Orcera

You’d think we would be smart enough by now to recognize a bad idea when it is staring us in the face. But after not being able to catch even a glimpse of the old Muslim mill that is just up the track from here (it’s now surrounded by private property), we were determined to see the second item on our list for the day: the Muslim castle that defended Puente Honda. We found the trailhead complete with a PR (pequeño recorrido) marker on it pointing the way to the castle.
Ned: It doesn’t look like this trail is very well maintained.
Elaine: Well, it’s such a short distance to the castle that it probably doesn’t matter. We can just bushwhack.

0.5 km later:
Ned: This is pretty steep and slippery. Are you sure you can do this?
Elaine: Umm, I think so. Besides, I could never go back down that part we just came up.

O.5 km later:
Ned: Can you stay right where you are without falling? I’m going to see if I can find a better way out of here.
Elaine: I’m not moving.

5 minutes later:
Ned: I can see a tractor path through an olive grove ahead. If we can get down to it, we could use it to get back to the GR 247. But there’s a steep drop down to the path. I’ll help you.
Elaine: Umm, okay.

5 minutes later:
Ned: Be careful not to touch the fence around the olive grove. I just found out the hard way that it’s electrified.
Elaine: We never should have done this.

One hour later, we were back safe and sound, with not a single fall or twisted ankle. But the next time we’re tempted to bushwhack around here, we’ll think twice.

Our final adventure of the day was making our way through another olive grove to see a very old, very large olive tree that towers above all the others nearby. It gets special care from the villagers.

Staying here has been quite a lesson in what it must have been like to live in a Muslim village in Andalucía during their 700 years of rule here. The hamlet itself is not directly on the river. That area is reserved for vegetable gardens and farm animals like the goats we saw this morning. The mill is in a canyon farther up the river, and the fuente and lavaderos are right on the river also. The houses are arranged around a central square farther up the hillside with a water spout and an icon in the center. A friendly resident enjoying the sun there told us he was born in the village but spent his working life in Barcelona. His wife leaned out of an upstairs window and told us how happy she was to see visitors who loved this special place.

The front door of our house is right on this square, but we generally enter through the back door, four stories up, but opening directly onto the road that winds up steeply from the square! Our host, Loli, now lives in Siles, but inherited this wonderful building with its 39 stairs from her grandfather.

Note: yesterday’s video and some photos have now loaded.

Today’s Wikiloc track:
It looks like we got directly to the castle if you use the IGN mapa raster view, but we did not see a single bit of it up close. Way too steep. A really good location for defense!!!
https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/puente-ho…Read more