Spain 2025 - Malaga province

marzo - maggio 2025
Attuale
Three areas in the province of Malaga, walking from village to village:
1. GR 92 - Senda Litoral - Malaga to La Duquesa (blue dots)
2. Gran Senda de Malaga - Casares to Ojén (red dots)
3. P.N. Sierra de las Nieves - Monda to Alozaina (yellow dots)
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Attualmente in viaggio
  • 12impronte
  • 13giorni
  • 113fotografie
  • 147Mi piace
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  • Spagna
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  • 12impronte
  • 13giorni
  • 113fotografie
  • 147Mi piace
  • 84chilometri
  • Giorno 12

    Wind, wind, wind!

    Ieri, Spagna ⋅ 🌬 57 °F

    Halfway through today’s walk, we had a discussion about whether this was the strongest wind we had ever walked in (gusts of 45 mph/ 72kph). Our conclusion was yes; it could only be rivaled by a day near the Rodalquilar gold mines on the Transandalus mountain bike route and a day near Alcaucin on the Andalucian Coast-to-Coast walk. The wind was actually quite invigorating because we were walking east today to meet the point where we stopped yesterday and so the wind was at our backs pushing us along.

    For a good part of the day, we were the only ones on the path. I think the wind and the intermittent showers must have kept a lot of people at home. We again had good luck with bridges having recently been completed along the coastal path to cross three rivers, even though the map and the Wikiloc track did not show those bridges.

    The only really tricky part of the day came right at the end when we walked out to catch a bus back to Estepona. We had to cross over the six lanes of the motorway on a high pedestrian-only bridge that was completely open to the wind. At that height, the wind was so strong that I was terrified I was going to get blown off the bridge and into the traffic racing along below. Ned held on to me to provide an anchor. That was enough of an adrenaline rush that we completely forgot to turn off Wikiloc when we got to the bus stop, so if you look at today’s track, ignore the straight line return. At the end of the ride, a nearby Mercadona supplied freshly baked rolls, jalapeño guacamole, and salmorejo for us to celebrate the day.

    wikiloc.com/walking-trails/la-rada-parque-del-a…
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  • Giorno 11

    Atalaya to Estepona

    12 marzo, Spagna ⋅ 🌧 57 °F

    Today was just as interesting for what was NOT showing on our maps as it was for what WAS showing. We expected to see the three gorgeous torres de vigía that were shown along our Wikiloc route (complete with historical notes compiled by a local walker), and we also expected to have to make wide detours in order to be able to cross rivers too swollen from two weeks of storms to cross at the seaside. But to our delight, all three rivers we crossed today had new bridges right close to the shore that were not shown on our map. They must be very recent.

    This section of the coastal path is quite different from the paths we’ve been on the last few days. There are far fewer people, and sometimes you have to pick your way along the tide line because there is no walkway. (I sure will be glad when my wrist is healed enough to be able to use my hiking poles again for more stability in situations like this.) It just generally feels wilder. At one point, we could look down and see remnants of an older coastal path that is no longer usable because of storm damage. You can see it in the video, but you can’t really hear me describing it because the wind is so strong! Other than the wind, we really lucked out with the weather today. There was no rain until after supper! In fact, it was so warm, that for a good part of the day we walked in short sleeve shirts and no jackets.

    www.wikiloc.com/walking-trails/atalaya-isdabe-p…
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  • Giorno 10

    Puerto Banús to Atalaya

    11 marzo, Spagna ⋅ 🌧 57 °F

    What a marvelous morning we had. We felt like real walkers! It was just the kind of day one would wish for, especially someone who had an injured wrist and hadn’t been able to walk for a week. The coastal path was flooded with sunshine. It was easy to walk on the basically flat, sandy surface. The views were magnificent, and all the people we passed had smiles on their faces.

    The first part of the track out of Puerto Banús was particularly interesting with numerous breakwaters curving out into the sea. We are guessing that they are there to preserve the beaches from losing all their sand to storm damage.

    We stopped partway along to have something cool to drink, and within 10 minutes, everything changed. The sky went from blue to black, the wind picked up, and to top it all off, the coastal path disappeared. What had been a wide, level esplanade became jumbled boulders with surf crashing over them. We don’t know if this was due to recent storm damage or has been like this for a while. In any case, we peered at the maps on our phones, trying to shield them with our umbrellas, and debating whether the bridges over storm- swollen rivers would still be there if we managed to reach them along the beach. We ended up picking out a route that would take us through urbanizations, over a river about three times its normal size, and then eventually back to the coast.

    All in all, I would say it was a very successful day. I was able to carry my own pack in spite of the wrist problems because Ned kindly carried ALL of the heavy stuff. The biggest problem was that every time I saw a slope I had to walk down, my mind started to race, I got dizzy, and I pictured falling. I think it will take a few days before I feel confident again. Luckily, this is a route where we can just amble along at a slow, comfortable pace. We are staying overnight in an area called Atalaya, and will walk to Estepona tomorrow.

    www.wikiloc.com/walking-trails/playa-duque-marb…
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  • Giorno 9

    Last day in Marbella

    10 marzo, Spagna ⋅ 🌧 52 °F

    Luckily, it looks like there might be a few hours without heavy rain tomorrow. Rain or shine, we will be moving on along the coastal path in an easterly direction heading eventually for the inland village of Casares, the spot where we left off the Gran Senda de Malaga several years ago. Our plan is to pick up the GSDM at this spot again.

    In spite of the storms, or maybe even because of them, we’ve had a great week in our Donald Gray house. It’s been especially nice to stay in a community that has no cars or traffic. We’ve also learned to look for some of the specific details of vernacular architecture that Donald Gray mentions in the three books he wrote about villages in the Alpujarra. I first ran across them several years ago when I was researching tracks and trails in the Sierra Nevada mountains south of Granada. The books are a beautiful way to learn about everything from adarves to tinaos. At the end of each book, Gray gives a guide for avoiding the most common errors in the renovation of vernacular architecture, illustrating features that are typical of the vernacular architecture of that area contrasted side-by-side with examples of features that violate the vernacular. All three books, with their evocative watercolor illustrations, are available free online.

    www.alpujarragranada.com/wp-content/uploads/201…

    www.alpujarragranada.com/wp-content/uploads/201…

    www.alpujarragranada.com/wp-content/uploads/201…
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  • Giorno 8

    To the Villa Romana de Río Verde & back

    9 marzo, Spagna ⋅ 🌧 55 °F

    A few minutes of sunshine between thunderstorms gave us a chance to see dramatic surf crashing on the beaches of the Mediterranean today. This stretch of the coastal path includes some heavily reinforced barriers against the power of the sea. Iron rods tie rocks together and wooden walkways rise above areas where the beach no longer exists. There were a surprising number of people out on the trail, armed with umbrellas of all sizes. We envied the people with the huge double tiered ones. Or better yet, the many babies in their fancy strollers with wrap-around rain shields.

    The second century Roman villa is only open limited hours, but we knew this ahead of time, and also knew we would be able to see its well-preserved mosaics showing kitchen implements through the fencing that surrounds the site. This villa was part of a larger community that probably included a garam factory for sending the prized fish sauce to other parts of the empire. The large number of murex (muricadie) shells found here indicates that purple dye was also produced nearby.

    www.wikiloc.com/walking-trails/roman-villa-marb…
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  • Giorno 7

    Still raining

    8 marzo, Spagna ⋅ 🌧 55 °F

    Area news reports say that local beaches have lost 20% of their sand in the recent storms. Walkways along the GR 92 have been damaged, and invasive algae has been dumped on the shore. (But the reservoirs are filling! Yay!) We have lightweight hiking umbrellas that we can attach to our packs, but the high winds would certainly turn them inside out today. Combined with the doctor’s orders to keep my chin stitches dry, today is a good day to enjoy the inside of our casa.

    Our house would feel right at home in any Andalusian village. It has typical architectural elements such as arched entries, a fireplace, sensibly compact rooms, shutters on the windows, wooden balustrades, ventilated cupboards, and tile floors. Some of these elements were constructed at Gray’s Taller Workshop School of Lebrija where artisans taught the next generation old skills.

    Our favorite item at the house is the dining table. It has a flat sheet of glass covering a curved “trillo”. This was a wooden implement shaped sort of like a small toboggan with its front end curving upward. It was used for threshing. Animals pulled it over grain strewn on the stones of an “era”, a circular threshing floor created with paving stones. The trillo had small sharp flints embedded in its boards that cut the grain, thus freeing the seeds. It’s been wonderful to see this implement close up at every meal and to contemplate what a tremendous amount of work had to go into producing the flour for bread and cereal only a few decades ago.
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  • Giorno 6

    Puerto Banus to Marbella

    7 marzo, Spagna ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    We woke up to blue sky this morning! For about an hour, we had a clear view of La Concha from our patio. In two weeks, we will be close to the many tracks up the mountain, but for today, just seeing it was a delight.

    After a quick trip back to the hospital for the two-day check of my stitches that the doctor had requested, we took the bus to Puerto Banus and walked back to Marbella. The straps on the 2.5 ounce daypack I threw in at the last moment served a double purpose today, functioning quite adequately as a sling.

    The coastal path was full of walkers, cyclists, and dogs chasing balls, all relieved to have a day without rain. At one point, we saw heavy machinery clearing away debris at the mouth of one of the rivers that rushes down from the mountains and empties into the Mediterranean. Lots more rain is forecast, so I bet that task will be repeated for many days to come!

    Wikiloc: www.wikiloc.com/walking-trails/playa-duque-marb…
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  • Giorno 5

    Las Lomas de Marbella

    6 marzo, Spagna ⋅ 🌧 61 °F

    If someone had told me a year ago that I could enjoy staying in Marbella, I would not have believed them. The parts of Spain that I love are its rural areas and mountain villages. However, here we are, enjoying immensely our stay in this special place. I’m clearly not going anywhere today (many thanks for your well-wishes yesterday), so it’s a good time to write a little bit about Las Lomas de Marbella.

    The architect Donald Gray designed four “villages within cities” on the Costa del Sol. His goal was to create an alternative to the ubiquitous concrete apartment-block expansion that was taking place during the Franco years. He began Las Lomas in 1973, and continued to work on it until 1984.

    Gray wanted to create a community where you could walk out your door in the morning and feel glad to be alive. He drew upon the lessons he learned from living in the small mountain villages of the Alpujarra. The streets here are narrow and winding, more like paths than thoroughfares. No cars are allowed within the urbanization. They are parked at the edges, and residents walk to their homes through a variety of small plazas and gardens. Buildings and greenery frame peaceful corners of such beauty that it is a visual treat for us to walk back and forth to our house each day. Being able to sit at the table on our patio and not hear a single car is pure bliss!

    Video interview with Donald Gray: https://culturasconstructivas.org/en/initiative…
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  • Giorno 4

    A slight bump in the road

    5 marzo, Spagna ⋅ 🌧 57 °F

    In spite of the wind and rain, we were looking forward to exploring the Dunas de Artola natural area today. However, my slip on some wet rocks meant a quick trip to Hospital Ochoa instead. The staff in the emergency clinic were wonderfully kind and efficient. An x-ray showed no broken bones in my wrist, but a cut under my chin that I had not even noticed needed a few stitches. With Ned’s patient help, the wrist sprain will heal up quickly and soon we will be back on track. In the meantime, we’ll continue to enjoy our beautiful little spot here in the Donald Gray urbanization.Leggi altro

  • Giorno 3

    Marbella to Torre Vigía Río Real

    4 marzo, Spagna ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    Today was our first chance to try out our plan for using local buses to ferry us back to our casa rural in Marbella after walking a stretch of the coastal path. Luckily, Google Maps shows the location of all the bus stops that are near the coastal path as well as the number of the bus that travels that route and the fare. So it turned out to be pretty easy to leave from our house this morning, walk a portion of the coastal path from one end of Marbella to the other, continue along a boardwalk through a wilder part of the coast, and then catch a bus back to Marbella. Tomorrow we will use a bus to get back to the point where we left off, and start walking from there.

    One of the things we’ve been looking forward to seeing is the series of torres vigías (watchtowers) along this stretch of coast. Today we had an up-close view of Torre Vigía Río Real, built in 1571 and used as part of the coastal system of surveillance to warn of pirates or attackers.

    The sea was much calmer today, so the coastal path was well used. We met plenty of other walkers, joggers, and cyclists. There were even kayakers out on the sea.

    Wikiloc link: https://www.wikiloc.com/walking-trails/nueva-an…?
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