Sunflower Books: Landscapes of ANDALUCIA AND THE COSTA DEL SOL: WALKS AND CAR TOURS

Andalucía, 4th edition, published 2010, updated 13/01/12

(To visit the web page for this book on our main site, click here )

Updates for walks and car tours (drives) in Andalucía given below supplement those provided in the guidebook. It is vital that this Update is read in conjunction with the text of the book, but note that the Update applies only to the edition stated and not to any earlier editions. (If you have an older edition of this book and want to "upgrade" to the latest edition at half price, click here.)

Information has been forwarded to us by users of the book, and Sunflower Books offers the data in good faith but cannot be held responsible for any misleading or inaccurate content in the Update. Unless indicated otherwise, what appears here has not been verified by the author or publisher, so please allow due caution when new or amended routes are suggested. Each piece of information is dated; bear in mind that some of the older observations may have since been overtaken by events or further changes. If, during your holiday, you are using the current edition of the guide and are able to provide any additional updating to add to this page, we will be pleased to hear from you. Please send information, preferably in hard copy, by post, to Sunflower Books, PO Box 115, Exeter EX2 6YU (or if you prefer, by e-mail, to mail@sunflowerbooks.co.uk).

Walk 4: The path between Bubión and Pampaneira which suffered damage due to heavy rain in 2010, has now been repaired. Plaza de la Libertad in Pampaneira actually has several bars, handicraft and other shops, including an interesting little chocolate factory and shop. (User, 6/11)

Walk 5: In Carataunas there is no bar. The Venta El Venao bar/restaurant on the road just above the village was closed in June 2011 and had been for some time according to locals. I spoke to the owner, who said she was planning on reopening in July 2011, but she did not sound very convinced of this herself. Since Bayacas has no bar or shops either, this means that there are no places to buy drinks or food between Soportjar and Órgiva, unless you find the Venta at Carataunas open. (User, 6/11)

Walk 16: This is one of our favourite walks. This year the arroyo del Laurel had more water in than ever before. This was no problem. At the far end of the walk, by the beehives, a huge fence has been erected preventing us getting onto the road (1h31m).Then we were prevented from getting off the road to go up past Cortijo del Colmenor. A third fence confounded us and we had to retrace our steps to the layby and break back in here before climbing up to rejoin the path. Having done this walk before, we knew what we were trying to do. A person new to this walk would have been lost. (User, 11/11)

Walk 17: Just before you meet the dirt road at Puerto de Marbella, there is a good path off to the left which leads to the top of Cruz de Juanar (45min up, 25 down). This is an excellent viewpoint and is a good extension for those with time and energy. (User, 7/10) [Editor's note: Presumably this user is referring to the path shown on the map.)

Walk 19: we enjoyed this walk, but I do have a few comments on the timing and description. 1. It's worth noting that the whole route is in fact a drivable track, and various Parque notices indicate that the route is suitable for vehicles. For example, a noticeboard at the start suggests allowing 2 hours for the round trip by vehicle. And indeed, the whole route is shown as a small road on the ordinary Michelin (1:200,000) road map. Because of this, the map inthe book showing only the first part of the route as a drivable track is incorrect, presumably because it is out of date. 2. We attempted the "shorter walk" to "The Cathedral". We must have got most of the way there, because once we turned, we walked back to the start point at a good pace, not less than 3 mph, and it took us 1 hr 20 min,
suggesting 4 miles, and the whole out & back distance is only 8 miles. We were well calibrated against your timings. For example, we reached the 38' point in around 35', and we reached the two cortijos (44') in good time. But things started to go a little awry after this: 3. The book mentions "passing a deep gorge on the far side". At the time, we assumed this meant a deep gorge of the river, and we wondered "on the far side of WHAT?". Writing now, I guess that you don't mean the gorge of the river but a gorge coming in from the (far) side. If so, an extra word or two (e.g. "a side gorge"?) would be a lot clearer. 4. The book mentions (58') a "sheer, orange-coloured section of cliff". But there are orange cliffs all over the place, and we had no idea where this one was supposed to be or which it was. We failed to spot the white monument at the Mirador (though we later visited it), so we were now a bit out of synch with the instructions. 5. We certainly spotted a "straight and level section" (1h20) though we're uncertain whether it was the one referred to in the book, and saw "yet another weir" (presumably the third?) and we were again a little early on your 1h29, but we didn't see the casita. We could see in the distance what looked like a large, white rectangular block building, but by 1h40 we still hadn't reached it. We were by now on a LONG descent and could see the large block building about another 5-10 min ahead, but because of time of day we had to call a halt and turn back. As I mention in point #2 above, this was at about 4 miles out. We hadn't seen anything like the lagoon pictured on p.122 of the book. My best interpretation is of what happened is: - for whatever reason, we missed the casita; - the white block building was something different; - we must have been close to the cathedral lagoon when we turned back; but I wonder whether you can make more sense of what happened than we can? (User, 1/12)

Walk 21: There is now a very clear junction at Llano de las Presillas, with signposts to Grazalema and Puerto del Boyar, and the path is very clear all the way to Grazalema. (User, 7/10)

Walk 22: It is easy to go wrong after the Casa Fardela fuente. It would be a good idea to include a photo showing the rock 'wall' so the user can see what you mean. The path is easy to follow, with wayposts, all the way from Puerto del Boyar to Benaocaz. Some of the gates, and the need to climb a wall at
4h35min, have been eliminated. At 4h09min there is no gate but there is a waypost directing you to the left, thus missing the Cortijo de la Fuentezuela. The marked path does go past a ruined structure a little later, which may or may not be the Cortijo del Santo. (User, 7/10)