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Spain 2025 - Malaga province
  • Elaine and Ned
  • Elaine and Ned

Spain 2025 - Malaga province

Three areas in the province of Malaga, walking from village to village:
1. GR 92 - Senda Litoral - Malaga to La Duquesa (blue pins)
2. Gran Senda de Malaga - Casares to Ojén (red pins)
3. P.N. Sierra de las Nieves - Monda to Alozaina (orange pins) Read more
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  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    2So steep your eye can't follow the complete line of the streetEnd of the adarve seen from our windowOur houseWatch your head when descending the stairs.Market day: vegetables......fruit......and lottery tickets.

    Guaro

    March 27, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    We love Guaro and our compact little house here! Guaro is only a short distance away from Monda, but it seems like a totally different world. The street plan is like a maze. I don’t think anything meets at right angles, very typical of a village established during Muslim times. In fact, I think our house is on what would be called an adarve - a narrow dead end lane characteristic of traditional Muslim urbanism (not the castle walkway type of adarve). It allows access to the houses in the center of a block, buildings that would otherwise not have any street access. (Think of trying to access the hole in the center of a donut. ) I read about this term last year when I was translating a book about villages in the Sierra Nevada area, but this is the first time that I’ve ever seen one. Our adarve is unusual in that it dead ends in the center of the block with a set of stairs leading to the innermost house. The lane is so narrow that when we left our door shutters open at lunchtime, we could hear the conversation from the house across the street where their door shutters were also open while they were having lunch. It’s quite a nice, cozy situation and encourages neighborliness. When we headed out to the market, our neighbor was doing the same and welcomed us to the street.

    The GR 243 connects Monda and Guaro, so we had originally planned to walk here, but ended up taking the bus because of river crossings that are still too high. We are hoping to be able to walk that route later in the week. Today we explored the town on a route that highlights the medieval character of Guaro. I thought that I recorded our route on Wikiloc as usual, but when we got back, I realized I must have pressed “explore” rather than “record”. But you can see the route on the National Park website below.

    www.sierranieves.com/descargas/callejeros/calle…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    1Trails near Guaro. Today's route is the medium blue loop at the top right.1GuaroOrchards of olives, oranges, and almondsWaterfall fed by the recent rainsAn open bakery on our arrival back in the village!1

    Almond Blossom Circuit

    March 28, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    We didn’t see any almond blossoms on the Almond Blossom Circuit today (they bloom in January-February), but we did get a 360° view of the mountains that surround Guaro, and we got to hear the debut performance of the Opera of the Dogs (see video😁).

    We haven’t seen other walkers out on the trail so far this trip, but today we met two women from Yunquera, a village north of here that we will be staying in two weeks from now, They were enthusiastic about trading photos, and were able to give us the names of the villages we were looking at from the magnificent high point of this route.

    There are plenty of trails around Guaro, enough to keep us busy for the four days we are spending here. The route we took today is the medium blue one on the Gaia master map in today’s photos.

    www.wikiloc.com/walking-trails/guaro-almond-blo…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    El Castillejo...
    ...but we called it Triangle PeakGood GR markings the entire wayWater in the creek beds, but not overflowing the fordsAbandoned terracesComing into MondaLots of road cyclists around Monda1Festival day in Guaro5

    GR 243 Guaro to Monda

    March 29, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    It’s amazing what a few days of brilliant sunshine with highs in the mid 70s will do for drying up tracks and paths. We were able to walk from Guaro to Monda on the GR today without any problems at all. All of the fords we were worried about were dry. We were passed by two mountain bikers on the trail, but otherwise we didn’t see anyone else even though it’s a Saturday and you would expect lots of people to be out. The route has a remote feeling of being out in the mountains with high peaks close by.

    Back in Guaro, it was obvious that something special was going on. In front of the ayuntamiento, just below our house, musicians were setting up amplifiers and children were gathering around floats. It must be something like the village’s Saint day. From our rooftop, we have a front row seat for the festivities.

    www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/gr-243-guaro-mond…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    2
    First view of the Río Seco1Strong current over the ford1A trial run13Torrecilla - all to ourselves, no one else around for milesA rare level stretch1Terracing along the route1The second crossing was easy!Track damage from the recent rains

    Two river crossings

    March 30, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    Today’s walk in 10 words: way down; way up; way down; way up; all beautiful!

    Our loop trail started out by dropping steeply down to the Rio Seco, so we could see from quite high up that the river wasn’t going to live up to its name. It was definitely not “seco” (dry). We hoped the ford would be dry like yesterday‘s, but as we approached it, we could clearly hear and then see that there was a lot of water running over it. After some back-and-forth about whether the current was too strong, Ned took my poles for a trial run near the top of the ford. He thought it would be safe for me to cross as long as I kept my feet pointed into the current to minimize drag, We crossed together, so I could hang onto him!

    On the other side, we climbed up to a remote area with clear views of Torrecilla. Another steep downhill brought us to our second river crossing. A great sense of relief washed over me when I saw that there was a nice sturdy bridge high above the river.

    All along the route today we saw signs of the damage caused by the month-long rains. At the first river crossing, which was about 10 feet wide, the sand carried up by the high water indicated that the crossing would have been underwater for a width of about 30 feet two weeks ago. After the second bridge, the track itself had been undercut and had gaping holes at the edge. There were many spots where rocks had come cascading down as the cliffsides broke away under the torrents of rain. We’re guessing it will take a long time to repair everything.

    www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/guaro-arroyo-seco…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    2
    1Avocados starting to form1Workers in an olive orchard1Why so many cats on one corner? Aha, the sign indicates an animal shelter.Mulhacén

    Last day in Guaro

    March 31, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    In the middle of Guaro, there is a fountain that was established by the village in the 1950s because the existing fountain wasn’t sufficient to serve the large number of mule teams working in the fields around here. Each evening the drinking troughs on both sides served tired and thirsty livestock. This fountain was specifically reserved for use by animals; no washing clothes or filling jugs for household water here.

    Today our wandering track through orchards and huertas (gardens) made us think about the changes in farm vehicles that have come to this area. We didn’t see any working animals, but we saw plenty of chugging carts carrying workers and supplies to and from jobs in the countryside.

    This track down to the river (a different river than yesterday, but with the same name - very confusing) is gentle and even has several level stretches, making today’s walk much easier than the others we have done from Guaro. The icing on the cake was a distant view of snow- capped Mulhacén, the highest peak in mainland Spain. It brought back happy memories of climbing almost to the top in 2018.

    Tomorrow we’ll be moving on to Tolox, the next village north on the GR 243.

    www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/guaro-south-to-ri…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    2Tolox
    4School's out.2Tolox has the architecture of a spa town (which it is).1Colorful benches everywhere1Almost to the top of townTile patterns on the lower parts of the houses on our street1Our neighbors are celebrating San Roque.Our kitchenWe can see (and hear) the church from our terrace.Tolox, Guaro, and Monda are connected by the GR 243.2

    Tolox

    April 1, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    The big quandary of this part of the trip has been the condition of the long distance trails. The GR 249, the Gran Senda de Malaga, has its own website with trail updates on it. Several stages nearby are closed right now because of trail damages.

    The GR 243, the Gran Senda de la Sierra de las Nieves, the GR we are on now, does not have any up-to-date information online. Reports from people who have walked Wikiloc tracks in this area within the last two weeks are available though, and they are mixed. One for the area between Guaro and Tolox reports that two large trees have fallen across a sheer section of the trail and made it impassable. These sorts of damages don’t matter so much for our daywalks, because if we come to a part that is blocked, we can just turn around and go back; but when we are changing our location from village A to village B, if the trail is blocked shortly before the final destination, it would be too late in the day to turn around and try to get to village B by some other means. So when the caretaker of our house in Guaro offered to drive us to Tolox, we decided that was the prudent thing to do. I’m sad about missing the continuity of walking from village to village, but we just had two solid weeks of being able to walk every day, so there really isn’t anything to complain about.

    Tolox has a magnificent setting. It is hidden from almost every direction, but then you come around a corner and there it is, tucked into a valley between the mountains and the river. School was just letting out when we arrived so we sat on a bench for a while and watched all the happy reunions of mothers and fathers and children. Our house is at the top of the village, quite a climb up from the river. Luckily, there are brightly colored benches all the way up offering a chance to catch your breath.

    We had time this morning to do another of the national park village walks before we left Guaro:
    www.wikiloc.com/walking-trails/guaro-around-the…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    The spa building dates from 1910.
    Huge eucalyptus trees on the way to the spa1Upstream from here is the highest waterfall in Malaga province.What a lucky discovery!One of 14 rocks each with an explanatory sign in the outdoor display3A new pinecone forming!1Matagallo attracted bees on the botanic trail34Tolox1

    An unexpected discovery

    April 2, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    When I was planning this trip at home last winter, I ran across an article online saying that the Diputación de Malaga was establishing two new trails in Tolox, one highlighting the rocks of the area and the other the plants. The news article didn’t tell where the trails started, and there weren’t any helpful tracks on Wikiloc yet, so one of my main goals this morning was to get back by 2 PM from whatever walk we took in order to get to the information center before it closed and ask them about the trailhead locations.

    We started out by exploring the area around the spa, marveling at the old buildings and the tall eucalyptus trees. As we worked our way up Cerro de Hijar, we came around a corner and there right in front of us was a big sign announcing Sendero Geológico. Even better, Sendero Botánico was right across the lane!

    The Sendero Geológico was quite informative. It turns out that the Río Horcajos area in Tolox is the site of an eruption of peridotitic rocks of colossal size, the largest of this class of rocks known in the world . The outdoor display has boulder-size chunks of 14 different types of rocks prevalent in this area plus an explanatory timeline and map. We came away feeling like we could at least identify the peridotitic rocks with their greenish shadings.

    The Sendero Botánico identifies 28 plants, some of them endemic to this area, in its kilometer-long loop. Parts of the trail are rocky and steep, meaning I was concentrating more on where I was putting my feet than on the plant names. I did learn that the bees love matagallo.

    www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/tolox-balneario-s…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    Very green after all the rain last month!Every orchard or garden had a balsa to store water.1Dry stone walls for terracingHmm...Uh oh...Great for walkers thoughPicnic area for the romeríaErmita de la Virgen de las Nieves2Virgen de las Nieves

    Carril cortado

    April 3, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    Just as we left the village on a Sendero Local, the SL-A 238, Sendero Virgen de las Nieves, we saw a sign indicating that the route was closed at some point ahead. We hoped that meant closed for vehicles but passable for walkers, and as it turned out, that was the case. We worked our way up the lush green Río de los Horcajos valley, passing so many interesting things in the first kilometers that we could hardly make any progress.

    Tolox is located between two rivers. The villagers made use of the water power available, and in the 1900s there were 14 mills that operated along the rivers: 7 olive oil mills and 7 flour mills. We saw the remains of two of these, quite an exciting find, with their aqueducts and arched openings to let the water in and allow the excess to flow out. In addition, the valley presented us with medieval bridges, dry stone walls for terracing, orchards and grapevines, and balsas to collect water for use in the huertas (vegetable gardens).

    When we came upon the actual spot where the lane was cut, it was quite clear that it was going to be a long time before the vehicles trapped on the far side of the collapsed roadway were going to be able to make their way into town. This was certainly damage from the 21 days of March storms. We could also see that at other points, the roadway had been underwater at some recent time. There were huge clumps of accumulated sand, rocks, and reeds strewn around.

    It made us wonder how the romería is going to get up to the shrine next month. Each May, the villagers carry a statue of the Virgen de las Nieves from the village up to the shrine itself. There are lots of picnic tables and a refreshment kiosk to accommodate the gathering. This year, I think the supplies will have to come up the old-fashioned way, by horse or mule.

    www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/tolox-sendero-vir…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    El trillo
    In this version, iron blades fit into notches......not sharp stones like this one.1The farmer sat in a chair on top of the trillo to add weight as the mule pulled it around the era.2A water channel through the middle of the plaza3The wooden structure found in every kitchen to hold the water jugs was called a cantarera.Many of the steep streets here have steps on one side…... or down the middle!

    Rest day in Tolox

    April 4, 2025 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 57 °F

    It would be more accurate to call it a business day because we had some paperwork we needed to complete for my wrist accident. Ned found a helpful papelería where we could print up the necessary forms.

    We had enough time left over to visit the local museum. It has a personalized collection of items donated by local families. The trillo (thresher) was particularly interesting because, unlike the one that formed our table base in Marbella, it did not use embedded sharp stones for the cutting edges. Instead, it had iron bars that were notched into the toboggan-like wooden sled. Old photos show local farmers sitting on these while a mule pulled the sled around and around on a stone threshing floor (an era) to separate the wheat from the chaff.

    The lady in charge of the museum explained everything, particularly emphasizing how hard life was all through the 1900s in villages like this. All the water used in a house had to be hauled up from the river in jugs that were stored in specially designed holders, los cantareras, in the kitchen.

    She pointed out a photo of the central plaza taken in 1900 (125 years ago!) showing a water channel that ran through town. It was opened from time to time and in the summertime, children delighted in splashing in it.    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    Filters on the Wikiloc app
    Washing the horses before today's festivitiesAnother old mill?2Clouds dancing around TorrecillaA few of today's waterfalls1No problems at this fordStartlingly red soilOn a track we knew nothing about before yesterdayBack to Tolox and TorrecillaMandarins for tomorrow's snack1

    Thanks to Wikiloc…

    April 5, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F

    We were lucky with conversations this morning. A man who was out early cleaning the streets saw our hiking gear and chatted with us for several minutes about the state of the trails, how much water there was in the rivers, how many days a week he worked, and all the other questions we could think of to ask him. Next we noticed a gathering just outside the village with women cooking refreshments and setting up tables. One of them turned and called out to us. We were surprised that anybody would notice us, and then all of a sudden, we realized it was the friendly woman from the museum yesterday who had given us so much background about the village. She told us they were getting ready for a celebration that included a 20 km horseback ride with all the horses decked out in their best finery.

    They certainly had a great day for the fiesta. A few clouds in the sky gave welcome shade, but yesterday‘s rain was gone. We made our way up the GR 243 between Tolox and Guaro following the plentiful GR markings. When we were up high enough to see both Yunquera and Alozaina, we stopped for a snack break and then took a rough dirt track back to Tolox.

    Every day that we have a successful walk like this, we marvel that we can come to a village that we knew nothing about a year ago, and thanks to the Wikiloc app, we can find interesting tracks to walk in a different direction every day. By using the filters in Wikiloc’s search function, we can find local tracks of a certain length or a certain elevation gain, and we can even sort tracks by how recently they were uploaded They all have copious notes from local walkers, pointing out things to see and spots that might be tricky. It really is amazing to be able to find such obscure trails and follow them so easily.

    www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/tolox-gr-243-loop…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    1Acequia for irrigation with a removable stone in a slot to allow water into a garden channel
    Canal that carried water from the Aguilera Stream to the San Augusto power stationMore of the canalThe guaging houseDown to Aguilera StreamTerraced hillsidesEntrance to "The Treasure Tunnel"Cortijo La Puente with its chapelThe best view we've had yet of Cerro de la Blanquilla and Sierra PrietaYunquera, where we are headed tomorrow

    Water channels

    April 6, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    This morning as we walked north on the GR 243, we stumbled upon what we originally speculated was a very large acequia carrying water to be used in irrigating the terraced orchards covering the steep hillsides rising from the Río Grande. But on checking in the GR 243 topoguide after we got home, we saw that it was actually an old channel that carried water to the now-abandoned San Augusto power station. (A reminder that we should read the topoguide BEFORE we walk rather than after! The topoguide also warned that the small path to the gauging station “is not recommended for sufferers of vertigo or those uncomfortable on unsteady terrain.” Luckily we didn’t even see that trail.)

    In 2018, we spent a lot of time admiring the incredible engineering of the long-distance acequias in the Sierra Nevada mountains in Granada province. Those date from the time when Muslims settled in Andalucia between 800 and 1400. They developed a system where acequias de careo led snowmelt to permeable ground where the water could seep into fissures and re-emerge in village fuentes during the dry summer months. It was then led through acequias de riego to irrigate crops. Those acequias were all beautiful stone-lined channels of great antiquity. I imagine the same would have been true here a hundred years ago, but the ones we are seeing now have all been remodeled with concrete channels - not anywhere near as pretty, but easier to maintain.

    www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/tolox-gr-243-nort…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    1
    La Blanquilla from our front door1More two-story houses than the other villages (which are more 3+ stories)1Lots of fountainsA winding street to the church3We had fun recreating the drawing on the church wall; all I need is a jug.2An acequia leading out of the village?1Our rooftop terraceEmpanadas1A typical Spanish pillow for two2

    Yunquera

    April 7, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Ever since 2009 when we came over the pass at Lifa station on our mountain bikes and saw the trail marker pointing one way to El Burgo (where we were headed) and the other way to Yunquera, we have wanted to see this spot. Who could resist a village with such a magical name, not to mention that arrow pointing temptingly deeper into the mountains! Now, exactly 16 years and five days later, here we finally are. And it is indeed magical. When we stand at our front door, we are directly at the foot of Cerro de la Blanquilla. It is only 6 km by trail from here to the top of the mountain! (Of course, there’s also the little matter of 776 meters /2545 ft of elevation gain on an unmarked expanse of bare rock…but maybe a bit of it is doable by me.)

    We have a very traditional Spanish apartment right at the edge of town. Francisco, the friendly owner, has been corresponding with me for a couple of weeks, giving me ideas and helping me with logistics. His mother and father ran the restaurant below the apartment for 46 years; his dad was the manager and his mom the cook. Now that they have retired, the restaurant is closed, and I think Francisco is converting the building into apartments. We are very grateful for his enthusiasm and help, and also for the empanadas his mom made us as a gift for lunch.

    Our walk today was around town, but I forgot to turn on Wikiloc. The GR 243 connects Tolox and Yunquera, but we came by taxi for the usual reasons. The middle of the route beyond the point where we walked yesterday is totally along a river that is deep and wide. We have no information about its current status.    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    The early morning sunlight makes the Mediterranean Sea shine.
    TorrecillaAlmond blossomsIn a rodezno mill, water (blue arrow) falls from an aqueduct to drive a horizontal wheel.Molino Los PatosRemains of the aqueduct that carried water to the millCárcavos housed the wheels and also allowed the water to escape.1"Now there's a fixer-upper," as our dads used to say when taking the family out on a Sunday driveLots of oranges on this tree!1Yunquera1

    Three firsts

    April 8, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    On today’s walk, we had views from the peak of Torrecilla (1918 m/6292 ft) all the way to the Mediterranean at sea level. It’s the first time we’ve seen the Mediterranean since we started walking in the mountain villages. We think the area we were looking at was near Malaga, about 60 km away.

    Seeing an almond orchard in blossom was another first. We have been too late to see the blooms around the other villages further south, but Yunquera must be high enough that some of the trees here are still blooming.

    We followed the SL-A 246 south from the village toward the Rio Grande. Just as we left the village, we passed under an arched aqueduct that carried water to the Molino Los Patos. This was a flour mill of the rodezno type. Instead of the drive wheel being placed vertically in the river, water was carried via an aqueduct to a height far above a horizontal drive wheel located in a cárcavo (arched opening) at the bottom of the mill. The rodezno wheel was connected to a shaft that drove a grinding wheel on the floor above. An experienced miller could tell if the wheels were too close or too far apart by the smell of the grind. This is the first time we have seen a rodezno mill in the province of Malaga, although we’ve seen the remains of many of them in Huelva and Granada provinces.

    https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/yunquera-…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    Blanquilla in front of us...
    Torrecilla behind us...Juan Pérez to our left...And El Burgo below usBancales (stone walls) holding the terracing in placeEra (circular threshing floor)Near the center of the eraRemains of the circular pattern of the paving stonesTime for a snack breakA lot less wind down here than near the top

    Best day yet in the mountains!

    April 9, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    We were amazed at how well today’s route turned out. The track began practically in our backyard and led up to near the treeline on Cerro de la Blanquilla. We didn’t know much about the track beforehand and were keeping our fingers crossed that it would be doable by me. Not only did it turn out to be possible, it was glorious! It was wild and remote, and we had 360° views with all the mountains we are familiar with in sight and new ones coming visible around every corner. We even had our first view of El Burgo, the village we will be staying in two weeks from now.

    A highlight of the walk was coming upon an old era. These stone-paved threshing floors were laid out in a circular pattern that was slightly different in each location. They were situated in windy spots to make separating the wheat from the chaff easier. As the bundles of threshed grain were tossed into the air with a wooden fork, the wind carried off the lighter chaff, and the seeds fell to the ground. On a previous trip a miller’s son told us that when he was a child, he and his dad would come around to these remote eras with mules, load up the threshed wheat, take it down to their mill to wash and grind, and deliver the flour back to the mountain location when it was done.

    We can confirm that this era was in a windy location; the wind was so strong that you can’t hear a single word in the video!

    www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/yunquera-track-to…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    Pozo de Nieve (snow well)
    SteppingstonesPinsapo Candelabro1Pink pollen cones formingRecognizable by the bottlebrush arrangement of the needles1We stopped to see the wonderful new house Francisco just finished building in the campo.

    Pinsapo Pines and Pozos de Nieve

    April 10, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    We wanted to walk some trails high up on the side of Torrecilla in the national park today, but walking up would have taken much of the day, so Francisco, the owner of our apartment, kindly offered to drive us up. We were able to start our hiking from a high elevation, see some of the more remote mountain sites, and walk back to town.

    Before we came on this trip, I thought the national park was named Sierra de las Nieves because it snows a lot here. But this week, I read that this area got its name long ago from the thriving businesses that sprang up in the last century selling ice year round from the many snow wells located along mountain trails here. We saw the remains of one of those wells today. We estimate it was about 20 feet across, and would have been much deeper than what currently is showing. Snow was packed into the wells in layers during the winter and then sold as ice during the summer. The info panel next to the well showed a drawing with a ladder allowing access to the lowest layers, but the well we were at had protruding stones that were clearly meant to be used a steppingstones to get to the bottom.

    Many hectares of pinsapo pines are protected in the park. These rare trees (found only here and in Morocco) survived the last Ice Age, but are endangered now by loss of habitat and viruses that thrive with climate change. We were surrounded by thousands of the trees today, including one curious specimen shaped like a candelabra. It grew like this due to unusual stresses, perhaps from snow or perhaps from animals colliding with it. We were also thrilled to see that we arrived in the area just at the time when the pink pollen cones are being formed (similar to the golden pollen cones we saw in Tolox last week).

    It was very windy today, with gusts to 44 mph in town and even higher in the mountains as you will see at the end of the video. But we were grateful that it did not rain, and we had another day to enjoy the area surrounding the highest town in the province of Malaga.

    www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/yunquera-puerto-s…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    Does this trail continue?1That sure was steep!Rocks tied to branches to keep them growing closer to the ground for easier picking?119 am vs noonPinsapo dying from the fungus Heterobasidium annosumCalima or plain old rain on the way?1

    Wandering among the olive groves

    April 11, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    We started out today following a Wikiloc track that I think was made by a long-distance runner (www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/travesia-casarabo…). I know they have a lot of mountain races in this part of Andalucia. Participants often run throughout a day and night on mountain tracks. The woman who made this route ran 53 km with more than 2000 m of elevation gain in 10 hours. We only planned to do the part leading northeast out of Yunquera. However, when we got to a spot where her track went cross-country without any sign of a trail, we decided we would work our way back and explore every lane that we saw on the way. This gave us a chance to see some wonderfully quirky olive groves, including one where the trees were set between such large boulders that we could hardly believe anyone would choose to plant a tree there.

    Given that all the long distance views were obscured by haze today, we could see how incredibly lucky we were to have done the La Blanquilla route two days ago when the sky was sunny and clear. Today was just perfect for close-up views of the olive groves, though.

    The weather forecast says we are due for what they call Calima rain. This occurs when rain brings down red sand that is in the air having blown across the Mediterranean from Africa. It’s also called a mud rain. We aren’t seeing any of the typical orange atmosphere though - just the usual grey rain clouds.

    www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/yunquera-wanderin…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    2Miguel Merchán Toledo
    A variation of the sketch on the church wallSketch on the wall of the old mill2Old books...2including one from 1705Old family house...1with an atrium3Avocados from Francisco's tree and rolls from the panadería

    Meeting Señor Merchán

    April 12, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    What we thought was going to be a routine museum visit today turned out to be anything but. We’ve been saving the museum for a rainy day, and today certainly fit the bill. We found the old family house that has been turned into the museum, walked in the door, saw the usual interesting things, and then came around a corner to a room where paintings were displayed. A familiar sketch caught my eye, and I called Ned over to look. “It’s the sketch that’s on the church!” The man at the information desk heard my enthusiasm. He quickly came over and greeted us with a long string of very rapid Spanish. We soon realized that he was talking about the paintings. And then it dawned on us: he was the artist! We told him how much we had enjoyed seeing the sketch on the wall of the church, and even showed him our little photo of acting out the scene. He then told us about his favorite places to paint in Andalucia, where the light was good, and where he had other paintings in town. We realized we had seen another of his sketches the day we were by the old mill, and he confirmed that yes, that was another one he had done. He was so kind and generous in responding to our questions that it turned a routine visit into one we will remember for a long time.Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    Following the SL-A 141 (Sendero Local - Andalucía)Vineyards mixed in with the olives- and a clear view of the mountainsClouds descending...Yunquera Castle1Actually a torre vigía1House sparrow on our railing5

    Where are we?

    April 13, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    Today was one of those days when lots of little things tipped the scale from “Great, let’s continue on,” to “You know what, I think we should turn around.” There wasn’t any one big reason, but we couldn’t quite make the map and GPX track match up with what we were seeing on the ground; the clouds were steadily moving down the mountainside in front of us; and the wind was picking up. After we got back and I looked closely at the IGN topographical map, I realized that if we had gone a few feet farther, our way forward would have been clear. Well, we’ll just have to come back to Yunquera another time.

    We did get to see the so-called Yunquera “Castle” on the way down. It’s actually a torre vigía from the Arab period with slots in the walls for defensive purposes. It gives a panoramic view of town and the surrounding mountains.

    www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/yunquera-explorin…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    1
    1Entrance gate built in the 1950's to celebrate the village's Moorish pastSemana Santa activities in AlozainaThe lavadero was built in the 1950's to save the women from having to walk down to the river.Palm trees...1...and mountains. (Our house is the one on the left with blue trim.)1Our kitchen with its welcome basket of local bread......and olives.3

    Settling into Alozaina

    April 14, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    Our location this week is entirely dictated by the fact that it is Semana Santa. Our original plan was to walk from Yunquera to a mountain refuge, La Rejertilla, that offers accommodation and food at a spot halfway between Yunquera and El Burgo. By the time we realized that La Rejertilla was not going to answer any of our emails, WhatsApp messages, or phone calls, almost everything in the area was booked for Easter week. We were lucky to find a spot in the village of Alozaina. This was originally going to be our last village on this trip, but is now our base for this week instead. We will have to figure out how to get from here to El Burgo next week and then on to Casarabonela, probably by the reverse of the bus we used to get here.

    Alozaina seems different from the mountain villages we’ve been in. It’s closer to the coast and is not on the GR243 (although there are plenty of local trails nearby). If you look in one direction, you see palm trees; if you look in the other, you see the Sierra Prieta with La Blanquilla just visible over the top. Alozaina also has a small-sized Día supermarket, so we were able to find several items that have been entirely absent from the tiny shops in the places we’ve been recently. We stocked up on muesli and unsalted almonds!    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    2The counterpart to yesterday's ant
    Part 1 (from our walk on April 6): Where does this large, elaborate old canal end?Part 2 (today): The canal connects to a very long penstock.The penstock took the water down......to the hydroelectric station.1All kinds of beautiful paths todayFive crossings, all easyTorrecilla above the Río Grande de ToloxAlozaina1

    The second half of the story

    April 15, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F

    We think today’s walk provided the second half of the story to the question that has been in our minds since our walk from Tolox where we stumbled upon the gauging station and the large canal whose destination at that time was unknown to us. Today’s walk supplied the answer: it appears the canal fed a very long penstock that delivered water from the Aguilera stream to the San Augusto hydroelectric station (no longer functioning) on the Río Grande de Tolox. What a tremendous undertaking that must have been. The date on the building is 1932, so its construction preceded the Spanish Civil War by four years. There were evidently three hydroelectric stations that were part of the same system: the one just below Yunquera that we almost got to, but not quite; the San Augusto station that we saw today; and one in between those two points that we haven’t walked anywhere near, San Pascual.

    Our route took us south from Alozaina, and gave us wonderful views of the surrounding mountains as well as Alozaina and Tolox as we walked downhill to Arroyo de Los Valles. There were five stream crossings which had us wondering ahead of time, but all turned out to be easy to cross. For the return leg, we walked up the valley of the Río Grande de Tolox, past the power station, along a section of single track, and then onto wider dirt and concrete tracks before joining the A366 back to Alozaina.

    Note re the video: We met the shepherd and his dogs shortly after, and he confirmed there were more than 200 sheep in his flock.

    www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/alozaina-central-…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    Stone built acequiaAcequias irrigating huertas (gardens) and fruit treesAcequia directing water to the round cubo where it dropped onto the rodezno mill wheelMill with water outlet underneathAcequiaTorrecilla towers over Jorox's acequias, gardens, and orchards25 meter waterfall1Carrillada con setas, huevo y pimiento del piquillo (pork cheeks, mushrooms, egg, pepper)2

    Jorox

    April 16, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    We walked from Alozaina to Jorox today. This little aldea, population 12, has been settled since Paleolithic times, thanks to the spring that gushes out of the ground just above the aldea and flows down with the strength of a river. It has never gone dry, even during the hottest summers. During Arab times (more than 1000 years ago), a network of acequias was established, directing the river water to the various orchards and olive groves scattered around the steep gorge. In addition, the water powered nine flour and olive oil mills. It must have been an idyllic place to live.

    We saved our walk here for a day with a good weather forecast, knowing that we would want sunshine for exploring the village. It’s a good thing we did have perfect weather because the ascent of the dirt track we walked to get to Jorox was one of the steepest gradients I’ve ever been on. I kept thinking I needed a parachute for safety’s sake. It was too steep to take a photo of it - getting out a camera would have upset my precarious balance! Once there, we revived ourselves by having the house specialty for lunch at Venta Rivita, complete with tables behind us in the cave part of the building.

    On the way back (on a much more reasonable lane), Ned immediately recognized the bird we were hearing as a nightingale. When I asked him how he could possibly know that, he said he’s heard the recorded song of a nightingale hundreds of times in Respighi’s orchestral work, Pines of Rome.

    www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/alozaina-jorox-20…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    1
    1Olive trees are pruned......to grow wide rather than tall.The pruning cuts are treated.Burning the pruning pilesSprayingSnails in the olive trees.Top: Healthy after 21 days of rain Bottom: Heat and drought stressedAlozaina1

    Butterflies, flowers, and olive groves

    April 17, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    We were amazed today at how extensive the olive groves are south of Alozaina. We think of Jaén as being the province dominated by olive groves, but clearly Malaga province is also.
    (Google says that in a normal year, Malaga province produces about 85,000 tons of olives compared to Jaen’s 3.2 million tons - which is more than the entire country of Italy!)

    We were pleased to see that today the olive trees looked much healthier than they had on our walks in Jaén two years ago. The leaves were green and plump, not yellow and dry; the blossoms were thick and robust rather than small and spindly. On our route, we were able to see examples of all the work that goes into maintaining a grove. There were piles of cuttings waiting to be burned. There was clear evidence of how the trees have been pruned for easier picking; all the trees had been trimmed to prevent them reaching their full height. One thing we couldn’t figure out is why some trees have a trunk that grows straight up like a regular tree, while in other groves, every single tree had a mound at the bottom, as if it had been forced to grow over a boulder.

    Our walk itself was easy, through the orchards on paved lanes lined with spring flowers that were attracting butterflies.
    The rain clouds bathing the mountains in mist kept nipping at our heels but never escalated beyond a brief shower. We made it back in time for Ned to get a haircut before the barber closed for the afternoon.

    www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/alozaina-circular…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    Sierra Prieta
    Band of red sandstoneAlozaina is way below now.Calera (lime kiln)Get with the beat and march on down!2

    Marching down the mountain

    April 18, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    First, of course we had to go up (and up, and up) aiming for the top of the red band of rock that cuts across the grey limestone of the Sierra Prieta. We were delighted to find that early on, the town and outlying houses disappeared and the feeling of being in a remote mountain park prevailed.

    When we reached the red sandstone, I sat down for a much needed rest. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed a tan shape racing down the ravine at my back, and realized it was a loose dog intent on dislodging me. In an instant seven more joined him and the pack was on all sides of us. I screamed, and a man came down the path, shouting to the dogs. Luckily, they obeyed him. We’ve met a lot of fiercely growling dogs behind fences and a few loose ones that backed off without attacking, but this was the most menacing encounter we’ve had.

    It was too beautiful for that incident to mar the day, though. We walked a red dirt trail between flowers and grey limestone slabs and green pines, had a reviving snack, and marveled at our good luck with the weather.

    Working our way down the mountain on the PR-A 272, we were still far above town when we realized we could hear the drumbeat of the Viernes Santo (Good Friday) procession. We got in step with the music and marched down the mountain and into town to find the procession still going on with a big enthusiastic crowd in the main square.

    www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/alozaina-circular…    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    No trespassing here!
    1Camino del Monje del EsperónConnector we usedCamino de la JaraGreenhouseShepherd, sheep, and dogsAlozaina5

    A locked gate

    April 19, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    The only direction we haven’t walked from Alozaina is east, so last night I searched on Wikiloc for a walking route that would head that way. To my surprise, there wasn’t one. I studied the IGN map and fell in love with a nice loop I could envision through the olive groves on the intriguing-sounding Camino del Monje del Esperón and Camino de la Jara. Now I just needed a connecting lane between those two parallel lanes, and I spotted the perfect one: Camino de Valentín. I checked carefully to be sure all three lanes showed recent usage on Wikiloc, and was pleased to see somebody had cycled on Camino de Valentín only 10 days ago. “That’s all set then,” I thought. But when we reached the connector today, it was firmly locked and obviously private. What a disappointment. The dirt lane beyond it looked so appealing, stretching out along a ridge with views on both sides. Oh well, after some head-scratching and checking on Gaia GP S, we backtracked. In the end, Ned found a farm track that would take us down to Camino de la Jara, and it worked perfectly well. We were back to the house in time for a great lunch of codfish steaks, mashed potatoes, and salad.

    Video note: Our rooftop terrace has proved to be an unexpected bonus. We get a view of the Semana Santa processions turning the corner here, giving us a look at their faces: everything from pride in doing a job well to covert waves to family and friends.    Read more

  • Elaine and NedSpain 2025 - Malaga provinceTraveler
    1Not sure whether our neighbor is celebrating Christmas or Easter...
    22

    Easter Sunday

    April 19, 2025 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    We celebrated Easter thinking of all the people around the world who are working to make life better for their families, friends, and fellow human beings.

    No walk today - just getting ready for our move to El Burgo tomorrow. Alozaina was not our first choice for this week, but it has proven to be an excellent one after all. Lots of possibilities for walks, all very different, and a great rooftop terrace to watch the Semana Santa processions.

    Photos from earlier days this week…    Read more