To El Colmenar

It’s hard to believe that this was only 21 km, because we did not arrive until nearly 3 PM. We started early, but our first challenge was to figure out whether to climb over a fence or not. There had been a lot of discussion about this on the forum, and our GPS tracks are not micro level enough to tell us which side of the fence we should be on. So we decided to climb over. After a few minutes of shoulder-high brush, we decided we should in fact be on the other side of the fence. So over we went again. It was not terribly complicated, but not simple. Then we had to figure out how to get safely by a small horse who was tethered in a pathway that was only about 8 feet wide between fences. It seemed really skittish, so we were afraid it might jump on us, but we made it unscathed.

Our next potential challenge was the Cortijo Los Lirios . This is a huge private ranch, but it also has a Cañada Real passing through it, which means that the public has the right to walk through. A couple of forum members had found the gate closed, which causes big logistical problems. But lucky for us, the gate was wide open.

From that point on there was an almost continuous ascent through the ranch. Fortunately, a lot of it was nicely shaded. Wikiloc tells me there were only 600 m of elevation gain, but it sure felt like a lot more. Must be the aging process.

Our Rural hotel is charming, and now that we’re showered and have clean clothes, I think we’ll go soak our feet in the swimming pool. Today was our hottest day by far (86 F/30C), but we were sensible. We took good, long rests, drank a lot of water, and ate oranges.Read more