GR7 Trevélez-Lanjarón 39 kms .

08-04-2001
At 7.30 I am ready for action and at 8 I walk from Trevélez hands in pocket in the devilish cold air of a deserted Sunday morning. There's not a soul about, the village and its valley seem frozen in time, in absolute stillness and quiet, waiting to be woken by the as yet unrisen sun.

Taking the road [1] I am hoping that with luck I might hitch a lift to the next village and after a couple of kilometres luck does arrive in the form of Jesus, on the way to his work as a mountain guide [2]. Jesus was kind enough to take me the 12 kms. to Busquístar which soon pass as we chat amicably.

Starting along the GR7 from Busquístar in the direction of Pitres the temperature is now much more comfortable and I soon arrive at Fuente Agria [on the outskirts of Pórtugos ]. I soon decide against drinking and filling the water bottle, it might be good for the health, but its strong mineral content and taste of iron are too much for me. Where the water flows it leaves a thick rusty coating on the rocks.

Later passing through the centre of Pitres the stiff climb begins, up to the hamlet of Capilerilla . A charming, cosy place it demonstrates well the typical architectural feature of the "tinao"; parts of the streets where the terraces of the houses are built across the street to join with those on the opposite side, forming shady cool passages and nooks between the houses.

The next few hours of the walk are very exiting for me. Passing into the valley of the Rio Poqueira, the route passes the sister villages of Capileira, Bubión and Pampaneira, to me the most beautifull part of The Alpujarra. Many foreigners are to be seen, some living here for a large part of the year, particularly during the winter, and many more visit in groups or individually, on walking holidays, I met with more than one large group on this section.

Crossing the shoulder of hill between Capilerilla and the Poqueira the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada come into sight, rising to 3000 metres and more. Leaving the path temporarily and following the track gives access to a crag and after an easy scramble an even better perspective is obtained of the three well preserved villages immediately below, and the green valley stretching away up the highest snow clad peaks.

A local man passing along the track by car shows me the GR7 path which goes steeply down, directly towards Bubión. Following the track would have led me onto the road rising from Capileira towards the Mirador de Treveléz at 2000m. but I will leave that for another time. On the way down to Bubión a Dutch couple appear and we stop chatting for a while but soon, on arriving in Bubión, I take a well earned breakfast on a perfect sun-warmed terrace.

Another wonderfull cobbled path leads down from Bubión church to Pampaneira ; it doesn't surprise me that the village is full of visitors, it is one of the most beautifull villages I have ever seen, with its steep narrow streets and all perfectly well preserved. In the bakery I am able to buy a "torta de chicharrones" [3] for 200 pesetas, which in spite of being delicious, lasted me two days. After making a phone call home and buying a new map of the whole of the Sierra Nevada I continue on my way then, towards 1 o'clock while climbing out of the valley and coming across a shady place with a good spring I take a rest, drink and try a goodly slice of the torta.

On this part of the walk towards Sopotújar one sees a different panorama across the valley of Órgiva with the Sierra de Lujar standing permanent guard behind the town, and looking further way down the depresion cut by the Rio Guadalfeo, the sea near Motril is visible. Entering Soportújar at about 2.30 I take a break in the first bar. A break consisting of 2 large cold beers accompanied, as is the custom in these parts, by 2 delicious and generous tapas, all for the sum of 300 pesetas, which lead me to stay and sleep a good siesta.

The path leaves Soportújar along the irrigation channel which supplies the village, and so the walking is relatively easy and level until arriving at the junction of the channel with the Río Chico at the dam, dique 24.

The Río Chico has fame as a violent and destructive river, in times of heavy rain flash floods can carry all before them. The dam was constructed in 1942 with the aim of calming its flow and now the waters flow over the top to fall thunderously down. Now it is silted up so I doubt if it would be effective.

After crossing above the dam the path follows the valley edge downstream to the village of Cáñar, another village at a height of about 1000m. following the pattern of those before it. The next valley to cross after the village is the deep Barranco de Peñas . Just after crossing this I am enveloped in a column of smoke rising from a fire 200 metres below, a frightening situation with the wind blowing towards me. An inspecting helicopter makes a few passes and goes away as the smoke begins to lessen, and I become calmer.

On breasting a shoulder of hill Lanjarón comes into sight below. A large village famous for its waters, hot for medicinal bathing and bottled for table use. Sitting at 660m. with a milder climate it is able to grow oranges which I begin to see on the long hard descent, and on the long approach from the edge of the village to the centre. Throwing caution to the winds I take a more luxurious room than is my wont, to celebrate my last night in The Alpujarra, in the Hotel Miramar. On the recommendation of my kind host I have eaten in the nearby Bar Los Mariscos, specialists in good seafood at a better price. The ingredients coming from nearby Motril daily everything is extraordinarily good, flavoursome fish, exellent service; I fell lucky here and will always remember it, but now, as usual, to bed and a well earned rest at 10.30.

© Juan Holgado

Translated and adapted by Jeremy Rabjohns

Translators notes

[1] The actual GR7 uses a path above the road on the west side of the valley. It leaves Trevelez from the Bario Alto and takes about 5 hours to reach Busquístar

[2] Nevadensis in Pampaneira, www.nevadensis.com information and guiding service.

[3] A bread containing scraps of chitterlings.