Walk Sunday 12 March Altos de los Catifas

By -


Summer arrived in the valley last week, we were basking in the sun with temperatures of over 30 degrees. This week winter has returned with a vengeance with high winds, heavy rain and temperatures down to 10 degrees, the T shirts and shorts have gone back in the cupboard.
 We finally managed to get in a high level walk that I have been planning for the last 6 weeks, but have had to keep postponing  due to poor conditions. The walk starts off high above Guejar Sierra, which is the beauty of it as all the hard work is done by the car. The walk itself is really just a stroll. The only problem is the drive up to the carpark, there are a few drops to the side.
You need a good day for the walk as the views over the Sierra Nevada are magnificent, even if the snow is red. This was forecasted to be the last day of the good weather and as we set off the sky was grey and overcast, but we had not gone far when the clouds started to break up and patches of blue sky appeared. We had two groups on the walk as it is suitable for everyone, we all walked together for the first 5 km and then, after stopping for a break we split, with the ones wanting a short walk making their way back and the rest continuing to the summit of Catifas and turning the walk into a circular one.
 The weather continued to improve and we ended up walking across sections covered in snow in our T-shirts.
The two groups successfully navigated their way back to the cars and a good day was enjoyed by all.

We walked 18 kms and climbed 583 metres.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Walk Sunday 2 December 2018 Sierra Manar

By -
Image
This week we went walking in the Sierra Manar, the range of hills behind Dilar.  The walk had been postponed from a few weeks back when it was raining every day, it’s not a walk to do when the ground is wet and muddy. The weather forecast for this Sunday was for sunshine and temperatures of 21 degrees, perfect walking conditions.  The walk starts from the Ermita Nueva and heads up a gentle slope through Olive trees.  After 1 km the path follows the tree line on what at first looks like a level track. It soon becomes apparent that it’s not level at all, but a series of switchbacks with steep ups and downs.  There were only 9 in the group, and we all walked together, chatting and enjoying the warm sunshine. Nobody thought to check that we all turned onto a path into the forest. It was only when we emerged on the other side we noticed our group had dropped to 7, Elsa and Martine were missing.  At first, we weren't worried, we thought they would soon rejoin us. After
Read more

Walk Sunday 4 November 2018 Nerja

By -
Image
This week with snow on the Sierras we decided to go down to Nerja for our walk, at least it would be warm down there. I left home in long trousers, fleece and a jacket. One hour later, at the start of the walk from the caves, I was down to shorts and a T-shirt, don’t worry I had not thrown caution to the wind, they were all in my rucksack along with another 2 coats.  The route was a circular one setting off from the caves and the idea was that we could do an easy and a harder walk, with the easy walkers walking with us for the first half of the route and then making their way back along a 4X4 track, whilst the harder walk went up a hill. Trying to keep track as to who, and how many there were in the group was impossible, even Einstein would have had trouble keeping up with all the comings and goings. For the first 1km, the track follows a 4X4 road to the picnic site, it then drops down into a superb barranco which fortunately, even after all the rain, was still dry. Th
Read more

Walk 18 November 2018 Talara

By -
Image
The walk this Sunday was a local one from Talara. The weather forecast was not promising. It wasn’t a matter of if it rained, it was at what time would it start and how heavy.  We met at the crossroads in Talara and the fallback wet weather option was coffee in Antonio’s where we could reminisce about walking in dry sunny weather. It would only be a short discussion as dry weather was sadly lacking in 2018. It was decided to skip the coffee, it wasn’t raining yet, and we had a walk to do. The route was designed with 12 options to shorten it when the rain started, it also went close by a number of Limper homes where we could seek refuge if necessary.  The walk passed through Chite where we picked up a couple of stragglers and then headed off down to the dam. This is a wonderful path as it winds its way down the hillside in and out of the Agave plants, Fortunately, I had brought my machete with me, as a number needed trimming. I had to be careful this week, my care
Read more