Day 37 – at Puerto de la Ragua

I opted for the longer hike, a circuit of the mountain Chullo, and set off early, just after the sun came above the hills. It had been a refreshingly cool night up at 2000 metres, the temperature dropping down to 3C. It was even necessary to put the heating on for half an hour; the diesel system is so efficient that is all that is needed.

After a half hour or so on a forest track the view opened out, and not so far away down below, was the Mediterranean Sea. The last time I had seen it was when I landed at Thessaloniki airport before Bike Balkans in 2018. The track is an MTB route also, and there were quite a few cyclists around. I met an English in over for a week’s holiday. There are all sorts of grade of riding available here, all quite natural rather than man-made, and they include a 486 kilometre – 12,706 metre uphill, totally off-road route called the TransNevada which I have had an eye on for a while, just need to roll the years back some way..

After 11 kilometres the track reaches Laguna Seca, the sort of place in the Lakes we call Winter Tarn. From here it’s a footpath back around the north side of Chullo, but at the Laguna, and the few kilometres before it are the best views.

It’s a really good day out.

Back at the pass I decided to stay a second night. My neighbours a few meters away, from Bristol, though they live now in Almeria, decided to do the same, and we shared notes on the route, which they had done with their new rescue dog also, though they were a couple of hours longer than me. For the first time on this trip I noticed the effects of altitude today, not so much in tiredness, but more in dehydration and the sun. The temperature was up above 25C for most of the afternoon. It’s good to know it will cool very quickly. A couple of young Spanish runners who parked up later to go out, told me that unlike most Spaniards the winter in Andalucia is by far their favourite time. I can imagine it..