The starting point for the walk was "At the far end of the car park, concrete steps descend on to the riverside camping terrace, below which brick steps lead to stepping-stone ford across the stream". The first problem was that there was a Spanish family already there with a dog. A dog free from a lead. It wasn't a big dog, only about ankle high. But that didn't stop it thinking he was a rottweiler. It came snapping around our heels. With every second we stayed there it grew in confidence. The family were loving it! Casually shouting the dog until it had a bite at Monica. We quickly made our escape and headed for a crossing over the stream. It turns out that it was the wrong crossing.
On the wrong path after the dog attack!
The choices open to us appeared to be to continue along a track heading up the hill or follow the stream. Another bigger dog was up stream so even if the guidebook stated "follow the stream" there was no way Monica would follow it. The guidebook mentioned a number of electric pylons to follow as markers. Not one was in sight. "Maybe they have taken them down?" I offered, knowing that turning back was not an option.
Lost again Dino!
The track was heading in the right direction. The views of the valley were spectacular. We agreed to follow the track and see what happens. Half an hour of climbing later we reached the peak. From here we had lovely views towards the sea and over the mountains. The guide claimed "spectacular views of La Maroma". We could see it, but only just. It turns out that we had taken the suggested "short cut" back from the walk, so was not where we thought we were. We were looking for a track on the right that was the short cut, but obviously we never found it.
Lovely views.
We convinced ourselves that we were on the right track, which we were, but decided to put the guidebook away and look for the path ourselves. We could see the firebreaks on the opposite side of the valley. The ruins of "La Parra" were also visible. Except we were not looking for these way makers as we had put away the book.
La Parra.
The path continued to climb for a while before levelling out. We passed a small stream that we practically ignored. This was one of the waypoints in the guide. Looking back now, I couldn't even remember the stream. Our attention was taken by the sounds of barking in the distance. Not one dog, but a pack.
With the noise getting increasingly louder, it was clear that they were coming from a cortijo that we were to pass. There were around 5 dogs, all of which were untied. Monica began to relax slightly when we realised that the owner was present and that the cortijo was on a plateau, about 25 metres above the path. Our stride quickened as we got to the cortijo. The dogs grew louder and louder. I spotted one make a breakaway from the group and it came to the edge of the plateau. Its curiosity got the better of him and he jumped down the bank to have a good look at us. He had a good sniff around me, continuing to bark. I think my "hola" calmed him down although it was probably more to do with us moving away from his territory. Another dog disaster averted. But at a cost of missing our turning.
We continued along the path for another 30 minutes. We were getting a bit concerned as the walk should have taken 2 and a half hours. We were on the 2 hour mark and we still seemed to be heading away from the start. Added to that, there was no sign of the path turning around. I dug out the guidebook and read. "The next turning is at a cortijo 10 minutes past a stream". We had just reached a stream. "OK, We'll give it 15 more minutes".
The 15 minutes soon turned into 20 minutes. No sign of a cortijo. Every twist in the road would give us hope that the track was turning direction. The next twist would shatter that illusion. The final straw came when we spotted a 4x4 on top of the mountain, going downhill. We watched to see where it went. It became obvious that it was on our track and sure enough it went sailing past us. We had no option but to turn back.
On the way back it is easy to see your mistakes. "I think this is the turning". It was a very feint track down the hillside. "If we reach a cortijo in 5 minutes it is", cue barking from dogs at the cortijo. At least they let us go passed unhindered this time. 15 minutes later we crossed the stream. We know the way for next time. We could even pick out the rough track on the other side of the valley that we should have taken.
More animal danger.
The next obstacle to pass was a herd of goats. The clanging of their bells warned us of there presence. I didn't know what to expect as we approached them. No need to worry as they jumped off the track on to the hill side when we got near them. Until we got to the centre of the pack, where they eyed us wearily from the edge. The goat herder was behind with his cane. Monica was afraid that he would have a dog. It seems that his voice was all he needed to move the goats though. He grunted something at us in response to our "hola". Obviously not one for chit chat. Must be a lonely life in the mountains.
La fabrica de la luz.
We arrived back at the top of the track that we now realised was the short cut back. We had been on the move for well over 3 hours. We decided to try and find the beginning of the route rather than go back the same way. So we arrived at the point with the spectacular views of La Maroma. Unfortunately, clouds were obscuring the view. We found the pylons that were to be our way markers. The path down was rough and it was a good job the guide mentioned the pylons as I wouldn't have recognised it as a path to anywhere. With "la fabrica de la luz" in view the path turned away from it. "Lets go off path", my famous last words. An undignified 15 minute scramble later with Monica cursing me all the way we finally reached the stream. The stepping stones and concrete steps visible. No idea how you were meant to see then from the top though.
The crossing.
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