La Axarquía - The Walk of the Chillar Canyon

Our mood got slightly darker after a few disappointing visits and rainy days in Murcia however it all changed as we drove back to our beloved Andalusia. Suddenly the clouds disappeared, the sun came out and bathed everything in light and warmth. We were ready for our next hike.

We didn’t have any plans for this area so we did what we always seemed to do: consulted Guy. We read through every single walk he wrote about in his book ‘Walking in Andalucía’ in this area and chose the one that is according to him the most spectacular walk of the whole region, ‘The Walk of the Chillar Canyon’. This statement says a lot as Andalusia is one of the biggest regions in the country!

We started off from the famous Cueva de Nerja (which is worth having a look at because of the cave drawings). We couldn’t believe how warm it was even though it was the 3^rd of January! After a few minutes we decided to zip off our trouser-bottoms and did the walk in shorts and T-shirts. What a change from the frost of Cazorla!

The walk was truly amazing. With Guy in one hand and a camera in the other we walked through gorges and mountain passes, four in a ‘quick’ succession!

The terrain was varied and at the first part of the walk we even had to cross a small river by hopping over stepping stones. It seemed like a perfect place for a dip during the hot summer months.

The view was amazing all throughout the walk.

We ended up in one of the perfect Andalusian ‘white villages’, in Frigiliana. 

This was the first time in our lives when we saw avocado trees. Here they are.

The walk starts from just opposite the entrance of the Cueva de Nerja and its 13.5 km takes about 5.5/6 hours. The route is not very obvious and I would suggest taking a good map or Guy with you to make sure that you stay on the right path. Our hiking guru graded it as medium/difficult and we also agree with him. Even though it’s not an easy hike the rewarding view are tremendous. Recommended!

Barranco de Gebas

When I was doing my research on the internet I came across some stunning photos of this place and was really looking forward to see it. Wow. It is truly spectacular.

The whole area is a nature reserve. I cannot compare it to anything else. It is like a desert or a lunar landscape. It consists of clay which has been formed by water and wind over the decades.

There’s not much around here apart from a few knots of grass. Some parts of the place however were cultivated with what looked like dead black trees reaching out from huge graves. It was a pretty depressing sight however when I walked closer I noticed a few remaining almonds at the end of the branches. I imagined how the place must look at spring when all the almond trees are in bloom and the place is full of white flowers and the gorgeous smell. It must be quite a transformation. Would love to see it.

The ravines of the rain can be clearly seen in the dried mud. We had the feeling that if we touched these walls the whole bit would fall crumbling down. I remember I was thinking I hope it won’t start raining as a storm could wash away the whole place.

While walking the 4km route around the area I found the perfect adjective for this place: stark beauty.

The area reaches its highest beauty factor at the reservoir, the Embalse de Algeciras. The landscape is perfectly reflected in the water, only the birds disturb the mirror-like effect.

And the rain then slowly started to fall. We thought it was the right moment to turn around and head back as fast as we can. At first it was interesting to see how the parched earth soaks in the water and how the wall's surface that was so dry before and full of cracks slowly become smooth again. However as we watched the area soaking through in my mind I could see an enormous landslide happening… which didn’t happen of course but it was better to be safe than sorry. 

It's an amazing place to be. As it was winter apart from two guys we didn't meet anybody and we had the sensation of being alone on the Earth. I wish I could see it again at spring!

Cartagena

As part of our ‘Find Some Great Places in Murcia’ mission we went to visit the second biggest town in the region, Cartagena. We were very hopeful as Murcia is famous for its lovely beaches and being January we didn’t have to worry about the hordes of tourists in the area.

The town has a very long history as apparently it has been inhabited for more than 2 millennia. It was an important port for the Romans, for the Muslims and later for the Spanish, too. Thanks to this it is supposed to have many lovely monuments and we were ready to soak it all in.

We parked our car then walked down to the port. We got to the sea and just stood there looking out. It was a warm afternoon, we were wearing only a T-shirt. The sun was shining, the water was sparkling and we saw little fish swimming under our feet. We suddenly realised just how much we miss being close to the sea. After Seville we’ll definitely move a bit closer to water.

After having lunch in the sun we walked into the town. Well... I know we have been seeing the best places of Spain but we seriously struggled to find anything worthy of taking a photo of in Cartagena. The centre that consists of a few streets is alright I guess but that includes only the shopping area. 

We moved out of the centre streets to find the famous Roman Amphitheater and we were met with the saddest sight ever.The outskirts of the town are gutted out. Many of the buildings are torn down, some of them completely and a few of them with only the façade left intact. I don’t know what happened and why does the town have to look like this but it was a very depressing sight. We had the feeling of looking ‘behind the scenes’. The roads and the few remaining buildings were dirty, unkempt and the streets were derelict. It was such a sad experience.

We finally found the amphitheater which was a huge disappointment as it was almost fully reconstructed. 80% of the stones seemed to be new.

We felt very sorry for this town. I hope luck will turn around and it will bloom once again during the summer months.  

'Look, Mother, I learnt how to fly.'