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Showing posts from August, 2018

Walk Sunday 26 August 2018 Elorrieta

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Sunday was our big end of the month walk and we went to the refugio Elorrieta. The walk starts from the carpark at Hoya de la Mora and for a change it wasn’t windy.  There were 14 of us in the group, all looking forward to a day on the hills, walking above the snow line. Yes, even though the temperature is still nudging 40 degrees in Granada, up here you still need a fleece on, well some of us do and there still big patches of snow to cross.  For the first hour the walk passes above the ski station at Borreguiles, not my favourite part of the walk, but as soon as you get to the ridge by the radio telescopes you leave all the detritus behind you and move into the stunning scenery below the tajos de la Virgen. This is where we came across the first of the snow, not as much as the last time we were here a couple of months ago but enough to play in. The walk follows a good path as it climbs up on to the ridge and the refugio at Elorrieta, a stunning place. Reported

Walk Sunday 19 August 2018 Barranco de la Luna

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This week our chill out walk was a short one, in the barranco de la Luna. Up until a few years ago this did not exist, well truth be known, it existed but no one knew about it. Now the whole world knows about it and they will be selling tickets soon to visit it. I was amazed at the number of people in our group (24) + 1 dog. The walk is in the most incredible barranco, at this time of the year the water in the river is not deep, just enough to ensure you get wet. By the time we were heading back to the cars there appeared to be thousands of people heading down to the river, I am glad we went early. I am pleased to report no one fell in the river, everyone except Tim and Helga’s dog enjoyed it. After the walk we stopped off at Los Nos for drinks. We walked a bit and climbed a bit, but not much.

Walk Sunday 12 August 2018 Mulhacen

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This week our walk was to the top of Mulhacen, the highest point on mainland Spain. After this everything else is insignificant, a mere pimple on the landscape.  As usual for the Mulhacen trip, we had an early start, 7 am from Beznar. I swear half the group were still asleep when we met up. The reason for the early start is that we had an 8.30 bus to catch from Capileira and there were tickets to pick up, besides the coffee and tostada to be had.  The bus takes you to the base of Mulhacen, from where it is an easy 7 km walk to the summit. Well that’s is what it used to do, it now stops 2km short, resulting in an extra 4 km of walking, so now you just have to walk a bit faster, to catch the 16.30 bus back down the hill. Full of enthusiasm we set off for the summit, the biggest advantage of the new starting point was that it got you used to the lack of oxygen in the air before you started on the ascent proper. The group split on the ascent, with some choosing the direct r

Walk Sunday 5 August 2018 Rio Durcal

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This week in an effort to keep cool we sought refuge in the Rio Durcal. It was the first time this year we had been up so I didn’t know what to expect after all the rain we had in the winter. I am pleased to report that some of the boulders have moved, but to a better location and, in general the conditions underfoot were good and the rocks were stable.  We had met up in Durcal at 09.00 and driven down to the start of the walk. Our group were the first to arrive, so we had the choice of where to park, a far cry from when we returned and every available space and picnic table were taken.  I have never seen so much water in the acequia, it was overflowing and bursting its bank in places. The first waterfall you come to was impressive, with a high volume of water cascading down. It was still early and there were no takers in our group to take a cooling dip. I think they were saving themselves for later.  The walk up was very pleasant, the water temperature was refresh