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Great Malaga Path (GR 249). Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena

Diputación de Málaga
GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena

Great Malaga Path (GR 249). Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena

Route On foot
Difficulty - Blue -Easy
Access -

1. Initiation Stage :

Access Starting point: There are two access roads to Mijas from the coastal motorway AP- 7S, taking the A-368. In addition, there is the above-mentioned road from Coín and Alhaurín el Grande.

Starting point:  The Mijas ring road, actually the A-387 which connects to Coín and Alhaurín el Grande through the Puerto de los Pescadores pass. There is a place for parking, direction Coín, at the end of Calle Mirador street.

Enjoy the walk safely: During the entire walk, therefore you must be prepared. Normally there should be no problems in finding the path during the course of this stage, but you should have clear ideas of where you are if you intend to make detours or use any of the numerous alternatives to shorten or lengthen the walk. 

In the steepest areas loose stones on the path can cause slipping, but the sections of greater diffi culty for walkers are the areas of deep sand, from the pint where you leave the asphalted track going to the antennas, up to the immediate vicinity of the Tajo del Quejigal.

2. Completion of Stage:

Access to finish point:  There are various access ways into Benalmádena Pueblo fromthe Autovía del Mediterráneo, but the most  used coincides with the old road, the already mentioned A-368.

Finish point:  At the Plaza Castillejos on the Avenida Juan Luís Peralta de Benalmádena, close to where it joins with the Calle Luís Cernuda street which comes down from the sierra.

3. Alternatives :

Possible "escape  routes": Out of all the paths that turn off f the one taken in the main part of the walk, the best for a possible escape is the one which heads south from the Pino del Puerto de las Grajas. The others, going toward the northern slopes, are much longer.

Another point of escape is the asphalted track that leads up to the Cerro del Moro, a small number of cars pass by here. This track, which goes to the telecommunication antennas, leads up to the eastern access to Mijas where it joins with the possible escape described before.

No return point: In this stage it is not too relevant, given the closeness of the start and finish points. It is not advisable to continue when you have finished walking the forest track after the Pino del Puerto de las Grajas. From there the path is very mountainous and more demanding on the walker, but not for long. Once you arrive at the junction between Ruta 6 (blue) with 4 and 3 the best thing to do is to go down because it is more complicated to retrace your steps.

Connections to other footpaths and trails: 

PR-A 170, Ojén Mijas, link up in Mijas, PR-A 171, Mijas Benalmádena, overlap until km 13.5, GR 249.2, Variant through the northern Sierra.

Hazards:

• Road traffic circulating at the start and the end
• Cyclists sharing the same pathway

Duration - 6:15 horas
Length - 18000 Km
Routes

To La Cantera pass (Up to km 4.8) 

Taking the necessary precautions  when starting along the A-387 from  Calvario street, you will see the first  signpost for the Mijas footpaths. Also  look out here for a plaque dedicated to  the late author of the Sierra de Mijas’s  guidebook. The climb begins here, up  a footpath which overlaps with the Vía  Crucis (Way of the Cross) with a bench  at each station. Although the path takes  a detour to the right shortly before  reaching the chapel of El Calvario, it  is well worth visiting the Carmelite  hermit of the Virgen de la Peña. 

Leaving the section also covered  by Stage 32, the route continues to  climb upwards among the surviving  Stone pines with blackened trunks.  The vegetation in this first part is formed  mainly of Esparto grasses with Dwarf  fan palms, Confetti trees and Lavender.  As the path progresses along the ridge  of a hill you get some good views of  the coast in the forest clearings. 

On the left is the turn-off to El Barrio  quarry and to the right, the Gertrudis  ravine. After about 1,800 metres from  the start, you join the perimeter track.  A footpath belonging to the PR-A 171  continues up towards the Malaga pass  from here. Meanwhile, you take the  country track which levels out to the  east and runs along the head of the  Nacimiento stream’s catchment area,  with the Chaparral hill and Mendoza  peak on your left. At each of the interior  bends, you pass a small stream, while  the exterior edges have views over the  first of the aggregate quarries from up high. The rounded, shiny tops of the Stone  pines contrast with the white, graduated  rockfaces of the mine, which fortunately is  being regenerated with native vegetation.  The rocky slopes beside the route can  be broken down into white sands and  red clays occupied by plants that grow  almost without soil, such as Blueweed. 

The last of the track’s ledges offers  panoramic views over the coastal area  below and the ridge of the Sierra de Mijas  mountain range up ahead. The route runs  along this, all the way to the hill crowned  with tele-communications masts, the  Cerro del Moro. Almost immediately, the  vegetation changes due to the shade cast  by the peaks above, with many Holm oaks  appearing among the Aleppo pines and  Stone pines, with Kermes oaks, Juniper,  Rosemary and reasonably-sized Gorse.  You eventually come to a crossroads,  indicating your arrival at La Cantera pass  (km 4.8), where you take a forest track  in much better condition, turning to the  right. A little further on down this track,  the Great Path re-joins the PR A-171 and  the Variant coming from the west. 

Along the mountain ridge (Up to km 11.5) 

The first stretch of the new track faces  north and so results in a more mature  Aleppo pine forest, which is so dense in  fact that it hardly allows other plants to  grow. As testimony to the fact that we are  in mining country, at the turn-off to the  right there is a disused green water storage  unit, owned by the Compañía General  de Canteras S.A. to supply water for the that the shaded area around the stream  provides. 

You then pass a rest area with benches  and a water-less fountain (km 14.8), before  crossing the streamlet of El Quejigal,  with its Oleanders and Rushes. You will  find the first of the shelters here, that guide  and accompany you all the way to the  end. The path goes uphill ever so slightly,  as the vegetation grows in variety and  becomes lusher. The vegetation settled  on the cliff faces of the disused quarry is  the most interesting, where Turpentine  trees are most common. 

The GR 249 gradually turns towards the  west and approaches the Mediterranean  Motorway. The path is joined by another  route coming down from the right and  (leaving to the right the other alternative of  the same route) run alongside the fast road.  A second junction of paths has signposts  to another branch of this alternative route  and you follow the manholes and piping  that appear from time to time. The route  then passes under the AP-7S via the tunnel  of the Hondo stream, which leads to Calle  Milano in the northern part of Benalmádena,  where the stage comes to an end.

GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. First steps of the beautiful sidewalk towards the mountains Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. First steps of the beautiful sidewalk towards the mountains GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. View of the canyon of the Quarries (Canteras) with the hill of the Moor and the Costa del Sol Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. View of the canyon of the Quarries (Canteras) with the hill of the Moor and the Costa del Sol GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. The famous pine of Puerto de las Grajas Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. The famous pine of Puerto de las Grajas GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Panoramic view over the Guadalhorce valley and the bay of Malaga Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Panoramic view over the Guadalhorce valley and the bay of Malaga GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Rocky spurs to the Media Luna port area Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Rocky spurs to the Media Luna port area GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Hermitage of Calvario Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Hermitage of Calvario GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Mijas since the beginning of the Path Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Mijas since the beginning of the Path GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Detail of the Path Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Detail of the Path GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Linaria clementei Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Linaria clementei GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Restored quarry Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Restored quarry GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. View of the Cañada de las Canteras with the Cerro del Moro and the Costa del Sol Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. View of the Cañada de las Canteras with the Cerro del Moro and the Costa del Sol GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Section that runs through saccharoid sands Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Section that runs through saccharoid sands GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Remains of a lime scale Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Remains of a lime scale GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Viborera blanca (Echium albiums) Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Viborera blanca (Echium albiums) GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. From the first part of the track you can appreciate the ridge walked in Stage 34 Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. From the first part of the track you can appreciate the ridge walked in Stage 34 GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. The bay of Málaga and the town, with pines and quarries in the forefront Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. The bay of Málaga and the town, with pines and quarries in the forefront GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Views to the south, dominated by the Guadalhorce valley Imagen de GR 249. Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena. Views to the south, dominated by the Guadalhorce valley

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