Day 53 – to Grazalema

I had a route planned from Puerto Saucillo, but had second thoughts this morning. At each parking area in Natural Parks a display shows the footpaths, then they are marked with a colour, the whole way around. In the UK we don’t do this. Footpaths in National Parks are generally not marked, intentionally so. Walkers are expected to have suitable maps and equipment for the route. It’s a controversial area and is regularly debated. More than previously people wander onto quite serious paths using an unsuitable map, usually in their phones, and are stuck when the weather closes in, the phone signal drops, or the battery dies.

So today I planned a route away from the marked paths that here mark a well-trodden circuit from the pass at Saucillo to the pass at Bellina. Any route here takes in the wonderful forests, but not all give the views that can be gained from higher points. But the unmarked routes are harder going, and quite overgrown.

In the afternoon I drove the 60 kilometres or so to Grazalema, and it’s Natural Park. Apart from going through the town of Ronda, the route is a great one to drive.

The Sierra de Grazalema rises from the bottom of the ocean as a gigantic wall dotted with typical white Andalucian villages, in the province of Cadiz.

This is the rainiest place in Spain, as it receives the Atlantic storms directly, but not at the moment. The level of the reservoirs is low, and many rivers have dried up. It hasn’t received any proper rain for months, but it is about to. The forecast originally predicted a day of rain on Saturday, then extended that to two, then three, and now four; showers on Friday, then rain until Wednesday. We will see..

The massif is popular with outdoor adventurers, more so than it’s neighbours. It lends itself well to huge panoramas from relatively accessible paths, for hikers, MTB riders and road cyclists also, and it is renowned for its climbing. In addition it has a large number of limestone caverns. It has several colonies of vultures, including a few pairs of Egyptian Vultures, which are seriously endangered.

I parked in the town of Grazalema, which had some tourists visiting, but was quiet. I can imagine it being extremely busy in summer and at weekends. I had a couple of beers in the Plaza as the light faded and the temperate dropped, and soon decided to stay put.