Friday 22 Feb 2013, Jimena de la Frontera to Benaocaz

I started the first leg. Had agreed with Neill to meet at the Jimena bridge, but we really did not fix which bridge it was to be. Neill was at one bridge I was at another, anyhow we did not meet and after 6 attempts by phone to contact Neill I decided that I could not afford to wait anymore and so I set off from the lower bridge right across Jimena.

It was bucketing down. The rain was phenominal, I later learnt that 50mm of rain fell that day. Water everywhere. It was like walking in an acequia (water irrigation channel). The stone footpaths were very slippery and the grasses paths pure mud. It made the going very slow. Apart from the rain and ferocious wind, the only problem encountered was the Garganta de Diego Diaz. I think that this is normally a tiny stream and probably dry, but on the day was a raging torrent. There were some large rocks to jump across, but with the rain they were too slippery and too risky.

So took off the shoes and waded across. Then I decided that before I put the shoes back on, I had better check if the stream had to be crossed again, and so it was. So I walked barefoot for another 15 – 20 more and crossed again. Put my shoes on, and realised that I need not have bothered. It was raining so hard that the shoes were full of water. Anyhow after that I had to cross the same stream 3 more times and did not bother to take off shoes.

At about 1:00 pm the rain eased off and it was just a drizzle, and so I stopped, had lunch and changed socks, but shoes were soaking wet!

I arrived at Ubrique at 6 ishes entering by the Poligono Industrial. I went into a workshop and asked which was the best way to pick up the path to Benaocaz. They were incredibly willing to help. One young worker immediately opened his smartphone to get the googlemap to show me the way. Another immediately ran into the office to get a street map. When the latter returned, his boss came out with him. He was a middle aged man. He said “you have to walk right through Ubrique and at the end ask for the monastry of the Cappuccino monks. There immediately behind mit, is the Calzada Romana which is a footpath going direct to Benaocaz.

I thanked them and started walking into the town. The rain was heavy now. Then after ten minutes I heard a car repeatedly honking. I turned round. and saw the bossman in his car. He told me to get in. I said “but I am soaking wet I will wet your seat”. He told me not to worry, and drove me right up to the start of the footpath. I found out that he was a minusvalido(handicapped) through a back injury but he regularly goes kayaking on reserviors or rivers (which did not involve rapids). So we compared notes on some of the rivers.

I set off on the Calzada Romana. It is the remians of an ancient well constructed path that used to connect all the towns between Cordoba (according to the Wikipedia “It has been estimated that in the 10th century Córdoba was the most populous city in the world, and under the rule of Caliph Al Hakam II it had also become a center for education under its Islamic rulers.”) and Algecires. It a miracle that any of the path is left. Here they had 4 kms of it, a historical jewel, but not maintained and in places very badly cut up. Its an interesting work of construction with typical Roman belt and braces construction, with excellent drainage to protect the path. But over the centuries, the drains have become blocked and the heavy rains taking their toll. Its a pity to see such a heritage is being wasted away.

The path was 4 kms and steeply climbing. I was so tired by now that it took me nearly 90 mins to walk it. I got to the hotel at 8:00 pm. They’re given up on me turning up, and had been calling my mobile.

Stats:

Distance: 43 kms walked. Time: 12 hours.

Saturday 23 Feb 2013, Benaocaz

I was supposed to walk from Benaocaz to Ronda; however the previous evening I drank too much and had a terrifica hangover. Woke up an hour late and it was raining. So abandoned the walk and id a local walk.

I had lunch at Benaocaz and caught a bus to Ronda, where I stayed the night.

I will have to do the Ronda to benaocaz stage another day! As Arnie said “I’ll be back!”-

Stats:

Distance: 9.6 kms walked. Time: 3 hours.

Sunday 24 Feb 2013, Ronda to Ardales

At 8:00 met up with Patrick (who drove up from Gaucin), we drove out of Ronda and started our walk. At 8:00 there was not one single bar open to have a coffee or breakfast, so all I had was a glass of water for breakfast!

We decided not to follow the GR7, as it had a big section of the route on tarmac. So we were to do the GR243 from Ronda to El Burgo, and then find a path (not a GR) from El Burgo to Ardales. Following the GR243 to El Burgo was no problem. It was a freezing morning, all the water puddles on the path were solid ice. We got to El Burgo at 12:30 and I managed to get a coffee and sandwich.

Then we set off to Ardales. We found a cycling path that went toward Ardales, but was reputed to end up in the mountains and not connect to Ardales. All the locals said that there was no path. We decided to explore. We followed the cycle path until we thought that it was swinging back towards El Burgo. So we struck up the mountain, across the forest, to try and find a path, that Patrick had identified on googleearth that led to Ardales.

We struggled through forest, bush and up steep firebreaks, for nearly 2 hours, until we met the path; only to discover that had we stayed on the cycle path, it would have connected!

 

 

 

 

 Stats:

Time: 10 1/2 hours

Distance: 44.4 kms