Walk 20th July 2014 Venta del Fraille

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This week we had a short easy walk from Venta del Fraille. With the temperatures at this time of the year always nudging 40 degrees, we needed something that was quick and easy so that we could get to the bar for a cooling drink and some shade before the heat got to us.
Instead of the temperatures steadily rising throughout the week, as normal, they kept going down. By 8.30 on Sunday morning at the BP garage it was freezing and overcast. Everyone was looking for the long lost fleece at the bottom of their rucksacks. The ones who could not find something warm to put on just huddled in a corner out of the wind, with their teeth chattering away.
We drove to the bar Venta del Fraille on the carreteria de cabra road for the start of the walk. There was thick grey cloud hugging the hill tops and a strong wind was blowing. I swear it was warmer when we here in January. Bring on global warming I say, at least then we would be able to enjoy a walk in shorts and T shirts in July.
The walk follows a quiet road for a couple of kms and I had intended a leisurely stroll along it, but such was the desire to try and get warm we were practically jogging along it. We had made such good time that I suggested we extend the walk a bit, I was worried that we would get back before the bar was open. Cees voted against this as he wanted to spend more time in the bar and less time admiring beautiful vistas of far off mountain ranges. So we headed for the return path back through the forest. This is a splendid level track that twists and turns through deep sided gullies. Cees was at the front leading as we jogged back along the path. I don’t know what was up with him, he must have had a raging thirst.
We arrived back at the bar to find it still shut, you should have seen the disappointment on Cees’s face, he was gutted. We later discovered the bar would be closed until September, a great marketing plan, close in the peak season. I suppose it gets too busy in the summer.
The only other option for a drink was the cafe at the Repsol garage in Padul so we headed there, at least the clouds had rolled back and the sun had appeared.
A short but enjoyable walk.
In the afternoon we went to Mark and Anne’s in Guéjar Sierra for tapas and a very pleasant afternoon was spent on their terrace admiring the view.
We walked 8.9 km and climbed 191 metres.

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