Lecrin Valley Limpers

This Sunday was our big end of the month walk, and what a cracker it turned out to be. The conditions were set to be perfect after a week of mixed weather, the forecasters were predicting sunshine and temperatures of 17 degrees and, with Caballo covered in snow, what more could we wish for? We met in Durcal and then drove the short distance to the start of the walk, there were comments that we could have walked the 2km. I promised them that they would thank me when they got back to the cars in 7 hours time. The path starts by following the border of the Sierra Nevada Parque Natural, and then it follows the tubo that feeds the Durcal Hydroelectric plant. From below it looks an impossible route but the well engineered path slowly zig zags to the top, with the views opening up along the way. By the time Caballo came into the view the sky was crystal clear and, with a covering of deep snow, the mountain looked magnificent.  At this point we had an option to either contin

Our advertised walk this week was to the Watch towers above Conchar. I now accept that this technically contravenes the Trade descriptions Act as we could only find one. The pile of rocks I found was not accepted by most in the group as the second one. The walk started from the Cozvijar-Albunúelas road, and initially we had a short walk along this busy road, well we did see 2 cars and some cyclists. We then headed up a little track that cuts through what was once intended to be a housing development. The developer, a Dutch guy, was selling plots of land on the hillside that he did not own. The scam came to an end when the new owners tried getting planning permission to build.  The watch tower is said to have been built by the Muslims when they ruled this area many years ago. It is a few years since I had done this walk and I felt sure there was another tower on the next hill, so, after a few minutes examining the first one we set off for the second. Could we find it? N

Our first walk of the new year was a spectacular success, 23 turned up at the cold and windy BP garage in Cozvijar. It was so cold I started thinking of alternative plans, involving mulled wine and hot fires. In the end, because a lot of the walk was in a forest,  we decided to go for it. We could always cut the walk short and then head off for the mulled wine and log fire. The plan was to run 2 walks from Venta del Fraile on the Carretera de Cabra road. We would all start off together for the first 6 km and then split, with Hilary leading a group back on a short cut, and the rest carrying on for another 10 km. For logistical reasons we needed 8 cars and my idea of parking at the Venta del Fraile bar were thrown into disarray, there would not have been any room for paying customers, luckily we found some waste ground close by. I was expecting to be hit by the icy wind when we got out of the car but there was nothing, not even a breeze, strange how conditions can change with