20 October 2013 Ermita cristo del Zapato Pinos del Valle

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This week our walk was to the Ermita Christo del Zapato above Pinos del Valle.
There were a number of options available for our group to be able to mix and match their own walk.
14 elected to do the full walk from the dam to the Ermita, 3 did the walk from the dam to Pinos del valle and 3 did the walk from Pinos up to the Ermita. 5 decided not to stop for refreshments on the way back. With all the coming and going I had no idea who was walking with whom, and we ended with a car crises at the end of the walk.
The walk begins from a little car park just above the dam and initially follows a campo road alongside the reservoir. This track soon comes to an end and you start the climb, which does not stop until you get to the Ermita 5 km away.
The path is superb, obviously laid with the intention of attracting tourists to the area, needless to say we were the only people using it. Possibly it could do with a few more signs that make some sort of sense as to where the path is going.
I thought there was going to be an international incident when Dave, usually the epitome of diplomacy, said there were a lot of Frogs around today, I thought this was a bit much, especially with Elsa and Conchi standing right behind him. I did my utmost to smooth things over, only later did I realise he was talking about the frogs swimming in the nearby pond.
Outside bar Venicia in Pinos we met up with 3 more who had opted for the coffee and tostada option before the walk, and, for a short time on the walk up the lavaderos we had the full group. With 3 now returning to the cars we set off again for the top, we made excellent progress, completing the whole route without stopping in 45 minutes.
We had a good, long, early lunch break at the top, admiring the views.  We sat reflecting on the fact that whilst we were in T shirts in warm sunshine many of our families and friends in northern Europe were suffering from high winds and torrential downpours. We did not reflect too long as a cold beer in Bar Venicia was awaiting us. We made even better progress back down the hill and we were soon in the bar.
5 decided to make their way straight back to the cars, 2 got lost on the way. This is where a problem occurred, we had all arrived in a variety of cars at the dam but when we arrived back there were 9 of us and only 1 car. I was a bit slow here, I could have made some money selling places in the car, instead I ferried the first lot up to Beznar and then returned for the second group.  
An enjoyable little walk that suited a wide variety of abilities, and I don’t think most people realised how close we came to a breakdown in international relations. Talk about the art of diplomacy, I ought to work for the United Nations. Just don’t get Dave started on about the Dutch.   
We walked 9.7 km and climbed 581 metres.

In the afternoon we went around to Liz and Graham’s for tapas.

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