Spain and Morocco 2023

October - November 2023

Walking the Camino Mozarabe from Almeria to Granada. Then Malaga and the Caminito del Rey. Then to Marrakech , Essaioura and back to Madrid. Read more

Date ascending

Traveler Spain and Morocco 2023
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Oct 14, 2023, 11:35 PM
- 🌙 14 °C
- Altitude: 982 m
- Spain Andalusia Peza, La Lapeza 37.277285, -3.28373737°16’38” N 3°17’1” W
1
Day 12
Baños Graena to La Peza
October 14, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 14 °C
Rain was forecast and rain it did. The rain was light but persistent. This was another beautiful walk, starting to get into the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Some road walking to get up and over into La Peza. It appeared something is on in town, and sure enough, it is fiesta. Various bull activities are on, and a Gran Prix of community games that were nothing like I have ever seen before. Some involved cattle, and some involved people replacing their own clothes with various pieces of clothing gathered from the crowd. Started with hats, then shirts, then pants, then bras. Men chased around young bulls, leapt over them and tried to find ways to injure themselves. Ambulances were on standby but despite some anxious moments, no serious injuries. Good to have explanations from Richard and Richard, two English peregrinos who live in Spain.
It is very late and very noisy in town.Read more
Traveler ❤️😊👣
10/14/23Reply
2 likes
Traveler Spain and Morocco 2023
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Oct 15, 2023
- Altitude: 1,005 m
- Spain Andalusia Peza, La Lapeza 37.27527, -3.28520537°16’31” N 3°17’7” W
Day 13
La Peza to Tocón de Quentár
October 15, 2023 in Spain
The night was very noisy. I think things went quiet about 7am. Then everyone was back to the bull ring at 9am. I contemplated staying around for the parade and the bull fight but decided to start walking before it got too hot.
There was a lot of up out of La Peza, and great views across the valleys.
I took the branch line down to Tocón de Quentár, and had the Albergue all to myself. A very small, isolated town with no cell coverage.Read more
2 likes
Traveler Spain and Morocco 2023
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Oct 16, 2023, 10:15 AM
- ☁️ 15 °C
- Altitude: 1,315 m
- Spain Andalusia Quéntar 37.236717, -3.42537837°14’12” N 3°25’31” W
Day 14
Tocón de Quentár to Quentár
October 16, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
The trail wasn’t marked on my mapy.cz app, but there were plenty of yellow arrows to take me back up to the main trail from La Peza to Quentar.
Lots of up meant spectacular views, including Mulhacén, the highest peak on the Spanish mainland.
It was a long way down to Quentar, and a return to cell coverage.Read more
2 likes
Traveler Spain and Morocco 2023
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Oct 17, 2023, 8:42 AM
- ☁️ 18 °C
- Altitude: 864 m
- Spain Andalusia Güejar Sierra Quéntar 37.192137, -3.46610537°11’32” N 3°27’58” W
Day 15
Quentár to Granada
October 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
For a downhill day there was a lot of up to start with. I struggled finding the path out of Quentár. Then my mapy.cz app was playing up. Then I restarted my phone. Then I panicked because I needed the pin for the local sim card. After unpacking most of my bag at the bus stop I found the pin in my pocket.
I walked the first 100m on the road with not much room for the bus to pass. Then it was a pleasant trail along the river to Dúdar. None of the bars were open, but it was only 2km. Then it was up, and more up, past an aqueduct and lots of bikes, motorbikes and walkers coming the other way.
Eventually I got to the top and rejoined the path I had walked with Ciaran and Paul from Beas de Granada in 2015.
It was a long walk into Granada along the river, under the Alhambra and into the city.
And now I have finished this section of the Camino Mozarabe. No blisters, no injuries. I am very tired but pleased I completed this Camino successfully. It was harder than I expected, lots of uphills and downhills. Breaking the last 5 days into shorter stages worked well for me. Great support from the Almeria organization and the Albergues and other accommodation options were terrific.Read more
Traveler Well done Marianne!
10/17/23Reply
Traveler What a great way to come into Granada!
10/18/23Reply
2 likes
Traveler Spain and Morocco 2023
- Show trip
- Add to bucket listRemove from bucket list
- Share
- Oct 20, 2023
- ☀️ 19 °C
- Altitude: 366 m
- Spain Andalusia Campillos Gobantes Río Ardales 36.93, -4.80062536°55’48” N 4°48’2” W
Day 18
Caminito del Rey
October 20, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
The Caminito del Rey was once a very dangerous path. The path was built by and for workers on Spain’s first hydro electric power station in the 1920s. The path was abandoned later in the century. But people saw it as a challenge and attempted to walk the old path.
When several people died the government closed the site and rebuilt a new, much safer path that opened in 2015.
You can see footage of the old path here:
https://youtu.be/ZmDhRvvs5Xw?si=pL5ha_Bx-wqTurBd
I booked a small group tour from Malaga via AirBNB with Alfonso. You can book tickets independently and travel to El Chorro by train from Malaga or Antequera. But the process is quite complicated.
https://www.caminitodelrey.info/
The photos are more scary than when you are on the path. But this path is not for you if you have a fear of heights.
I loved every metre of it. The rocks and cliffs are beautiful colours. There are lots of birds, including vultures flying high above. We saw two mountain goats and one train.
The whole landscape and history of this place are great.
The trail is about 5km and we took 2 hours. We walked in from the most far away point, 1.5km from the start. There is a small amount of step climbing, but otherwise the trail is flat.Read more
Very dramatic and spectacular Gards, great photos 😊 [Karen]
10/23/23Reply
2 likes

Spain and Morocco 2023

Baños Graena to La Peza

La Peza to Tocón de Quentár

Tocón de Quentár to Quentár

Quentár to Granada

Caminito del Rey