and the river - 2 hours plus picnic
time.
Bubión - River Valley - Capileira - Bubión - 3½ hours plus
any time spent in Capileira.
Bubión - O Sel ing - Bubión - 5 hours plus rests and visiting
time. Easily shortened by 2 hours.
La Taha de Pitres
Linking the main villages of La Taha (de Pitres)
- The route is '8'-shaped. Starting at Pórtugos there are three possibilities:
complete route: 5-7 hours including stops and lunch. Points (1)-(13)
- 2-3 hours; points (13) onwards - 2-3 hours.
Six Villages of La Taha and the Gorge - 4-5 hours
including rests and diversions. 8 hours if including a mid-summer
siesta.
A short stroll above Pitres - 1½-3 hours depending on capacity
to dawdle.
The best Alpujarran path - 4 hours walking but better treated
as an all day walk, with picnic and diversions 6 hours or more.
Trevelez
The Río Trevelez and the Río Culo de Perro - 6 hours. 8
hours including riverside siesta.
Las Siete Lagunas - 3,000m - 7½ to 10 hours for the return
trip.
Bérchules
A long half day from Bérchules - 4 to 5 hours.
A long day in the Río Grande - 7½ - 9 hours PLUS STOPS.
Start early and make sure there are enough daylight hours.
A Short Stroll above Bérchules - 2 hours.
Mecina Bombarón
Both Sides of the Valley - 4½ hours walking, 5-7 including
rest, picnics, paddling etc.
The Acequias - 3 hours walking. 4 or 5 hours for those
who take their dawdling seriously.
Peñon del Puerto, 2,750m - 5½ to 8 hours
Yegen
La Salud (fountain of health) - A leisurely 2½
hours
Sendero de Gerald Brenan - 1½ to 2½ hours plus 1 hour for
the La Puente return.
Las Encinas - 3½ - 4½ hours Yegen - Mecina Bombarón, 1½
- 2½ hours Mecina Bombarón - Yegen, 5 - 7 hours total circular route.
Miscellaneous Walks
Puerto Juviléy - 3 hours walking plus paddling and picnic
time.
Río Guadalfeo, Cástaras and Notaez - 4 to 5 hours plus
a possible 2 hour diversion.
Haza de Lino, Sierra de la Contraviesa - 4 to 5 hours plus
rests.
Juviles, Timar - 3 to 5 hours, more for serious dawdlers
and picnickers.
Granada City
How to visit Granada
A bit of city life - From 2 hours upwards.
The Albaicín - It depends on your interests but I suggest
mid-morning through lunch to evening.
Around the Alhambra Hill - There is too much in this walk
to enjoy in one day.
Appendices
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Contents | Location | The Alpujarra
| Sample Walk
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The Alpujarra
A bit of background
The geology of the region is complex; to cover the subject fully
would require treatises on continental drift, some very long
words and big numbers. For we laymen it is a convenient escape
to know that it is complex and we may be forgiven not fully
understanding what we see. The southern part of Andalucia is
apparently a little bit of Africa superimposed on Europe. Subsequent
liftings and foldings have fragmented and mixed strata from
distant sources and ages. The uplifting of the Sierra Nevada
continues today and occasional weak earthquakes emphasise the
continuing instability of the region.
The mountains that have been raised in this manner reach to
almost 3,500m from sea-level in the space of 30 kilometers.
Subsequent to their formation, ice ages had their effect in
cutting the main valleys falling from the ridge of today. There
were sub-divided by more recent lesser ice-ages and the barrancos
that start their course above a height of 2,500m are mostly
of this origin. The most notable and easily appreciated glacial
remains can be seen in the area known as "Las Siete Lagunas"
which is visited by a walk described in the chapter "Trevelez".
Location
Flora and fauna
With this range of climates it is not surprising
to find a great variety of vegetation zones and habitats.
The most conspicuous group of animals is, as everywhere, the insects
and the main pleasure amongst these is to see a great number of
butterflies almost all the year round. Reptiles are numerous and
those with an interest in them will find The Alpujarra a happy
hunting ground. The terrapins found in the Rio Guadalfeo, (clemys
caspica and Emys orbicularis) being my favourite find. The adder
(vipera latasti) is less commonly seen than in the UK. This is
the only venomous snake. Amphibians are common and give serenades
throughout spring and summer nights.
Most of the birds present are also known in the UK, some notable
and spectacular exceptions commonly seen are the hoopoe (upupa
epops), golden oriole (oriolus oriolus) and the bee-eater (merops
apiastre). It is a joy to see and hear others that are as common
as muck like the nightingale (luscinia megarhynchas) and turtle
dove (streptopelia turtur). Those with a deep interest in ornithology
will find plenty to interest them amongst the less obvious birds,
a range of warblers, finches and familiar European birds.
Top of Page |
Contents | Location
| The Alpujarra | Sample
Walk
Sample Walk
Walk 1. Capileira village stroll
Time: 2½ hours including visits
Notes: Never leaves the village, use the
town plan to help the navigation. Best done between mid-morning and
lunchtime (2pm) to make sure everything is open and functioning. On
Mondays and Tuesdays some establishments close and so it may be best
to plan around that.
Start at the kiosk, newsagent/information centre
on the main road.
Walk uphill a few metres and fork left past Hostal Meson Poqueira.
At the junction ahead go left, downhill into Plaza Calvario
where sits the bar El Tilo in the shade of its lime tree.
There is good drinking water at the fuente in Plaza
Calverio. Make your way downhill into the adjoining plaza
where the church is and take c. Real from its upper left corner.
Before following c. Real downhill have a look at the peaceful
c. Duende and wonder who or what lived here.
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On the downhill section of c. Real is a
little courtyard filled with flowers and greenery. You would think
it to be a little over the top. Apart from the pleasure of having
the plants there is a practical reason for so much greenery. You
can feel the cooling effect that so many leaves have, by virtue
of their transpiration. You notice the same effect when walking
into a tree filled gully, the temperature drops noticeably over
and above the effect of shade.
Join c. Escuelas and turn left, then right into c. Mentidero on
the edge of the village with the valley at its feet.
The museum 'Museo Alpujarreño de Pedro Antonio de Alarcón' is
in c. Mentidero and is worth a quick visit. A small charge is
made and the door is usually shut even during its open hours.
Knock and you will be let in. Pedro Antonio de Alarcón was a 19th-century
poet and writer who visited the Alpujarra and wrote what has become
one of the classic travel books on the area. The book is for sale
in all the gift/book shops and it is interesting to get a 100
year old romantic's view.
As far as exhibits go perhaps the most interesting are tools and
implements housed in what were stables on the ground floor.
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If you are interested in agriculture, woodwork,
fabrics or weaving you will find something interesting to see.
The wooden sledge type things under the wooden pitch forks are
what were and are used to thresh on the eras and the wooden boxes
are standard measures of grain by volume.
The wooden forks I think are particularly appealing; grown in
one piece, from the almez tree (celtis australis) which tends
to branch with various shoots from the same point and then helped
with a bit of training and pruning. You might grow a new fork
in three or four years so think ahead and look for a suitable
tree if you think you might need one.
The joiners bench too, is special but not unique. They occasionally
turn up in cortijos still occupied by older people. The hand carving
of threads like these must have been a skill much in demand. The
grape and olive presses, of which there would have been hundreds,
used to have a wooden screw thread of much greater diameter than
these, of olive or chestnut timber. (See also the museum house
in Bubión church square.)
From the front door of the museum turn right into c. Parra
and left past restaurant Ibero Fusion, one of the very few places
where vegetarians are catered for.
At the crossroads go straight over, down the steps into c. Horno.
Keep on the level c. Horno until passing the bakers sign, Horno
de Luisa.
You must go into the bakers on the pretext of buying something.
You will see the huge dome of the brick oven, this is pre-heated
with firewood and the dough put in when the fire has done its
job and died down. The ash is scraped to the back and the dough
put in to cook.
The large wooden trough to the left of the counter is an artesa,
you will have seen one in the museum. This is standard equipment
for hand mixing large quantities of food, in this case bread
dough.
If you just want a normal long thin loaf ask for, una barra,
[oo-na ba-rra]. Another good choice if you want a bread that
keeps longer is pan de aceite, [pan day a-thay-i-tay],
bread with olive oil in which sometimes comes with a sugar coating.
With luck Luisa may be shovelling the bread out of the oven
with that great long handled spatula as you arrive.
Turn right as you leave the bread shop. Follow the road leftish
and down, c. Cerezo.
Part way down c. Cerezo when in sight of a flower bedecked balcony
on a bend lower down, take the alley to the right. It is a nice
cool alley with a shady tinao for each house. It curls round
to the left. Keep turning left and rejoin c. Cerezo on the bend
just below the flower strewn, triangular, balcony.
Turn right and downhill, take the steps down to the right.
Pass more flowery corners and follow the road around to the
left to enter c. Fuente Cipres.
You may have noticed mysterious hanging polythene bags of water
and polythene bottles of water around doorsteps and flower pots.
These I am assured are to ward off 2 different sorts of pests:
flies and urinating dogs. We are left to wonder how they work
but the experience is that they do, perhaps in both cases, on
taking an initial sniff they are frightened away by a huge reflection!
Continue along c. Cipres and take a right turn into c. Moral
and follow it to its end at the very bottom of the village.
C.Tajo or cliff street for obvious reasons.
C. Tajo followed to its extreme, passes out of the bottom of
the villlage towards the south. It becomes a path leading down
to the river at puente molino and provides a link with walk
4.
From c. Tajo take the steps up into c. Neuva and follow it
along to the little plaza, fuente and below the square
to the right of the wash house where you can imagine the echoing
of many tongues out across the valley. It is certainly a wash
house with a view.
Leaving the fuente on the left pass out of the plaza up and
left.
Keep to the right and turn right, up the steps under the low,
covered, alley (tinao) that zigzags up to join c. Vicario
to the left.
c. Vicario is worth finding and enjoying. At the end of c.
Vicario is a hairpin right into c. Silencio. It always has been
when I have visited so perhaps it is custom to keep it that
way.
Turn left at the end of c. Silenco, to c. Horno. Another chance
to visit the bread shop if you missed it on the way down.
Turn left to pass the bakers and right at the end of the street,
uphill.
There is quite a nice dead end alley c. Quinque on the left
just before the fuente.
Pass the fuente and go left uphill, passing the supermarket.
After the supermarket branch right into c. Carmen which leads
to the church.
Turn left, uphill at the end of c. Carmen and look for Bodega
La Alacena within a few metres.
After climbing up from the bottom of the village you deserve
a sit down in pleasant surroundings. Pass through the tiny shop
of the bodego, full of interesting local food produce, and take
a seat in the back room. In summer it's cool and in winter a
fire burns. The room speaks for itself and so will the wine;
you may not like what it says but it's worth a try. Vino costa
joven, [beano costa hob-en] is my favourite but in the interests
of a full investigation you should try the aged version, vino
viejo, [beano vee-eh-hoe], or the sweet version which goes down
easily on a cold day, vino dulce, [beano dull-thay].
I like the aged, stained furniture as much as anything else
here. The construction of the tables is typical of those seen
in every old house that hasn't been improved, with chipboard
and formica.
The chairs too; often they are apparently ridiculously low or
made for children. The reality is that they are not made for
sitting at tables but for performing tasks on the floor with
a bucket between your feet, or for cooking over the fire in
the hearth, for which they are eminently suitable.
Enjoy your wine and find your own way back to
the start point of the walk, it's uphill.
Top of Page | Contents
| Location | The
Alpujarra | Sample Walk
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Updates for Holiday Walks in The Alpujarra
This is a new service in which
we can keep our publications as up-to-date as possible.
We would appreciate your comments, additions to walk instructions
etc, and after consultation with the author will add any
appropriate amendements to the site as soon as possible.
If you would like to send us comments or alterations,
please use the mail address below or e-mail
us. Please check the latest updates below and feel
free to print off and keep with your book.
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| Walk or Page |
Update information
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Date |
| Page 42 |
Restaurants: Replace El Jardin in Pitres
(which no longer exists) by El Atelier in Mecina.
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Sept 2007 |
| Page 45 Walk 6 |
Point 9, 2nd paragraph: Replace 1st sentence with
"The path passes between the 2 partly renovated buildings of a large mill and dwelling."
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Sept 2007 |
| Page 48 Walk 6 |
Point 17: Replace last sentence with "El Atelier is a bit of a novelty on two counts;
a French vegetarian/vegan restaurant, and, in the Alpujarra. So while passing it is worth
noting its opening hours. See village plan."
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Sept 2007 |
| Page 55 Walk 8 |
Point 1 - About 200m later the path is joined by others
from the right and left.
The route tends to the left past 2 large Holm Oaks and drops
steeply past a ruin and era.
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Nov
2004 |
Page
55
Walk 8 |
Point 9: replace 2nd paragraph with -
"There is a confusion of new tracks ahead, but it is sufficient to
head downhill aiming for a clump of tall poplar trees which is situated
just below the acequia referred to in (10) below."
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Sept
2007 |
| Page 65 Walk 10 |
Difficulties:
In addition to the existing paragraph.
The bridge at point 10 has been washed away. The
river is fordable here except in rainy weather or during
the late spring thaw. Crossing with dry feet is unlikely
at any time.
In view of the uncertainty it might be better to do the
walk in reverse, thereby giving fewer problems in the event
of having to abort.
The absence of the bridge, point 10 is not obvious
when walking the reverse route: it is a few metres after
a point where an acequia temporarily adopts the path
as its route and there is a vertical cliff on the the immediate
right. A well used path rises away from the river on the
opposite bank. |
Sept 2002 |
| Page 68 Walk 10 |
Map 10 - The bridge
markes as (11) no longer exists. It was not used
by the route except as a landmark. (see updates for pages
65 and 69) |
Sept 2002 |
| Page 69 Walk 10 |
Point 11 - The bridge
marked on the map as a landmark has been washed away. (see
updates for pages 65 and 68) |
Sept 2002 |
| Page 78 Walk 12 |
Point 1 - Paragraph
4 - Leave Plaza de Abastos by … At the end of c Agua is
a wooden GR7/E4 signpost pointing down the path. The path
zigzags down and after 100m. arrives at a path junction.
Keep left. After a further 100m the path crosses straight
over a dirt track. |
Feb 2004 |
| Page 79 |
Bérchules Village
Plan - in the bottom left of the plan the label Walk
3 should read Walk 14 |
Sept 2002 |
| Page 80 Walk 12 |
Point 2 - From the
era the route turns left and follows a broken wall
up, until meeting with a wire mesh fence.
Turn right to keep the mesh fence on the left.
Keeping close to the fence the path climbs quite steeply
for about 100m.
Keep right at a fork in the path (where the left branch
passes through the fence).
The path begins to diverge from the fence, crosses a level
patch of ground heading for a small ruinous casa de campo
and then onto the stone edged terrace ahead.
Point 3 - Turn right along the track ... |
Sept 2002 |
Page 87 Walk 13
Map 13 |
About 2km after point 9
there is a new track which cuts and obscures the original
path, see update for page 88. |
Sept 2002 |
| Page 88 Walk 13 |
Point 9, Paragraph
3 - The path diverges right to a level slightly higher than
the acequia.
For the next 2km the path follows an undulating course,
generally south towards the village. It ignores a right
branch into the deep side valley and later there are other
minor turns to the right and left to ignore.
About 2km after point 9 there is a new track which cuts
and obscures the original path. The path joins it at a hairpin
bend: follow the tack downhill.
Keep right, on the track (ignoring the hairpin left) and
look out for the old path which reappears on the right of
the track near its end. |
Sept 2002 |
| Page 92 |
Delete paragraph beginning
Taxi… The taxi in Mecina Bombarón no longer exists. |
June 2004 |
| Page 100 Walk 16 |
Point 2 - Look for a track on the left, 500m after
the supermarket, with a 'stop' sign at its junction with
the road. It forks off to the left from a lay-by, passes
over a stone built viaduct and continues as a private road
leading through some usually locked gates to a house above.
Follow the steep stony path, which branches off the track,
before arriving at the viaduct and gates. It climbs very
steeply for a few metres then continues up around a small
barranco, crosses its waters, then passes below the house
to rejoin the house driveway just past a second set of lockable
gates.
Follow the drive up to the house and turn
right, just as the house is reached, to join the path
following the acequia (3).
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June 2003 |
| Page 112 Walk 18 |
Point 2
- 5 metres past the next bridge,
crossing Barranco Zajón, take the path to the left opposite
a house.
The path winds uphill passing a casa de campo on
the right, then later makes a zigzag steeply left, ignoring
a mor level path which continues straight on.
A second casa de campo is then passed on the left
of the path. |
Nov 2002 |
| Page 112 Walk 18 |
Point 3 - second paragraph - Continuing in a
generally north-west direction the path comes to a cortijo,
bends to the left and soon crosses straight over a track,
not shown on the sketck map, before continuing up the
line of a water course...
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Oct 2003 |
| Page 113 |
Village plan -
The play park noted on the plan no longer exists it has
been moved to the plaza. |
Jun 2003 |
| Page 116 Walk 19 |
Point 1 - Start
at the junction of the main through road where a concrete
road zigzags down into the village. Follow the concrete
road down, ignoring a small street on the right and arrive
in the plaza near Bar La Fuente (2), see village plan (page
113). |
Jun 2003 |
| Page 118 Walk 19 |
Replace Point 5 with
- 150m after crossing the water of Bco. Quejjal the path
meets a track. Turn right down the track. After 100m. just
after the left bend in the track look carefully for the
path forking off the bend. It has been obscured by the making
of the track but once seen is clear, and marked with green/white
waymarks. The path continues zigzagging down the terraces
of almond trees to arrive 200m. later at another track.
Cross straight over the track to arrive at the base of the
cliff defense of El Fuerte. |
Apr 2004 |
| Page 118 Walk 19 |
Replace Point 6 -
first paragraph - 'Peñon del Fuerte'. Arriving at the
base of the rock, with … while to the right is the continuation
of the walk. Take the path leading around the immediate
base of the cliff, avoiding the track. The path crosses
2 water flows within 50m. then begins to zigzag uphill.
Keep to the most obvious path, ignoring various minor branches.
After about 150m. the path meets a track. Turn left uphill
but look for the path again where it resumes, 10m. later,
climbing left off the track. 100m. later the path meets
the track again. turn left, uphill to follow track around
2 bends. Immediately after the 2nd bend take the path which
climbs to the right. After ascending to an obvious crag……etc
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Apr 2004 |
| Page 124 Walk 20 |
Point 12. Second
paragraph - The path soon passes a casa de campo
and two rectangular albercas on the left.
Cross a barranco with running water and then another
dry barranco with a rock spire above the path. At
this second barranco the path divides and rejoins
itself; the upper branch being the true path, the lower
an acequia which soon rejoins the path.
Ignore a right branch which climbs a little to follow a
line of poplar trees.
At one point the path divides around a wire-fenced olive
grove ... |
Sept 2002 |
| Page 125 Walk 20 |
Paragraph 3 - 20m
after a zigzag in the track, the path forks left off the
track.
It passes down through some olive trees to an era,
crosses the uphill side of it and then drops down to meet
the track again.
The track leads to a casa de campo but the path branches
right before the house, downhill, aiming for a copse of
poplars in the river bed.
Cross on the bridge ... |
Sept 2002 |
| Page 134 Walk 22 |
Point 5 - 200
or 300m later the path curves around to the south. Ignore
a minor path on the apex of the bend and after about 50m
take a rocky path zigzagging up, right. |
Oct 2002 |
| Page 153 Walk 25 |
In the italic note under
point 10 last sentence should read.. Calle Navas is a
good hunting ground for a drink or meal and in Plaza Campillo
Bajo (adjoining Plaza Mariana Pineda) there are some economical
eating places. |
Feb 2004 |
| Page 165 |
Paragraph Taxis
Delete Mecina Bombarón taxi - it no longer exists |
June 2004 |
| Page 166 Appendix A |
Route: Granada-Pitres/Bérchules/Alcutar
The list of stops should include Bubión next to Capileira
with the same times. |
Sept 2002 |
| Page 166 Appendix A |
Route: Granada-Pitres/Bérchules/Alcutar
· The 10.30 from Granada now terminates at Trevélez,
not Pitres.
· The 15.30 departure from Pitres to Granada is
now changed to a 15.30 departure from Trevélez
via Busquístar and Pitres etc etc. All intermediate
timings are 30 minutes later than printed.
|
Nov 2004 |
| Page 166 Page 166 Granada
- Alpujarra (east) |
Route: Granada-Pitres/Bérchules/Alcutar
The 1600 departure from Ugíjar has been altered to
1500 and all times on this departure therefore come forward
1hour. |
Feb 2004 |
| Page 167 Appendix B |
Route: Granada
city
Casa del Aljarife: This lodging is no longer recommended.
|
June 2003 |
| Page 184 Appendix F |
Page 65 Walk 10
There is now no problem with the bridges - they have been
rebuilt.
The bridge at point 11 (only used as a landmark) is still
missing.
The reverse walk notes that follow on
Page 185 are redundant.
|
June 2003 |
| Publication Date |
ISBN |
Pages |
Price |
| June 2002,
reprinted 2006 |
1 85058 786 8 |
Approx 160pp |
£9.95 |
  
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Phone & Fax: (44) (0)1625 531035
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