Lecrin Valley Limpers

This week we had 2 walks arranged, a shorter walk with Hilary from Beznar to Melegis and a longer one with me around Moclin. Stuart’s Moclin walk. This months big end of the month walk started from Olivares, a small pueblo at the bottom of the hill below Moclin. As is usual with our walks I had no intention in staying in the moderately level surroundings of Olivares. Instead our first port of call was the village at the top of the hill, Moclin. To describe this as an easy climb, would be wrong. Whilst the track is a 4X4 route I think most off road  drivers would refuse to go up, especially if they had a nice, new, shiney SUV. A battered old Land Rover might be able to chug it’s way to the top. We arrived in Moclin without one word of dissent, but in need of caffeine. After a democratic vote, and with the motion carried, we went to the bar for coffee.    There was talk about going to the castle but this was not scheduled into the itinerary, and b...

This week we did a local walk from Marchenna to Siletta. The original plan was to get a steep climb over and done with at the start of the walk, but we changed our minds and decided to do it in the opposite direction as this would give us some extensive views of the snow covered tops of the Sierra Nevada. It was a bit misty as we set off  but I remained confident that this would soon burn off as the sun got out. By the time we got to the Ventana the expected extensive views had not materialised, the mist was still obscuring everything. I was starting to think that once again we had been cursed with the red Sahara sand, which seems to appear when we are doing this walk. We stopped for little lunch on the top of Siletta, in an area protected from the blustery southerly wind, another indication that it was dust in the air not just slow to clear mist. I had hoped the the hillside of Siletta would be covered in wild Orchids, in fact I had offered a money back guarant...

The weather forecast for Sunday was good, but, as we were driving along the carretera de cabra road towards the rio Verde I had the feeling that something had gone badly wrong. We were driving in fog and every time we went around a corner it got worse. By the time we reached the bar Meson los Prados visibility was down to about 50 metres. So much for advertising a walk with stunning views. I would have been happy to stop at the bar, have a coffee and go home but the others seemed keen for a walk. We continued the drive and as soon as the road started the descent towards Otiva we entered a different world. The sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the clear blue sky.  With our spirits lifted we followed the path down to the petrified waterfall, after all the rain I was expecting it to be pretty spectacular. It was OK but I have seen more water in the middle of a drought. The cave was a lot better.    We followed the path down to to the next waterfall ...

The weather forecast for Sunday was for rain in the afternoon and temperatures a bit on the low side for April, these days anything above 12 degrees is classed as a hot day. Even so it came as a shock when we came off the motorway at prado Negro to see snow ploughs full of grit lined up at the side of the road, engines running and drivers waiting. It made me wonder if they had seen a different weather forecast to me. My original idea for the walk was to do it clockwise, leaving the visit to the waterfall to the end  But the weather in Prado Negro wasn’t promising, it wasn’t actually raining but you knew it soon would be. So I thought it was better to get in the visit to the falls before the rain came.  The waterfall was spectacular, I have never seen so much water in it, I can’t imagine where it’s all come from.  The weather was starting to deteriorate when we stopped for a mid-morning snack, with the temperature dropping and the rain heading towards us w...

Our Easter Sunday walk was to Pico Lopera, it was only a short walk but we had a tapas at Jan and Martine’s to go to and their grandchildren were joining us on the walk. It was quite cool at the BP garage in Cozvijar at 09.00, somehow you expect it to be a bit higher than 3 degrees in April but we were promised a good day weather wise. To be honest any day when it’s not raining is a good day. By to the time we got to the start of the walk at Maison Los Prados the temperature had risen to the giddy heights of 6 degrees. It was interesting looking around at the choice of clothing people were wearing. It went from full mountain cold weather gear down to shorts and strappy tops. By the time all the cars had arrived there was 24 in the group, it was going to be interesting trying to keep them all together. I think it is about time Floppy is promoted to senior people herder.  The start of the walk passes through farmland and normally there are horses and Jaballi about ...