I should think the majority of people flock to the Costa del Sol for the sunny beaches, but the
Andalucian mountains to the north offer some great walking. Clare and I have spent many a Christmas
on the Costa, and for the last 3 years have taken our walking gear so we could discover the 'real'
beauty of the Costa del Sol.
Our first walk was a repeat of one from last year, out to La Concha (The Shell) at 1215 metres
(3948ft), rising majestically above Puerto Banus and Mabella. (A spectacular looking peak from the
coast.) Not too much of ascent involved as the walk commences at about 850 metres (2776ft)
The walks starts out from the Refugio de Juanar, a rather smart hotel, nestling in the pine woods of
the National Park. We headed south along a track through the olive groves to the old Refuigio de
Juanar, at which point we turned west to join the path heading over a mountain pass to Istan, a
rather quaint Spanish mountain village. Once in the pine forest, we turned back south on a path that
steadily climbed up the western side of Cruz de Juanar (Cross of Juanar), a pyramidal peak at 1184
metres (3847ft). (A fingerpost points to La Concha, interestingly giving a time to reach the top -
didn't match our time though!) We soon reached a level area with stunning views in all direction,
particularly to the snow capped tops of Sierra Nevada many miles to the east. Turning right, we
followed the path to reach the pass of Salto del Lobo. Here we descended a little before following
the path along the steep back of a peak, (looked worse than it was) before rising again at the
southern edge. The path then continued to contour around Cerro del Lastonar before reaching Cerrilo
del Enebro and the 'interesting' final section of the walk. From here it's a ridge walk out to the
top of La Concha. Not too difficult, although an initial short section required good footing and
hand holds on the side of the ridge. Once past this, the walk can be along the top or on alternative
paths on the western side. At the end lies the top of La Concha ..... with no where else to go other
than back the same way. (All side are very steep and rocky.) The views were amazing, with the Atlas
Mountains rising proudly through the afternoon haze, with Gibraltar rising proudly from the sea.
This was a far better way to see Marbella. Having had lunch in the warmth of the sun, we retraced
the route back to the Refugio and the car.
Our second walk took us further, and higher (starting out at 1311 metres - 4282ft), to another
National Park 10k (6 miles) south of Ronda in the Sierra de Las Nieves region. The drive to the
start from the Ronda road is not easy though, 10k of dirt track with many pot holes, and winding
sections with serious drops off the track ...... great care needed. The walk started from near
Cortijo de Los Quejigales.
We started out up the wide track that zig-zaged east up the mountain side to a manned Radio Station.
Easy going with views becoming better the higher we went. Close to the top, we reached our first
showing of snow and ice at the side of the track. Just below the Radio station, we joined the
footpath that took us through Puerto de los Pilones, a wild sprawling bowl area of rocks and the odd
tree. (The path is marked with small posts, apparently a popular local walk in the summer.) We
eventually reached a junction where the path split, left continued on to the rocky dome of Penon de
los Enamorados (1780 metres - 5814ft), with an interesting 60ft scramble to reach the summit. We
went right, joining the path leading out to the peak of Torecilla at 1918 metres (6265ft), our goal.
The path skirted southeast around a large rocky area to Cueva del Oso, passing through larger
patches of compact snow, to eventually reach the base of Torecilla. The walking had been easy up to
now, but the hard part was about to begin. Clare and I set off up the path, which initially we
wandered off right. A little bit of 'off-piste' walking soon brought us back on track. At this point
Clare decided she wouldn't continue. (She would wait for me in the sun at the base.) I plodded on
upwards, the path becoming steeper and eventually on the steep side of the narrow ridge summit. Hard
pack snow in places didn't help either, although I could avoid them by moving onto the rocky ridge -
not very pleasant in the wind! (I avoided the snow patches as I was without winter equipment.) It
felt good to 'sit' on top Torecilla. After a couple of photos, it was back down to Clare and
retraced our route back to near the Radio Station. (We stopped for lunch on the way back, and
considering the altitude and snow, it was very pleasant in the afternoon sun)
Once back near the Radio Station, we joined a path that took us down through a pine forest, to above
Cortijo de Los Quejigales. Again, spectacular views to the north. Descending further, we soon found
ourselves on the track leading past Cortijo de Los Quejigales and back to the car. A brilliant high
level walk with outstanding views.
Our final third walk, an easy 11.8 mile walk along wide forest tracks with 260 metres (850ft) of
ascent, was from the small town of El Burgo, some 30k (18 miles) north of Coin. The road from
Marbella to Coin is good, but then a nightmare drive to El Burgo along a narrow winding road, full
of holes and broken road surface.
The walk started out west, from the bridge over the river at the southern end of the town, along the
track following the course of the Rio del Burgo passing through fields and olive groves. The track
climbed steadily leaving the river below as we headed west into the mountains. A couple of small
lagoons were passed before reaching a larger one, below a rocky peak, with the El Burgo/Ronda road
high above. We were soon at the western end of the track at the point where it turned south. We
stopped here for lunch in the afternoon sun, with the mountain ranges of Sierra Blanquilla to the
right, and Sierra de las Nieves to the left. We could see Penon de los Enamorados in the Sierra de
las Nieves, the region we had walked in a couple of days previous. Lunch over, we continued along
the track, eventually turning east, and after a gently ascent arrived at Puerto de la Mujer (Woman
's Pass). From here it was all down hill, following the track south as it wound its way down to a
large stone cross. The track split here, one going south, the other that Clare and I followed, going
north before turning east. We eventually arrived at La Funesanta, a large cross, apparently a
popular spot for locals to gather on public holidays. Here, we left the wide track and joined a
footpath off to the left, rising steeply in places, to arrive at an open area. El Burgo could be
seen in the distance. We continued on the path as it descended through fields and olive groves,
rejoining the track we had used at the start of the walk earlier in the day. Turning right, we
followed the track back to the bridge and up to the car.
Some photos from the along the walks are at the Spain section of my website.
--
Sandy Saunders @ www.thewalkzone.co.uk
'Mountains or Mole Hills ... summiting still brings
the same excitement'