Chocolate Trail & Dove Ravine

Walking at this time of the year can be very difficult because of the heat, and the scheduled walks have now ceased until September, one needs to find shade to walk in and that is limited to the areas of forest on the north facing slopes of the Sierra de Mijas and this had a finite number of routes.

The start of todays walk took us on one of our well trodden routes, departing from the track on the edge of the woods and taking the Camino Forestal until we met what we know as Tina’s Trail, a well used path through the forest which meets the fire track ot the old Helicopter landing area. 

It is then along the really quite well maintained fire track towards the Casa Forestal, but just before this is the start of the Chocolate trail, so called because of the number of Carob tress on it. The actual name of this ancient water course is Cañada de las Paloma (Glen of the Dove)and I am reliably informed that no water has run in this course for at least the past 10 years (despite some prolonged periods of very heavy rain in that period) and possibly for many hundreds of years before. We have walked this course before and we emerge back onto the Camino Forestal, which we now cross and venture onto new territory to us the bottom section of the Cañada. 

This is more open that the upper section and with many rocky ‘steps’, what would have been at one time, waterfalls. The floor of the route is strewn with loose rocks and in places became quite wide which would possibly have been large shallow ponds.

The banks of the Cañada are in places sheer cliffs and are potted with many small orifices and some larger caves. One of these we climbed up to and found that there were several bats flying around.

At, what is now, the bottom end of this Cañada is the former home of Gerald Brenan CBE writer and Hispanist, from here we took the metalled roads through an urbanised area and back to our parked cars.

Create Routes
or Search for a route
from millions at MapMyWalk

Trees & Lakes

The purpose of our Thursday walks is to check out new routes and assess their suitability for the main Saturday group, that has diverse abilities, and today the route was suggested by John Milborrow from Teba.

We made an early start as the temperature at this time of year is usually very hot, but fortunately today’s weather was almost perfect with a cloudy sky and a cooling breeze.

The general area of the walk was the Embalses near to Ardales, otherwise known to most as ‘The Lakes’ and our route started from a parking area just over one of the dams. The first section of the

route was along a somewhat rough track which rose quite steeply from the main road and after only a couple of hundred metres we encountered our first problem, a locked gate across the track. This was obviously to prevent vehicles from entering the Olive Groves as we found that the fence stopped some metres short of the gate and we were able to access the field and by-pass the gate and then back onto the track. This track took us through some very large commercial Olive Plantations but offered us some amazing views across the vivid blue lakes and to the surrounding patchwork of fields.

The route then takes a right turn up a quite steep field track and departs the Olive Plantations and takes us along the edge of the Pine Forest. At the top of this rise we were treated to more splendid views, this time towards

Teba, with it’s Castle and the Embalse Guadalteba which flooded the village of Peñarrubia in 1972. We continue our ramble along the well maintained access tracks in the forest and eventually come upon an information board relating to the Necrópolis de las Aguilillas and decide that a detour is called for to investigate this.

This proved to be a very interesting find, we followed the route to the Necropolis and then onto

discover a Trench that was built and used to defend the hill in the Spanish Civil War. Whilst in this location we were privileged to see almost a dozen Eagles soaring on the thermals above us and one even passed within 10 metres of us, a magnificent sight. We continued to follow the marked route back to the entrance of this feature and re-joined our planned route back to the start, through the Pine Forest, until we reached the Tarmac road back to our parking area.

We then ambled across the dam, viewing the large fish in the water below us, and to El Kiosko for a well earned lunch.

This route is definitely included in the Saturday schedule.

Create Routes
or Search for a route
from millions at MapMyWalk

The Chocolate Trail

The ramble today was unfortunately the last one of the season, the temperatures are just getting too unbearable to walk in, and it was fitting that we ended the season on one of my favourite trails.

Because of the high temperatures and blazing sun our routes for the past few weeks have been in wooded areas that offer good shade and today we started on the Camino Forestal outside of Alhaurin el Grande. The early part of the walk is on well surfaced and maintained tracks, as these are necessary to provide access for Fire Fighting vehicle in the event of a forest fire, but have quite steep inclines as we head for the Fuente de Acebuche. After a short break under the shade of a large Carob tree we head again upwards towards the Casa Forestal, and this particular path was originally constructed as steps without the aid of machinery and all the materials would have been found in the vicinity. We have now made several visits to this Casa and one can never tire of the views.

From the Casa Forestal we again head upwards and again on a path that appears to have originally been stepped, it is thought that many years ago this was possibly a major route between Mijas on the south side of the Sierra and Alhaurin on the north side. After a reasonably challenging climb along some very rocky stretches we reach the trail that, had we turned left, eventually leads to the Picas
Mijas or summit, but that is not our goal today and we take the route down. After a quite rocky descent we reach the upper reaches of the stream bed that we will eventually take, but now we climb out of this and onto some softer and easier surfaces. This path now takes us past the ´hidden mine´ and down to the old Helicopter landing area.

Our route now takes us along a well surfaced track and reasonably level and offers magnificent views to our left over the Guadalhorce Valley and to Malaga. This is the easiest stretch so far and leads us to the start of what is known as the Chocolate Trail. It´s a bit of a scramble over a few rocks as we leave the main track and head into what is a stream bed, now very dry, who’s official name is Cañada de las Paloma or ‘Glen of the Dove’. This particular trail is exceptionally beautiful and at times dramatic, and also some sections are a little challenging as we have to climb down what would have been (and no doubt will be again) waterfalls.

This trail brings us out onto the Camino Forestal and we then have an easy walk back to the start.

Create Routes
or Search for a route
from millions at MapMyWalk

Albuqueria & Dolomite Cantera – Saturday 02nd July 2016

We are getting to the end of the season as the temperature is getting just too hot, there was a much diminished Saturday group due to the time of year, however those who were in the walk did enjoy it very much. We started from the car park outside of the old Eldorado studios, which is now a paintballing venue, and their participants were also turning up to play, we thought that there was a military excersise taking place as the paintballers arrived in full combat gear, including helmets and side arms, it was Cowboys & Indians in our day.
I had planned this route be in as much shade as possible as the temperature was already in the 30s at 09:30 and predicted to reach the mid 30s before we finished. The route started on the tarmac roads that give access to the old studios and to the quarry and then we turned off this into the woods and along a rough track that took us through old olive groves and gave us views over the tops of the trees in the Los Llanos woods.

This track emerges at the service road which runs alongside and above the A355 and then meets the road to the main quarry entrance, as one walks along this road everything is covered in a white dust of which clouds of the stuff are being generated by the quarry activities, surely this can't be good for the environment. The rock being quarried that produces the dust is Dolomite.

After passing the quarry entrance we follow the valley of the Rio Pereailas, which is currently totally dry, until we turn onto an ascending track that leads us out of the valley floor and into the old disused part of the quarry. This is one of the most difficult parts of the route as there is no shade and the track that we are walking on is white as are all the rocks around us, so the sun and heat is being reflected onto us, it was like walking in an oven, the only compensation being the views. It reminded me of a scene from Dr No.

We eventually emerge out of this old quarry and onto the track that leads us to our final stage and was the last section of the 20km hike that we did earlier in the year. Thankfully we are now back into reasonable shade as we tackle the very rocky path which then becomes even more so where the rain has washed out most of the soil and exposed the bedrock. A short stretch of this path required a bit of clambering over rocks, but the goal of the service track to the finish is in sight.

The final section of the walk involves a reasonably surfaced track that is used for vehicular access to the antennae, so good progress is made and again mainly in the shade as the track is lined with trees. This is an easy walk back the the car park which is at the start of this service track.

Create Routes
or Search for a route
from millions at MapMyWalk

New Cave, Fuente, Casa and the Chocolate Trail.

It all started a few months ago when  just two or three of us went walking on a Thursday and discovered some new routes. I then found that others were interested in walking on a Thursday also, and the Thursday Explorers group was formed, and today was a great example of what this group is all about.

I had plotted a route to check out an alternative for the planned Saturday Group walk, but it soon proved that this route would only be suited to a limited few so the original plan went out of the window and we followed our collective noses.

Our route started at the beginning of the Camino Forestal,  which runs at the foot of the Sierra de Mijas behind Alhaurin el Grande, and took us past the Jurrasic riverbed which we discovered last week and along a well used track that passes the water deposito fed by the Fuente Acebuche. However whilst on this track I was in need of a comfort break and ducked into what appeared to be a gully between the rocks only to discover the mouth of a very well hidden mine (disused). Even to John (who has walked these tracks many, many times) this was a new discovery.

After a short while we came upon some bukdings which John informed us was part of the Gun Club and indeed there were actually toilets (locked) and an open area where Clay Pigeon or Skeet shooting would take place.

We continued along the track until we came to the point where I had planned to turn right and take the track that I had found from Google Earth, and again this was new to John. However the track was VERY steep, long and very rocky, most unsuitable for the Saturday group. It took quite an effort for us to get to the level track at the top. Fortunately this track had a better surface and was thankfully flatter. This track led us to the access to the Fuente Achebuche, which we took and then John took us up the steps to the Casa Forestal which again was a discovery for me and the rest of the group.

We took a well deserved break at the Casa and admired the amazing views from the terrace of the Casa and watched an aircraft take off from Malaga airport in the distance, and knowing that we were actually higher than the plane.

An alternative route was then proposed by John, and being that this was the Rufti Tufti Explorers group we decided to try it. The route that we took, we believe, was at one time the main route over the mountains to between the Alhaurins and Mijas, as although time, footfall and the weather had took it’s toll, it was obvious that the path had been constructed, with steps and retaining rocks still visible. This route again took us through some excellent wooded area with plenty of fauna which was showing plenty of new growth, indicating that there must be water not far below the surface.

This path joined the path that leads up from the helicopter landing area far below to the fire track some considerable height above us, we take the route down and pass the ‘hidden mine’ which we have now visited a couple of times, and make our next decision at the helicopter landing area. Decision made, we are to take the Chocolate Trail, so called because of the amount of Carob Trees, whose seeds were used to make chocolate many years ago and their pods are used as animal feed.

The path down the Chocolate Trail, is possible one of the best that I have ever walked on, it was truly stunning, in fact we were walking on the dry bed of the Cañada de las Palomas (Glen of the Pigeons).

This ended at the main Camino Forestal and it was this that we took back to our start.

In essence a most satisfying hike, enjoyed by all.

Create Routes
or Search for a route
from millions at MapMyWalk

Caves, Mines, Fuentes and a Casa Forestal - 09 June 2016

Today was areal hike of discovery with a small group of the Thursday Explorers. We started at the beginning of the Camino Forestal opposite the Mirador Hotel in Alhaurin el Grande, and the first part of our route was up to where our walk the previous Saturday had turned around and then along that route for a couple of kilometres. We then left this main Camino and took to the narrow rocky path that leads down to the Cave.

Although a couple of us had been there before it was a treat for John as he missed our last outing to this. We then re-traced the path back to the main Camino, crossed it and took to the steep service track for the High Voltage electricity lines, crossed another fire track and then onto the rocky path to the Hidden Mine.

The only evidence from this track is a spoil heap which would be unnoticed unless you knew what it was. Again John was in his element and explored the extent of the mine. Another back-track to the fire track and then along this rather pleasant level path with magnificent views across the valley and to Malaga.

It was then by chance that I spotted some conifers that are not common in this forest by are more suited to where there is habitation, a narrow stoney track took off to the right and after a short walk the building came into sight, and this was the Casa Forestal. There are no signs to it and could be very easily missed. A visit to this building was made, which was originally the base for the Forest Guardia, now recently renovated as a somewhat bland monument to times past, despite this the views from the terrace where splendid.



We retraced our steps back down the stoney access path and returned onto the main track and with a short distance were at the path leading to the Fuente Acebuche, which unfortunately due to the extended length of the dry spell is reduced to a trickle.

From here we slightly deviated from the planned route, but this doesn't matter as we are exploring, and took another path down to a a main Camino which lead us back to the Camino Forestal but not before another discovery of what appeared to be the remains of a very ancient well head and then another of some very unusual rock formations which John believed to be at one time, millions of years ago, a river bed.

Overall a very pleasant hike with some very interesting finds, fortunately mainly in the shade of the trees as the temperature was 38c when we returned to the cars.

Create Routes
or Search for a route
from millions at MapMyWalk

Camino Forestal - 04 June 2016

It is now becoming difficult to find routes that offer a reasonable amount of shade now that the summer is upon us, however todays route is one that is always a favourite in the warm weather.
There are a few gradients and a couple of short sharp inclines but apart from that it is a fairly easy ramble along the forest track amongst the pine trees and offering great views over the valley.

Click on an image to open image viewer;