Finding your way along the GR1

As it would be for any long-distance route in Spain finding your way along the GR1 can be a challenge.

Spanish walking routes are 'defined' by the regional walking associations operating to standards set at a national level. It's a voluntary activity although regional government does occasionally get involved as part of the promotion of tourism.  Waymarking and the quality of the route does however vary from region to region (the route passes through 5 regions).

What 'Histórico' about the GR1?

Although the GR1 uses original and often ancient footpaths the route itself is not ancient in origin. Unlike the Way of St James it didn't have a medieval purpose, but has been put together by Spanish walking associations to cross great countryside while visiting sites that are particularly interesting. It's a walk with a historic theme and provides an insight into two linked processes: first the beginnings of the 'reconconquest' that finally resulted in the Moors being driven out of Spain; and second, Spanish unification, which eventually ended the struggle between competing elements on the Christian side. Together these developments, which started in northern Spain in the 8th century and took over 700 years to complete, finished with Spain as the 16th century world superpower.

What's walking the GR1 Sendero Histórico like?

Walking in Spain is a special experience.  Spain was the last country in Western Europe to experience rural depopulation, and the remnants of an ancient infrastructure where everyone walked are still there.  The GR1 follows paths and trails that, until the 1960s, were the main way people and their animals moved from village to village.  Although, sadly, the days when every village had a bar, cantina or hostal have gone, there are still just enough to make walking from village to village the best way to travel.

What's the countryside like on the GR1 Sendero Histórico?

Apart four days spent crossing the flat plain in the Navarre and two days approaching the Mediterranean coast the GR1 is a walk through the mountains.  In the west it's a journey through the Cantabrian mountains and in the east the foothills of the Pyrenees.

An important feature of mountain walking in Spain, unlike much of Western Europe, is that you don't have to get above the tree to enjoy the wonderful views.  Mountains at similar altitudes in France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria are more likely to be covered in trees, often commercial pine than in Spain.  In these countries you can sometimes walk for days without getting 'a long view'.  As in other countries Spain lost its trees (and topsoil) to agriculture and woodburning centuries ago but because rural depopulation happened so much later trees have not yet returned to cover the mountains.

What is the GR1 Sendero Histórico?

The GR1 Sendero Histórico is a 1250km long distance footpath that traverses the north of Spain.  Part of Spain's impressive network of GR routes (similar to the GR network in France) it combines great scenery with visits to some of its key historical sites.  Starting on the edge of the Picos de Europa it follows a route that corresponds roughly to the northern extent of the medieval Moorish empire and travels all the way to the Mediterranean.

The GR1 starts at the Puerto de Tarna, a pass on the regional border between the Asturias and Castilla y Leon.  It heads east along the southern flank of the Cantabrian Mountains, the plain of Navarre and the foothills of the Pyrenees and then finishes on the Mediterranean coast at Sant Martí d'Empúries near L'Escala.

Not getting lost

Thanks to Key Retirement for including a tip of mine in their recent piece on recreational walking. There were some great ideas from my fellow contributors, but I particularly liked Pete Hill's advice on not getting lost.  The solution is to use your phone.

Apparently 72 per cent of people in the UK own a smartphone all of which come equipped with a GPS.  However, based on a small sample (my walking buddies), hardly any of them (just me) know how to use it.  Even a tiny learning curve is too much for the people I associate with and they remain stuck in the world of paper maps.

My 'app' of choice is Viewranger.  It's easy to use and fun.  You can plan the route before you go - either by plotting it yourself and using someone else's route - and then follow it out in the field.  I'm rarely on a walk where there is absolutely no evidence on the ground about the route so only use the app to check a turning.  Typically I'll record the 'track' as I go along and then publish it to my own page in the Viewranger track/route library making it available for other people to use.  Believe me people do download each others routes and currently 8 kind souls have favorited me as an author.

As well as being easy to use, Viewranger has access, via its map store, to a huge range of premium and free maps.  The premium maps - for instance Ordnance Survey maps - can be purchased at a fraction of the cost of their paper equivalents and are available for a growing range of countries from around the world (including Spain where I spend a lot of time).  The free maps are Open Maps and although less informative will help if have an accurate route.

But which way is Venice?

Exploring the Mani - October 2015

While I spent September roaming around the Alps, Christine had been at home in Brighton nursing her broken metatarsals.  With the nights already closing in, and worse still to come, getting some late summer sun seemed like a good idea.  I've never been to the Greek mainland and the Greek economy needs all the help it can get so we decided to explore the Mani peninsula.  If you don't know Greece, Mani is the middle of the three fingers that stick southwards from the Peloponnese - it's one of the wildest part of Greece and until the seventies was only accessible by boat or donkey.

Ayia Sofia near Kardamyli