A Bit of a Walk

Gran Senda de Malaga

Having survived our visit to the caves and a pleasant afternoon, I felt strong enough to try something else. A bit more challenging. So I planned a walk up through the valley above the caves. There are some old mine workings at the head of the valley I thought I would like to have a look at. I also thought that sticking to valley walking would allow me to go further.

So after an early breakfast we set off across the town to find our car, then it was off to the caves.  Just before the caves there is a boreen leading off into the valley.  My plan was to drive up this lane to a carpark about half way up and explore the higher reaches on foot.

The best laid plans of mice and men . . .

My plan was not to be.  Caro decided that a dirt track was no place to bring a hired car.  Granted, the start of the lane did look a bit rough, so my plans had to be changed and we headed off from a small carpark on foot.  We hadn't gone more than 100m when the road surface improved dramatically and it remained good for what else we saw of it. Fortunately I was in form for the walk and enjoying it, otherwise I would have gone back for the car.

Starting from the caves would add 12km to my planned route, so I decided on a change of plan as I hadn't planned on doing any more than 18 or 20 km in total.

Also, we hadn't gone particularly far before we came across one of the stranger sights of the day.  A train of caterpillars, little hairy fellows, just a bit smaller than my little finger, marching nose to tail across the road. The first bunch appeared to have been disturbed by a car and their formation was reassembling.

Some enquiries on FB and I was informed by my favourite ex-pat in Spain that they were Pine Processionary Caterpillars. They look awful cute marching along like a little miniature train. Fortunately I didn't touch any of them as they are vicious little buggers and their hairs can sting you quite badly.

Googling them shows them to be quite destructive and capable of destroying pine and cedar woodlands. They are also the inhabitants of those silky nests I had seen on El Fuerte. When I saw the damage cars could do to their little processions I felt sorry for them, but now having read about them, I don't.

About 3km into the walk we came to a junction.  A rougher road headed off to our right and up toward a highish pass. According to the map, there was a route from the pass down another valley that joined this one further up near where I had planned on originally parking the car.  This would keep us under the 20km and add about 450m in climbing.  That should be safe.

So off we went up the side valley and through the woods.  I must say it was lovely going.  The paths were well maintained and the footpath took the occasional short cut to avoid some of the longer hairpin sections of the road.  The scenery improved as we climbed and I was loving it.

Not wishing to make the same mistake as we made on Monday, I was carrying 4 litres of water between us and we stopped frequently to take a sip. I carried the rucksack as I knew if I let Caroline loose with it, I would never see my precious water again.  At least when I had the water she had to wait for me every now and again.

Looking across to El Fuerte (centre)

Caroline gambolling ahead.

It didn't take too long to reach the pass, which was in fact a crossroads. One track headed left to return to the caves via a different valley, but that would have been too short a walk for the day that was in it and how I was feeling. Another route led straight on toward the higher mountains hereabouts, while a third track headed off to our left and was our intended route.

Unfortunately, the main track had recently been rebuilt and all trace of the tracks to our left and right had been obliterated. Bugger.

Caro was gambolling out ahead of me on the main trail and if I didn't call her back soon, I would lose contact with her. Bugger.

I had a quick scan for any trace of what might have been the correct trail and gave up the hunt. I suspect the gully that was fenced off with rusty old wire and rubble might have been it. I headed off on the main track, resigned to a day at altitude. Bugger.

El Cielo is the pointy bit in the distance.

A short while later I caught up with Caro and explained that we were no longer on the planned route, but that there was an alternative route passing Cerro Molinero and summiting just below El Cielo, which ominously translates at Heaven. This hill tops out at 1508, which is fine in feet, but in meters puts it at half as high again as Ireland's highest mountain and we were parked at just above 150m. This might get tough.

We stopped for lunch at almost the same level as our summit on Monday. It felt good to be this high up again. I remembered looking across from El Fuerte to El Cielo and thinking that it looked like a nice climb and had put it on my list of mountains I would like to climb some day. Maybe next time I took a spring break. I just didn't expect next time to be quite so soon.

Gorse in bloom

A little after lunch we passed the ruins of what had been either a substantial ranch or a small village. Old field walls to retain soil and moisture added a poignant sense of isolation. People had lived here and worked the land once. How long ago? What happened to them? Were they victims of Franco's war or was it earlier than that?  Had they like the Irish, found this high land too hard to work and were their descendants now living across the Atlantic on some Caribbean Island, or California or South America in some former Spanish Colony?

We climbed onward and upward, leaving the village and the driveable road behind.  Soon we were headed out across the bare hillside, the shelter of the trees left behind and the full power of the sun beating on our backs and heads. Caroline took on the appearance of some Jihadi warrior with her fleece draped around her head like a turban or somesuch.

After an hour of this, I began to wish I had found the other path. It was hot, dusty and almost windless. I was roasting and could feel the backs of my arms beginning to fry. Bugger.

My growing discomfort didn't lessen my pleasure though. The walk and the climb was proving to be an exciting exploration. A bit of a change from walking The Murrough.

El Cielo was closer now, but felt more like hell. It was one of those hills that always looked closer than it was, or else it was moving away from us at about half my walking pace.

One thought running through my mind now was the fact that there was no turning back.  The quickest way back to the road was to keep going. I began to have evil thoughts about Caroline. She was too fit and this seemed to be too easy for her. With each step I was beginning to feel just that little bit older.

Gradually I reeled the mountain in. Inch by inch I closed on the summit, however, the summit was not my goal. Just to the left the trail dropped over the shoulder and descended into the head of the valley we had been walking in at the beginning of the day. We crossed the ridge about 50 m below the summit and I did not regret it. Next year I will return a bit earlier in the season, because there is another good summit a mile or so beyond.

The other side of the hill.

The descent was rough. Steep and loose. The kind of place where one false step could find you making your descent a little more rapidly than intended.

The sun began to settle in the sky and the temperature began to cool down to a more acceptable degree.

The steep slippery bit turned out not to have been the most difficult part of the descent. Once the route began to level I began to get a sense of just how far we had travelled. I was tired and the route back seemed to get longer with every step.

Thoughts of getting fitter began to flit through my mind and a plan began to form. This region of Spain deserves to be explored more thoroughly and to do so I would need to be up to a good walk every day. Roll on Spring 2016.

From car door to car door today's walk turned out to be no longer than I had planned, just short of 20km. It involved a total ascent of over 1,520m, as opposed to my original plan for 400 to 500m. We were out on the hills for close up on 10 hours in total. Our height ranged from 166m at the car to 1,457m at our high point.

The end of a bit of a walk!