An Eventful Walk around Casapalma and the Rio Grande.

For once the weather forecasters got the forecast almost right, I say almost because whilst rain was predicted for yesterday evening and a sunny and warm day today, where they were a tad short of the mark was that they failed to predict a 7 hour thunderstorm with torrential rain. In reality the rain was desperately needed and hopefully has gone someway to feeding thirsty crops and at least a start at replenishing greatly depleted water reserves.

 Fortunately their forecast for today was spot on and after a gloomy start to the day the sun soon got it’s hat on and gave us a very warm an pleasant day, ideal walking conditions, if a little soft underfoot in places. My main concern was the level of the Rio Grande, but even after over 8 hours of heavy rain its levels were far from a problem.

The area known as Casapalma, once the property of the Count of Casapalma, until an 1811 decree saw it added to Cartama, straddles the main A357 route between Malaga and Campillos. There remain many unused gatesways bearing the name and all of the same design.

We rambled along the tracks through open fields and crossed the newly opened final section of the A355 via one of the two bridges and along a track that joined the acequia track that circles Villafranco. We followed this track and through the tunnel under the A355 and then turned right onto Ctra. de los Carrill de la Loma which translates to ‘road of the cheek of the hill’. This is the route that will take us back to the Rio Grande, however as we reached the last few bends before the bridge over the river, two of our dogs, Barney (mine) and Rubio (Janes) took great interest in a small derelict building, some barking came from the building and then appeared a small Alsation/Mastin cross puppy that had been abandoned.

Pamela made a call to one of her contacts at A.I.D. (Animals in Distress) who said to bring it to her and they would get him to the vets for a check over and take him in. The little tyke was quite happy being carried by David and happily walked alongside various members of the group.

A break at the bridge across the Rio Grande for sustenance and the group photo of the day and then it was the final stretch for base alongside the, now, fast flowing Rio Grande.

Hopefully we will be kept informed of the pup’s progress and hopefully re-homing.

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Hike to La Bola, Pico Mijas.

WE DID IT..............

A few weeks ago I thought that it would be good to try to reach the white globe that appears to sit at the top of the mountain across the valley from where I live.

After a bit of research I found that it is a weather Radar dome situated at Pico Mijas, the peak of the Sierra Mijas some 1178 mtrs above sea level. That is higher than Snowdon at 1085 mtrs and a little short of Ben Nevis at 1344 mtrs.

I decided to put this hike onto our Saturday walking schedule, but realising that only a small number would be able to tackle it, I decided to make it a sponsored walk to try to raise some funds for S.O.S. Animal Refuge.

It turned out that 7 of our group were prepared to tackle this challenge, and I asked them to contribute at least €5 each and try to raise a bit of sponsorship with the aim of raising enough to buy the kennels at least one tanker of desperately needed water. The well has run dry and they have to have water delivered by tanker at €75 a time.

The challenge was on.

A couple of hours before the hike was due to start I could not see the mountain range that we were due to tackle, and I had promised everyone some amazing views from the top. Even when I left to travel the half hour to the start the top of the range was still covered in thick cloud. The forecast was however favourable.

We met at the foot of the ascent equipped for a cold and damp atmosphere; we were also loaded with rucksacks containing plenty of food and liquid. The first kilometre of the walk is really quite steep, there is no being eased into it, and this is in fact the steepest part of the whole hike. Within the first half an hour most of us had shed our outer attire and were in shirts or T-shirts. The sun was burning off the cloud and the day was warming.

Steady progress was made and frequent short stops were made for photo opportunities and to be amazed at the incredibly beautiful scenery.

I had advised that no dogs be on this walk as we are entering the danger time for the Processionary Caterpillar, an evil and deadly beast that can cause death to animals and children and serious harm to adult humans. In fact I sadly lost a dog to these evil things some 6 years ago. The decision was right is there were numerous ‘nests’ and some of which were showing signs of the inhabitants leaving (this is when they are at their most dangerous).

After two and a half hours of continual uphill walking we reached our goal, La Bola.

To everyone’s delight the views were as stunning as we had hoped, the only slight disappointment was that there was a sea fog and the distance Atlas Mountains of North Africa were not visible, nor Gibraltar to the south.

The whole area was quite crowded at times as this route is a popular test for Mountain bikers and being a Saturday there were quite a few other hikers out. One thing that was observed was that all the other  occupants of the summit and in fact those that we passed on the way up and back down were considerably younger that any of us. That set us thinking and an interesting statistic to come to light is that the eldest of the group was 69, the youngest a mere 55, and the combined age of the group was 453 years.

After eating our lunches ‘on top of the world’ and posing for numerous photos, and feeling very proud of our achievement we started for base.

The descent was just a steady but careful walk, careful because the track surface is quite loose in places and the last thing we wanted now was any injuries.

We arrived back at our cars some 5 hours after starting, the hike up took us 2 hrs 35 mins and the walk down 1 hr 55 mins, plus a half hour stop at the peak.

We finished the walk tired and with some aching muscles but with a feeling of satisfaction and a great sense of achievement, and on top of all this elation the total sponsorship amounted to €260, so the refuge can now buy in 3 tankers of water and have some money over towards other expenditure for the animals well being.

A huge thank you to all who donated, and a massive ‘WELL DONE’ to the ‘Magnificent 7’.

For all the photos go to then link at the top of the right hand column.

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Mountain hike to help dogs in need

Article in the Sur in English;

MIJAS. A group of hardy souls from an inland walking group called Al’s Rambles are planning a gruelling hike to ‘La Bola’ at the top of Sierra de Mijas on Saturday January 23rd, to blow away the Christmas cobwebs, while raising funds for the charity SOS Animals. The 14-kilometre route will take the group of weekly walkers up to 1,107 metres above sea level. “That’s higher than Snowden at 1,085 metres and nearly as high as Ben Nevis at 1,344 metres, but with a lot more sunshine,” jokes the walking group’s founder, Alan Nicholls, who lives in Villafranco del Guadalhorce.  The ten to 12 members of Al’s Rambles meet every Saturday to walk between eight and 15 kilometres but the hike to the top of one of the coast’s tallest mountains is the group’s biggest challenge so far.  Alan says the group, many of whom are over 65, decided during one of their regular Saturday hikes to tackle the tallest point of the Mijas mountain but they are aware of the challenge they face. “It will be testing, so it’s not for the faint hearted, but the route is along a fairly good track and the view from the top will be spectacu
lar, given a clear day,” he says.  The four hour climb and two hour descent will be open to anyone to join, providing they are fit enough to complete the course and are willing to pay five euros of sponsorship that will go to SOS Animals. “If people are not up to the hike but want to be involved, we are also looking for sponsors and hope to raise enough funds to buy two tankers of water for the dog rescue centre in Villafranco,” explains Alan, adding that the dog sanctuary’s well is still dry following the long summer and lack of winter rains. As well as affecting the water supply for the 30 or more dogs at the centre and the student volunteers who live on site to look after the animals, Alan says that the lack of well water is also impacting a number of residents in the countryside around Villafranco. “Every day we see tankers delivering water to properties around the village. It is a real problem,” he adds.
Mountain hike to help dogs in need
 · T o find out more about the challenge or joining the group : email alsrambles@gmail.com or visit the ‘Rambling with Al’ Facebook page

The Rio Grande at Casapalma and the Carril de las Loma

Today was another walk with my friend Jane and her dog Rubio and my dog BarneyWoo, and another ramble along the banks of the Rio Grande.

The weather is still very kind and we walked under cloudless skies and warm sunshine, although the temperature in the shade is now somewhat cold.

We crossed the river via the bridge and walked up part of the Coin to Zalea drovers track.  In my cycling days this was my nemesis incline, it’s 1.5 km uphill and my fist attempt took me almost 20 mins, but I eventually got that down to just 8 mins. At the top of the incline we took the track to the left and was able to admire the almost 360 deg views, with the Guadlehorce valley on one side and the Rio Grande valley on the other.

This was now virgin territory to me, and we took another left along a little used track through the fields heading back towards the Rio Grande.  We past a couple of unoccupied properties, until we came to a left turn. This was a bit of a quandary as was now unsure of the route and continued straight ahead.

As it happened this was a happy mistake, as the route that I had planned called for us the take the left turn, but as it happened the route ahead was a better one and we ended up alongside the river where the Rio Pereilas and Rio Grande meet.

This track takes us through tall cane until we turn away from the river with Orange Orchards on both sides of the track. It is then along a track with a number of properties, and barking dogs, and back to the bridge over the Rio Grande.

We then retraced our route along the banks of the river to our starting point.

A great outcome of our walks with the two dogs is that Rubio (the youngster) was a lot calmer today and seems to accept that my Barney is the Alpha male, for the majority of the walk Rubio was either just behind Barney or by his side.

They really were a pleasure and fun to be with.

This is another route that can be added to the group itinerary, for walking in the future.

For more photos click on the link on the right hand column.

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The route to El Santo

El Santo is an effigy of Christ on the cross very similar but smaller to the Christ the redeemer effigy above Rio de Jeneiro, except this one is above Pizarra in a similar manner.

There was a good turnout today for the walk, 13 of us in total plus the 5 well behaved dogs.

The weather was kind to us, as I had to cancel the previous week due to rain, with clear blue skies and bright sunshine. However this was a bit deceptive as the temperature is dropping and when we started off it was in single figures. It warmed up a bit as the walk went on but it was still quite fresh in the shade.

Looking into the passage.

We start the walk from the Campo de Futbol and walk up to the next street and into the ‘park’. The route is then through a mix of Oaks and Pine trees and to what appears to be an impasse. The path appears to end at a large rock, but in fact hidden at an angle is a narrow passage through where one rock has in fact leant against another at an angle. This passage has  a flight of stone steps leading off to the left and rises steeply to a stone seating area.

We then take the well trodden paths through the trees, passing over what would be in wetter times, steams and waterfalls. The path begins to rise again and we reach the edge of the woods and atop of a steep slope with magnificent views over Pizarra and the Guadlehorce valley. Time for a stop to take in the vistas.

It’s then onwards and upward, with the path winding skywards through the pine woods, until there is a gap in the trees and our destination comes into view. The route continues upward until we reach the cultivated Olive groves, and then onto the vehicular access track up to the Statue.

The views from this point are about 270 degs. From Cartama and Coin to the left, and El Torcal to the right, and with the many villages of the Guadlehorce valley in front.

After a break for sustenance and picture taking we start our way back, which begins on a reasonably well made track which is used by motor vehicles. After a few hundred metres we get a virtually 360 degree view Malaga and the Mediterranean easily visible some 27 kms away.

After a while we leave the vehicular track and onto another footpath, which descends to another feature, that of a cave with a table and stools carved into the rock and bench seats. We then descend further on winding narrow and somewhat loose paths until we reach the steps down into passage through the rock through which we passed on the way up.

From here we tread the same path upon which we ascended until we reach the end of this walk.

For more photos click on the link on the right hand column.

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A Walk Along The River Banks

Once again the day started quite cold, but as the morning advanced so did the temperature.

BarneyWoo relaxing

Today I had arranged to walk with my friend Jane and her pup Rubio, although to look at him you wouldn't think he was only a pup as he weighs about 15kgs. As usual I took BarneyWoo with the intention of trying to improve Rubio's discipline, as he is a bit of a handful at the moment. Thankfully it seemed to work reasonably well, Barney asserted himself, although smaller, and ensured that he was the alpha male of the two.

We parked near to the base of the Forest Fire-fighters and the airstrip and started the walk alongside the runway, The walk then takes us along the path just up from the river bank and through passages of thick cane. We then reach the Eucalyptus wood with its wonderful floor of wild flowers which are starting to come out very early because of the springlike weather that we have been having.
When we reached the old river crossing and that was the turning point to come back the same route through the woods, but then dropped down onto the side of the Rio Guadlehorce and back to the end of the runway. This is where the Rio Guadlehorce and Rio Grande meet to form one river. We carried on alongside the runway but this time on the riverbank and through more Eucalyptus woods.

It was then past the Gravel heaps and under the A357 and along the banks of the Rio Grande until we reach the 'rapids' flowing under the bridge that carries the old drovers track the goes between Coin and Zalea.

An about turn and a return walk back to the cars in somewhat higher temperatures that when we set out.

Was Rubio more disciplined when we had finished, it was hard to say, only that he really enjoyed his first walk out with Barney. Rubio was never very far away from Barney and seemed to enjoy exploring with him, including a couple of outings into the river.

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A Walk From Home

Todays walk took me to familiar territory and along part of the Rio Pereilas running in the valley outside of Coin. The weather started off about average for a January in Southern Spain around 7c but by the end of nearly two and a half hours of walking the temperature had risen considerable to a more springlike level.
This walk takes me along an unusually well maintained acequia track and then down a typical campo track towards the river. The last 100 mtrs or so of this track drops steeply to the banks of the river. It is then a battle with the overhanging cane and along a very narrow path above the river. This used to be quite a well trodden path but the floods in 2010 and subsequent rain washed the bank away leaving a precariously narrow path, but this soon opens out onto a track that is used by the lorries taking the gravel from the river bed to it's destination.
The track follows the river, and passes through Eucalyptus woods and banks covered in tall cane.
I turn off the track along the river at what is known by local ex-pats as the Toblerone bridge, due to its triangular shape, and onto a rural raod for about 100 metres uphill until the junction with end of the acequia track that I started on. I follow this winding along the contour of the irrigation canal until I reach the typically badly repaired tarmac track rising towards the main track, I cross this and along another unmade camino until it almost touches the side of the newly opened final stretch of the A355. I then leave the tracks and cross a field with a track used by the olive pickers, this track has two very steep banks, but it is marginally easier to use the goat tracks alongside. Then it's onto the new bridge across the A355 and home.

I hope that you have enjoyed my first attempt at this Blog, It is my intention to add a lot more pictures of the walking routes in future.

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This is just the begining

Hi everyone out there in Rambling Land

I have decided to start a Blog as I have found that not everyone is on Facebook. In fact I find it a bit of an imposition at times and am trying to limit my use of it, but it is very handy for keeping in touch.
So for those of my walkers that are not on Facecloth you will be able to view our walks and progress on here, and hopefully in a bit more detail.
This is my first post and still have to get my head around this layout as I have not used it before.
I'll be back soon with loads of info and more pics of 'rambling with Al'.

For viewers of this Blog that are not in my walking group here is a bit about us and where we are.

I live in the countryside (campo) just outside of a small town called Coin, which is in the Province of Malaga in the Autonomous region of Andalucia in Southern Spain.
The group developed after I set up a Facebook page asking if anyone was interested in walking with me, as, despite me enjoying walking alone with my dog, it would be nice to have someone to chat to.
There is now a hardcore of about 10 who walk every Saturday (weather permitting, we don't do rain), which is a nice manageable group, although there is always room for more.
Our walks are based around the local area, as we have some amazing countryside and there is no need to travel far to get a good walk with some amazing views.

I am also a member of the local U3A walking group.