I didn't start walking until midday, I had a late lift from Orgiva.
A steep climb out of Lanjaron & some hairy bits where the path was wiped by an avalanche with a lot of exposure. Hard walking and aching insteps. Defineately the best day of the walk so far.
The villages of Cañar & Soportujar were en route & I'm at Pampaniera for the night.
I couldn't really find anywhere flat & secluded to camp, so I've booked into a histal for the night !
A hot shower & central heating - luxurious.
Angie dropped me off & after 2 miles of road it was on tracks all afternoon. The weather was great, hot at times but usually a breeze to make for comfortable walking. Very rugged mountain scenery north of the route made it the best walking so far on the GR7.
I arrived in Ventas de Zafarraya in the clouds & wind.
After a couple of beers I walked on to the edge of town & found a spot at the end of the industrial area. Windy & misty, yet good enough
Walked 4miles down to Arenas del Rey, & I could see it was mostly the same harsh almond & olive hillsides. I partly walked & hitched to Jayena.
The route description made this much more appealing. After the 1st few miles on roads it was up through pine forest. Waymarking was very sparse & I kept thinking I was going the wrong direction. Much of it was south-west & I needed to go east.
Eventually decided enough for one day, & I'm camped at 4000', a cold night ahead.
The day started hot, a long descent to Ubrique, resupplied & got some thin coolmax socks, as my feet have been suffering in the heat. I started out with the same type of socks that were brilliant in the Pyrenees.
A hot slog up the Roman road to Benaocaz, where I took a much needed rest & a couple of beers, until 5pm I set off again & it was more road walking. I'm not very impressed with the amount of road walking on the GR7 so far !
After Villaluenga del Rosario it got better. I am camped in a remote spot by a stream. Lovely.
After a cool windy foggy night, today was walking pista & a little roadwork, & the odd bit of confusing path. Marking was sparse & often vandalised.
There were fantastic views of mountains from a largely agricultural hill country.
I did more miles than intended as the land is very harsh. I'm camped in nowhereland, yet can here music. A few miles in the morning will see me in Arenas del Rey.
A cold night, I should have brought my trusty downmat to sleep on. The Neoair just doesn't insulate enough.
A great walk to Albuneulas, narrow paths & stream beds in places, & well waymarked. Along a fertile valley to Restabal, to where I hoped for the campsite - fully booked by a scout troup. Damn, when I was hoping for a short day.
With uninspiring hilly land ahead I road walked/ hitched to Orgiva.
Orgiva is off the route, but friends from Brittany have a holiday home here. I met up with Danny the key-holder & am at home here.
Orgiva is a Glastonbury type place in Spain. Going to have a few days here, as I haven't slept well with the cold nights.
The 1st week too wet, 2nd week too hot, now too cold. It can only get better
A steep climb from my nights camp while it was cool made a lovely start the day. The 1st proper mountainous walking, led up to a pass & descended to a broad high valley with only cattle & birds for company. Then the pista started again for a descent through woodland that emerged into another valley, & time for the brolly.
I got into Montejaque & decided to hitch to Ronda.
I've had enough of the heat & pista/road walking. Over 90% of the walking so far has been this.
Whilst in Ronda I had a bit of a look around, then set off on an alternate route that was prettier than the 2 days of mostly road walking ahead. Only when I was still on roads with fenced-in fields either side & after 3miles of road did the view open out for miles of road ahead, agh!!!
I hitched back to Ronda, dereated by the heat & roads.
I decided to get the train to Antequerra & base-camp Angie's.
The next train was mañana, so headed out of town & camped outside a house on the 1st accessable flat spot I came to.
