Walk Sunday 2 August 2015 Elorrieta

This week we had to wear our fleeces in an effort to try and keep warm.

The walk was to the refugio Elorrieta, a large abandoned  underground building 3180 metres up in the Sierra Nevada.

We had an early 8am start from the valley and arrived at the Hoya del Moro, the top carpark on the side of Veleta, just before 9am.

I know there had been a few complaints about the early start but if we had been any later there would not have been anywhere to park as everyone else in Granada must have had the same idea, “Lets go to Veleta” and besides it was good practice for nexts week´s walk, starting at 7am.

It was very windy around the car park, and all around us you could see people searching in the bottom of their rucksacks looking for that long ago lost fleece.

We set off to follow the road  up to Veleta in what must have been a force ten gale. One minute, when you were heading into the wind, it was two steps forward and one back, the next, with the wind behind you, you were going up at 50kph.

We have experienced these conditions before around here before and you always walk out of it. Sure enough, by the time we left the Veleta path and picked up the one heading for Elorrieta the wind was abating. The wind dropped further the higher we climbed, eventually leaving us with perfect conditions for a day in the mountains.

The path continued across the scruffy hillside around the ski lifts but eventually, when you cross the ridge near to the telescope, everything changes. Suddenly you are into a dramatic landscape. Steepsided mountains tower above you, and the Lagunas de las Virgin and Yeguas are at your feet.

I got some strange looks from my distinguished friend Mike, I had assured him it was a vertigo friendly walk, but when he saw where the path was going I thought he was going to do a runner. I stuck behind him the whole way so he could not turn back, I even had a rope with me so that we could drag him to the top if necessary. From a distance the path looks to go through an impassable terrain but, when you are on it, you discover a superbly engineered route, winding it’s way up hill on this boulder strewn hillside.

 There are various stories as to why this large underground building was constructed. One theory being that it was to house forestry workers, but the nearest tree is about 10 km away, and I can hardly believe that they would require a building to sleep 200 people. Another explanation is that it was a TB hospital, but if you can breathe up here, never mind walk up to it from Granada, I reckon you could be classed as fit and well.  

The views from the top are superb, a full 360 degrees panoramic eye feast. It made a good picnic spot so we stopped for our lunch, there are plenty of rocks choose from, how close you sat to the sheer drop was a matter of choice.

There are only two ways back to the car park from here, the ironman route along the ridge to Veleta, this requires nerves of steel for the death defying drops on either side, or a return on the outbound route, we chose the later.

There was just time for a beer and tapa before we headed back to the heat of the valley. A great day out and a fine walk.

 

We walked 16.4 km and climbed 779 metres.