SPRING WALKS 3

This morning, a perfect Spring day, we set off on the third of our walks from Guájar Alto. We began by following the same route as our first walk: through the village, heady with the scent of jasmine and orange blossom, down to the river Toba, and turning right past the swimming place. This track winds through Juncales and up to the pine forests. This time, when we reached the T junction, we turned left.

This lane meanders through the pine forests for about 10km. Looking back, there are spectacular views of the mountains stretching down to the coast in a haze of blue. Ahead, the clarity of the light enhances the deep blue of the sky. As we climbed higher, we saw a lone eagle soaring above us. The pine forests echoed with the singing of innumerable small birds. Eventually the lane bears left and passes through groves of almonds before meeting the gravel road from Guájar Alto to Albuñuelas. This is a good place to stop for refreshment or a picnic.

From here we turned left to make our way back down to Guájar Alto. On the right, you can see an old, stone kiln which was once used for the extraction of juniper essence. Further down, on the other side of the river, is the Cascada de la Toba, Guájar Alto’s most dramatic geological feature. The road follows the Rio Toba through its valley below the towering mountain, El Fuerte. Gorse and broom blazed brilliant yellow and in damp, shady places we saw maidenhair fern and the fluffy white flowers of white snakeroot. We arrived at the village a little over 2 hours later. The walk took six and a half hours, including stops for refreshment and to take photos. We estimate that it must have been a little over 20km.