Technorati Tags: Alpujarras, Badaje, Lanjaron, panoramic photos

Produced by Graham Benbow.

Technorati Tags: Alpujarras, andalucia, gr7, Lanjaron, Soportujar, Walking

The bridge over the Rio Chico at Dique 24 waterfall was washed away during the winter. Now a fallen tree aids progress.

Crossing the Rio Chico by tree bridge

The photos below show the new paths emerging from the old landslips, primarily before and after leaving the village of Cañar.

Path crossing landslip just before Cañar

Another landslip between Cañar and Lanjaron now ok to walk

Cañar itself looked very fine in the afternoon sunshine on our walk today. The temperatures were a pleasant 18 deg C with light winds and good clear visibility. This is a nice stretch of the GR7 and is a must for anyone visiting the Alpujarras.

Entering the Alpujarra village of Cañar

The village of Cañar

Walking along the GR7 in the Alpujarras

Other Walking Tours in the Alpujarras

Always interesting, appealing, varied and relaxing! The Alpujarras offer something for everyone. The contrasting views, the rich heritage as well as the open friendliness of the people makes this an ideal location for a walking holiday. Many of the villages have public drinking fountains where you can enjoy an ice-cold glass of mineral water or fill a bottle for later.

entering-canar-gr7

The GR7 is one of the top long distance paths running through Europe. Combine the beauty, sunshine, villages and ideal walking of the Alpujarras and the result is a enticing mixture. You will walk at between about 700 metres and 1400 metres most days.

The Alpujarra boast stunning scenery, hot sunny weather and is a wonderful area for walking. During the spring and autumn months the surroundings are particularly beautiful; in spring the land is carpeted with a vast array of wild flowers and blossom adorns the fruit trees which are dotted around the slopes. In autumn leaves turn. The area is characterised by steep valleys scoured by rivers and streams hurtling down the mountainside from the snow covered slopes above, many of which rise to over 3000 metres. Traditional farming has left a legacy of terraced valley sides, dotted with small buildings or cortijos, which were the summer residence of village farmers.

Canar from the GR7 above Lanjaron

The Alpujarra was one of the last outposts of the Moors when they ruled Spain many years ago. They left a legacy of attractive villages, built in a style unique to this part of Spain, together with many miles of acequias, a complicated system of irrigation which remains to this day. These are fed from numerous springs which are a product of the snow capped peaks of the Sierra Nevadas, producing crystal clear waters enriched with minerals. Many of the villages have public drinking fountains where you can enjoy an ice cold glass of mineral water or fill a bottle for later.

Below is a short video of a recent trip along the GR7 in the Alpujarras, starting at Capileira and ending in Lanjaron.

Technorati Tags: bubion, canar, capileira, Lanjaron

The records below make interesting reading and include the records for the whole of 2009.

Records for the month of December 2009

alpujarra-weather-station-december-2009

Records for 2009 as a whole

alpujarra-weather-station-2009

You may also be interested in:
Visit the Lanjaron weather station live datafeed
View past weather records
Sierra Nevada Mountain Weather Forecasts

Technorati Tags: Alpujarras, Weather

Technorati Tags: Alpujarras, station, Weather

The stables are situated on a small plateau at a height of 1200 metres above the spa town of Lanjaron in the Alpujarra region of Andalucia, close to Granada. Wonderful views of the surrounding countryside, hills and Sierra Nevada mountains are evident in all directions!  

Sarah Vesey of Caballo Blanco established the riding centre back in 1993. Since then it has grown to become one of the leading and most well known equestrian centres in Andalucia. On offer are rides between 1 hour and multi-day excursions into the hills and mountains. Novices and children are most welcome, as are single travellers. For the advanced rider there are challenging trails on offer in the glorious mountain scenery of the Sierra Nevada.

Riding lessons are available by the hour. Childrens’ parties can be arranged. We cater for special occasions, aniversaries, birthdays etc

Their horses are fully trained to be ridden either western style or traditional style. They have a wide choice of horses of varying ages to suit the beginner and advanced rider.  Easy hacks or challenging trail rides. There is something there for all.  There is a varied choice of ride from 1 hour to a 8 day multi-day trail ride high in the mountains.

For all the latest details of our horses, as well as news, happenings, photo uploads, guests comments, events and gossip, from the stables visit the  Caballo Blanco Social Network

Technorati Tags: Alpujarras, andalucia, hacks, horse, Misc, riding, stables, Trekking

The Alpujarra boast stunning scenery, hot sunny weather and is a wonderful area for walking. During the spring and autumn months the surroundings are particularly beautiful; in spring the land is carpeted with a vast array of wild flowers and blossom adorns the fruit trees which are dotted around the slopes.

The region covers the lower, southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada. The terrain drops from the jagged heights of the Sierra Nevada to forested gorges and citrus groves with tiny, whitewashed Moorish villages clinging precariously to the side of the hills. The sleepy villages of Soportujar and Canar contrast with the more touristic types found around Capileira, Bubion and Trevelez.

The area is characterised by steep valleys scoured by rivers and streams hurtling down the mountainside from the snow covered slopes. Traditional farming has left a legacy of terraced valley sides, dotted with small buildings or cortijos, which were the summer residence of village farmers.

The Alpujarra was one of the last outposts of the Moors when they ruled Spain many years ago. They left a legacy of attractive villages, built in a style unique to this part of Spain, together with many miles of acequias, a complicated system of irrigation which remains to this day. These are fed from numerous springs which are a product of the snow capped peaks of the Sierra Nevadas, producing crystal clear waters enriched with minerals. Many of the villages have public drinking fountains where you can enjoy an ice cold glass of mineral water or fill a bottle for later.

Walking Tours

There are many tour companies offering guided walking throughout the region. Walking tours in the Alpujarras will lead you into some incredible locations and scenery. The area offers walks of great variety and suits both relaxed ramblers and the more adventurous hiker. The contrasting views, the rich heritage as well as the open friendliness of the people makes this an ideal location for a walking holiday.

The first is from a central base in Lanjaron. From here our experienced guides will take you out each day. Some of the walks are circular in nature and some are linear with organised pick up locations (more detail below).

Spanish Highs Mountain Guides have been established here since 1999. They offer two  types of walking tour.  The first is from a central base in Lanjaron. From there experienced guides will take you out each day. Some of the walks are circular in nature and some are linear with organised pick up locations (more detail below).

The second tour offered is a multi-day linear tour, staying overnight in different villages for example, Soportujar, Capileira, Bubion, Busquistar, Pitres or Trevelez. Your luggage is taken on each day to the next days stop over.

Sample Tours

A ROUND OF THE POQUEIRA GORGE – SAMPLE CIRCULAR WALK

We take you up to the start of the walk in the village of Capileira. The route takes us round the head of the dramatic Poqueira Gorge and up to a height of 2000m with an option to ascend to the Poqueira Hut at 2500m. The scenery is wild and mostly accompanied by the rushing waters of the river. We have options available for a 5 hour or 7 hour hike depending on requirement. There are some short, steep gradients involved and a height gain of 500m (1000m for the ascent to the hut).

PAMPANEIRA, SOPORTUJAR, CANAR AND LANJARON – SAMPLE LINEAR WALK

The walk linking these villages along the GR7 is full of variety. Forest, cultivated land, gorges, streams and irregation channels, compete with sleepy white villages. The walk is, for the most part, of easy gradients. Time 5.5 hours. Ascent 550m.

TAHA DE PITRES TO ORGIVA – SAMPLE LINEAR WALK

Explore the quiet villages of La Taha below Pitres before crossing the Rio Trevelez gorge via a narrow bridge and ascending the steep hillside behind via a ingenious path. Above the gorge we follow old trails and the GR142 down to the Rio Cadiar. We are now in the vicinity of Los Agustines and we follow the road back to the market town of Orgiva. 5hrs. 200m ascent.

VENTURA TRAILHEAD, CASA FORESTAL DE TELLO AND LANJARON – SAMPLE LINEAR WALK

We start from a high point at 2100 above Lanjaron after a 45 minute 4WD journey. Here we make the short ascent to the old ruined Ventura Hut with good views up the valley to the Cerro de Caballo and the Rio Lanjaron. Then it’s a long descent over open moorland and into then pine forests around Casa Forestal de Tello. After crossing the Rio Lanjaron we follow the old drove road of the “Camino de Las Sierras” back down to a welcome drink in Lanajron. 4hrs. 50m ascent.

PUENTE PALO FOREST, CUNA AND LANJARON – SAMPLE LINEAR WALK

The pine forests of Puente Palo are our start point. This area lies at 1700m above the village of Canar. Following good tracks we climb up though the forest eventually emerging from the last trees. A short section of pathless ground follows until we reach the ridgeline, which is followed to the summit of Cuna (2292m). The ridge down is followed before breaking off and following a series of interesting trails that lead back down into Lanjaron. Intersting and contrasting views throughout of both the Lanjaron and Rio Chico valleys. 5hrs. 600m ascent.

More Information about the Walking in the Alpujarras or  Walking along the GR7 and GR142

Video showing the type of walking found in the Alpujarras

Technorati Tags: Alpujarras, Walking

The GR7 is one of the top long distance paths running through Europe. Combine the beauty, sunshine, villages and ideal walking of the Alpujarras and the result is a enticing mixture. You will walk at between about 700 metres and 1400 metres most days.

The Alpujarra boast stunning scenery, hot sunny weather and is a wonderful area for walking. During the spring and autumn months the surroundings are particularly beautiful; in spring the land is carpeted with a vast array of wild flowers and blossom adorns the fruit trees which are dotted around the slopes. In autumn leaves turn. The area is characterised by steep valleys scoured by rivers and streams hurtling down the mountainside from the snow covered slopes above, many of which rise to over 3000 metres. Traditional farming has left a legacy of terraced valley sides, dotted with small buildings or cortijos, which were the summer residence of village farmers.

The Alpujarra was one of the last outposts of the Moors when they ruled Spain many years ago. They left a legacy of attractive villages, built in a style unique to this part of Spain, together with many miles of acequias, a complicated system of irrigation which remains to this day. These are fed from numerous springs which are a product of the snow capped peaks of the Sierra Nevadas, producing crystal clear waters enriched with minerals. Many of the villages have public drinking fountains where you can enjoy an ice cold glass of mineral water or fill a bottle for later.

Below is a short video of a recent trip along the GR7 in the Alpujarras, starting at Capileira and ending in Lanjaron.

Technorati Tags: Alpujarras, Lanjaron, Walking