Tuesday 29th El Sabinar to Moratalla

In terms of accommodation I have gone from the sublime, Casa Pernias, to something else less luxurious in Moratalla, a pension. In fairness, when I did my research, I worked out there was only one hotel, saw it on the way in but walked past it thinking it was too far out and that, in the interests of seeing Moratalla, I should take pot luck. I have sacrificed comfort for mind broadening.

Today's 26 kilometre walk was very nice, spent it listening to Bruce Springsteen who I had been saving for a bad day, but decided not to wait. Nobody was about so was able to sing along. Strangely didn't see any wildlife.

As well as the music the scenery was good. The first 2/3 kilometres was through the upland plain I mentioned yesterday and it was then into another sandstone gorge. Maybe the upland plain was the bottom of some sort of glacial lake which eventually burst out forming the gorge.

The gorge was much wider than yesterday's but the cliffs had the same wonderful colours. If anything they were higher and some of the rock looked at lot harder. Unlike yesterday's gorge today's was predominately full of pine trees which, as you got lower, had lots of new growth on them and they looked springlike and fresh.

Through the gorge of the Rio Alharabe

Pine Trees with Spring Growth

The river at the bottom of the gorge, the Rio Alharabe, had to crossed twice and there was a lot of water in it. First effort resulted in wet feet. This was a real nuisance as I had finally got my walking shoes really dry at the Casa Pernias last night. They were starting to smell. Anyway waded through the second crossing which was fine but shoes are still wet and starting to smell again.

One of several fords

Moratalla is the biggest town I have been in since Cazorla but although in some ways comparable, it's a lot poorer and has a bit of a shabby feel. Lots of half finished blocks of flats. Impressive location,  lots of amazing buildings in the old centre including a castle and several churches, it still feels well of the beaten track. Great views across to Calasparra which is where I'm going tomorrow.

Moratalla

Convent of San Francisco

Feet and Footwear

Several people (two) have asked me about my feet and my choice of footwear.

My feet are now good and most importantly I've had no blisters. I'm wearing lightweight Inov-8 Terroc GTX (i.e. they have a Gortex liner) and they have definitely been the right choice for me on a walk like this.

You will be pleased to hear however that there remains unanswered footwear questions.

There are some definite known knowns. The first and most important is that having something that is light on my feet is great. I feel mobile and more confident particularly when going downhill and even with a pack I can go down a lot faster.

The second known known for me is that in a walking shoe, your foot moves more than it does in a boot and that, in particular, it moves around the heel and tendon. This might not be an issue but it is noticeable how the inner lining of the shoe has started to disintegrate and that the heals of my socks are also wearing out.

The third known known is that weight matters. It's carrying weight over distance that makes you feel tired. Training before I set off toughened the skin on my feet but I couldn't bring myself to train with a loaded bag and the extra weight made a difference. Christine on her walk, was carrying hardly anything, weighs almost three stone less than me, and despite recent surgery on her knee, coped really well with the distances.

For me the big known unknown is whether it has taken my feet longer to get used to load and distance because I'm wearing the lightweight Inov-8s. I felt the key thing was not to get serious blisters which would have wrecked my schedule. I didn't get blisters but my feet hurt big time for the first couple of weeks. My heal and tendon were really sore first on one foot and then on both and because my heal was moving in the Inov-8s I thought they might be the cause. Because my feet are good know, and as a whole have toughened up, and because I still have 145 days of walking to go (whose counting) than I'm sure I've made right choice.

What I don't know is that if you weigh around 70 kilos and you slap on another 15 with a food and water laden ruck sack and then go intensely walking for just 2 weeks you would be better of with a boot that limits foot movement or a shoe. I'm sure I made the right choice for a mega walk, I don't know if that is the right choice for shorter one.

So fortunately there is still plenty of scope to have an argument about boots or walking shoes, although light, I think, is definitely best.

The big decision now is how much longer do I go with the current pair. I have a pair of new Inov-8 Terrocs (without Gortex) at home, and the pair I wore for training. My wife is joining me again on the 16th of April and I think she should bring out the new pair. Otherwise I will have to wait to Carcassonne before I get another chance to change over. I'm not sure if they will last that long. Current damage is a split toe guard, which I think is cosmetic, and some signs that various bits of stitching is beginning to go. As well as the distance, currently about 750 kilometres, the shoes have had lots of mud, some of which was very limey and probably corrosive. By the time my wife heads home the current pair will have done about 1300 kilometres.

First pair of Inov8s

Monday 28th March Canada de la Cruz to El Sabinar

Have now been trekking for four weeks and although I didn't really expect it, today was one of the best walks. There is no English language guide to the walk and my expectations, based on staring at Google Earth, were not high. I was expecting a long road walk up a valley and then back down again. Well it was a lot better than that.

It was a long walk, and by the time I got to the Hotel, which is 4 kilometres beyond El Sabinar, I think I've walked about 38 kilometres. It was also cold, I'm still well over 1,000 metres above sea level, and it was a fleece walk all the way.

Looking back to Puebla de Don Fadrique

The first part of the walk took me out of Canada de La Cruz, along a very quiet road, and up between the Sierra de Moratalla to the south east and the Sierra de Taibilla. The Sierra de Moratalla have the highest peaks in Murcia at just over 2,000 metres. After a steady climb through pine the road descended and then, after about 8 kilometres, turned into a nice forest track.

I was looking out for the Sanctuario de la Virgin de la Rogativa, the site of one of several local Virgin miracles, and although it was a bit dull it did signal the start of a really wonderful stretch. Essentially a sandstone gorge which went on, I guess, for 8 or 9 kilometres, the cliffs on each side, although not enormous, had just about every colour of sandstone imaginable.

Stunning Sandstone Cliffs 

Gorge before El Sabinar

After the gorge the walk went up around the Cerro de Castillar through some really high fields of spring barley and lavender. Obviously to early to see them at there best. There was also a lot of wonderful trees a sort of yew tree or something similar.

It was then through the village of Calar de la Santa and onto into much more open countryside, across a high level plain, in the middle of which sits El Sabinar. All a bit cold and bleak but great long views. I didn't quite know where the hotel was so walked down the road south of El Sabinar rather along the trail which ran parallel to it. Looks a good trail and will be able to get on it again really easily when I set off tomorrow. By the way the way marks are pretty good and the GPS trail I found on Wikilocs is on the nail and takes me all the way through Murcia.

Plain above El Sabinar

Saw a very interesting caterpillar phenomena today. Basically long lines of caterpillars following in a trail nose to arse. Now if they weren't caterpillars this could be regarded as strange behaviour. I don't now how the caterpillars go about choosing their leader but he/she was definitely the pick of the bunch. In the interest of science I temporarily removed the lead caterpillar and I can report that chaos set in with the followers just bunching up into a heap. Amazing.

Pine tree eating catapillars

The hotel I'm staying at, the Casa Pernias, is also amazing, extremely spacious,very comfortable and very friendly. I guess you would describe it as a boutique hotel, so lucky me. Full details can be found via the accommodation tab on the home page.

Sunday 27th Puebla de Don Fadrique to Canada de la Cruz

Well it has been one of those days. Really frustrating and I'm still not quite sure what has gone wrong.

First things first, I knew Canada de la Cruz was going to be difficult for accommodation, all I had was a phone number for a Casa Rural, and although I've been lucky with these twice so far, their preference is to fill them weekly rather than have one person there for a night. Rang this morning and indeed they were booked for the week. Not the end of the world, I thought, it's only a 13 mile walk, I'll go there, see what's what, and might even walk back.

In the back of my mind was the thought that something would turn up.

I had a trail on my GPS which was based on a local walkers route, it didn't say it was the GR7 but when I was putting the trail together it was the only one I could find. Funnily enough I checked Wikilocs this morning and Bornem, a Spaniard who is walking the whole of the GR7, has recently published his trail for this section of the walk but too late for me to use. A glance at it confirmed that he entered Puebla de Don Fabrique the same way as mine left so that was good enough for me. He has also walked the route I did yesterday so he must be mad as well.

Set of down the A330 and sure enough at the designated point there was a footpath sign, not a GR sign, but a footpath sign and a trail. Carried on for at least three kilometres, the trail got a bit sticky, the weather was looking changeable but it wasn't until I met a two metre deer fence that I started to worry. Right across the trail, a trail marked on the map.

2 metre high deer fence

Walked up and down the fence to see if there was an approved way of getting through but nothing.

Should I climb the fence, would it hold my weight?

Thought about throwing my bag over but the image of my bag stuck on one side of the fence and me on the other was just too awful to think about so, after some hesitation, I made the dash for freedom. It did occur to me that where there is one fence, there ought to be another, and I might be breaking into prison rather than escaping. I put this thought behind me reasoning that it was perhaps the border between Andalucia and Murcia which had to be nearby.

Anyway was now back on my track making good progress in attractive and increasingly open countryside with ever longer views. Had to climb a ridge but yes in the distance I could see Canada de la Cruz (keep thinking Penelope). Walked for about 40 minutes and then had to descend a really steep slope with, you guessed it, a fence. A deer popped out of the trees, my side, looked at the fence and went back into the trees.

Cerro del Celar in the distance

At the bottom of the slope I climbed the fence again and walked on down the trail and all of a sudden GR signs were everywhere, even an E4 sign, on the same path as my GPS trail.

And then I lost them again. Not sure what to do, I stuck with my GPS trail, it was continuing to follow a trail on the map even if local deer keepers had a habit of blocking the trail with 2 metre fences.

The route, still heading towards Penelope got increasingly remote, eventually I really was wacking bushes and, despite the trail on my GPS, there was nothing on the ground to suggest that this was the right way. I studied the map decided to go the long way round and pick up a Camino, a Spanish cattle trail. It took the best part of a hour to get to it and it of course turned out to be the GR7 which I then followed, uneventfully into Canada de la Cruz. I also crossed the real border between the two regions.

The boundary between Andalucia and Murcia

Nothing by the way of accommodation in Canada de la Cruz but a really helpful barman organised me a taxi so I'm now back in Puebla de Don Fabrique. The taxi is going to pick me up in the morning for the next stage of the route which actually does look straightforward.

Slightly worrying is that when I looked at Bornem's route again, his route didn't go anywhere near the first lot of GR signs I came across, he was coming in the other direction and seemed to prefer a long road walk to the uncertainties of going cross country. In terms of the GR7, I feel none the wiser.

Saturday 26th Santiago de la Espada to Puebla de Don Fadrique

The routing of today's walk is, I suspect, driven by administrative necessity. Having established northern variant to the GR7 it somehow has to be joined back up with main route and, and because in Spain everything is done at a regional level, in Andalucia. The simplest way to do this is to send the route down the road and, apart from the first six kilometres, this is exactly what's been done. The road walk was 34 kilometres, making the total distance somewhere near 40. I don't think whoever put the line on the map actually expected anyone to walk it, there are no signs or markings. All this seems a shame as the walking potentially looks great and a bit of effort could have produced a good route.

Anyway having had a great breakfast things started to go wrong. I had devised a GPS route from dodgy maps and the Guide (no-one having published a route for this stretch) and it was just not quite right. The Guide was confusing so it took me an hour to do the first 2 kilometres. If only it had said, "make for the mint condition white Renault 4 stuck on top of the hill", I would have got there in no time. Must be at least 30 years old, not a spot of rust on it and if your interested it's not going anywhere.

The highlight of the whole walk was the Cortijo de las Cuevas, an abandoned village of houses built into the cliff on one side of a stunning little gorge. One house might have been occupied judging by the two blue stripped deck chairs outside it but it's hard to be certain. Busy taking pictures of this amazing place when behind me I became aware, at very close proximity, of the rarest of things, a Spanish dog not barking. He wanted to abandon the village as well and come with me. Following at a distance of about 10 feet he was soon joined by his best mates, two pigs with a very distinct appearance.

Cortijo de las Cuevas

A nice non barking dog

Rare breeds

Actually the pigs gave up after a few minutes but a dog is a friend for life and he was coming. Even when I declined to wade across the raging Rio Zumeta, as recommended by the Guide, and instead climbed up steeply along the side of the gorge to get to the road he followed. Eventually I had to explain that I lived in a flat and that he wouldn't be happy in central London and amazingly not only was this a none barking Spanish dog, he understood English. I felt really bad when he turned and left.

After that I hit the road looking for short cuts and off-road options whenever I could. The best one came about 4 kilometres after a very flash looking but empty Hotel. Following a trail marked on my map, possibly the old road, I went on a 5 kilometre detour before joining the road again. It was a really nice walk, much higher than the road and with great views. I also managed to find a shorter 2 kilometres detour a little bit further on and these variations seem to prove that a better route could be found.

Typical endless stretch of road

Of course the third effort ended in near disaster when I found the gently slopping, wooded and sandy stretch I was crossing actually had deep ravines in it that were incredibly difficult to cross.

Eventually Puebla de Don Fadrique became visible, still some way of, and then on the west a perfectly shaped snow covered mountain, a mini Kilomanjaro, came into view. I might have seen this in the distance yesterday and I'm still trying to work out which one it is. It's a poor picture the sun was in the wrong place but maybe it's enough for Juan to identify it.

Cerro del Calar

Anyway, arrived after 9 hours of virtually non-stop walking and after a couple of beers and a bath the feet feel fine.

Friday March 25th Pontones to Santiago de la Espada

Second to last day in Andalucia so approaching a big milestone. After three quite tough days, today's walk was much shorter and getting to the Hotel San Francisco at about 2 o'clock I'm trying to get as much time of my feet as possible. The hotel does have Wi-Fi but so far no Internet so will have to see if the growing back log of blogs get published.

The walk was about 17 kilometres and a nice one, the weather has improved since yesterday and, although not hot, there was no need to get the waterproofs out.

Continuing on from yesterday the first two thirds of today's walk was through what I'd regard as extreme limestone country. Hardly any soil, very dry looking and sparse in terms of trees. It's also high up and there is still a lot of snow about. Making a living here looks tough with sheep the only agricultural product. Not sure why but, compared to sheep in the UK, sheep in this part of Spain really smell, a different smell but strong in the way goats smell.

Sheep and more sheep around Pontones

The vast majority of the walk was off road and along a path that by and large not difficult to follow. Leaving the village,

Pontones

and after a short stretch along a road, you follow a shallow valley gently up heading east and then south until you eventually hit the road to Poyotello. The countryside is not spectacular in the way it has been for the last days but it is very pleasant. You follow the road south and after crossing a sort of pass, and the highest point of the day, head down, cross a main road for the last part of the walk. The countryside is now wide-open, almost like the Yorkshire Dales, except in the distance you can just see, for the second time on this trip, the snow covered tops of the Sierra Nevadas.

Open dry limestone countryside above Pontones

Having crossed a small ridge just beyond the road, descended in open country for about 500 metres, the route then takes you alongside a little stream which gradually, over the next 5 kilometres turns into a full blooded gorge. If you watch what your doing you will spot where the GR route divides (near the little dam apparently) and follow the route into Santiago de la Espada. Alternatively you will miss the turn, do what I did, and end up on the wrong side of the Rio Zumeta, and then have to walk back up the road for a kilometre or so to get to where you want to be.

Valley down to Santiago de la Espada

Talking of roads I suspect, almost as a penance for the great walking of the last four days, that road walking is going to be standard for the next couple of days or so. Even the Cicerone guide suggests hitching at lift for the last 15 kilometres of tomorrow's 34 kilometre walk. That of course would be cheating and I couldn't possibly do it.

Thursday March 24th Cotos-Rios to Pontones

Big 34 kilometres walk with nearly 1200 metres of climb so feeling a bit knackered. The really frustrating thing is that this is the second night in a row that I have not been able to access the internet. Would really like to know what the birds were I was seeing yesterday, are wild boar dangerous and what was this cat like thing I saw today was.

Anyway it was a great walk, which means four really good days walking through the Cazorla Natural Park and still a bit more to go. If anything today's walk was the wildest, partly because of the weather which, at the top, was windy, wet and misty, and partly because the walk just felt more remote. For the fourth day I have had the Park to myself.

Leaving Cotos-Rios you walk along banks the Rio Gaudalaquiver for about 2 kilometres. There are some huge campsites all them empty at the moment which probably explains why everything is so quite. You follow a forest track graded for vehicles for about 10 kilometre next to the Rio Borosa. Overshadowing the walk, on your south side, is the distinctive Pedra del Mulon.

Piedra del Mulon

Eventually the track runs out, just before the end of the gorge which, at this point is particularly dramatic. Today the clouds were hanging over the top, but it was still very impressive.

Cordillera de las Banderillas

Leaving the track graded for vehicles your then on a really nice trail and into the best part of the walk. The first stage involved quite a stiff climb to the first pass. It was wet, I wasn't moving very quickly, and it was at this point I experienced my first bit of novel wild-life. Got a picture and I have to say it looks a bit like a squirrel albeit that the colouring is not one the same as any I've seen before, certainly not a grey squirrel and not as red as a red squirrel.

Red Squirrel?

After the pass you continue to climb and as it gets higher and more predominantly limestone the trees become sparse. Eventually the path levels out and you cross an ancient meadow with an old broken down cottage. Ahead I can see some odd coloured rocks, which attract my attention because of their colour, and which as I get closer, shoot off in various directions up the hill. I've disturbed 20 or 30 deer which had been grazing by a stream. Looking at the picture I think there are two types, one classic bambi, the other browner and a bit chunkier.

Wild goats and deer near La Hoya de Albardia

A couple of hundred yards further on I have my second lunch by some ruined houses, La Hoya de Albardia. You can still work out how big the rooms are and how intimate it must been not just for the inhabitants of each house but for the whole village.

La Hoya de Albardia

After another 30 minutes, and just beyond what I think was the highest part of the walk, I see my most intriguing bit of wild-life. At first glance I thought I was seeing the back of a marmot, it was the same colour, but it was bigger. It was at the bottom of a near vertical array of limestone boulders about 30 metres high and about 60 metres away. It then ran up the boulders and I could see that it was a cat, agile like a fox and with a big fox like tail, but with a much thicker, stronger neck and broader head. It was definitely a cat but much bigger than any tabby I have ever seen. I did get a really good view of it but not a picture I'm afraid, it was raining and my camera was inside my waterproofs.

So walking through the Cazorla Natural Park has been as good as a safari although without a guide I have no real idea what I have seen. Perhaps Juan will be able to help.

For Christine's benefit a picture of a miniature daffodil and some pine trees covered in an algae type thing - the latter would normally generate about two days of discussion.

Miniature Daffodil

Algae cover pine trees on the way down to Pontones

Stayed at the Hotel-Restaurante Ruta del Segura which was very pleasant.