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Great Malaga Path (GR 249). Stage 21. Estación de El Chorro (Álora) - Carratraca - Ardales

Diputación de Málaga
GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales.

Great Malaga Path (GR 249). Stage 21. Estación de El Chorro (Álora) - Carratraca - Ardales

Route On foot
Difficulty - Blue -Easy
Access -

1. Initiation Stage:

Access Starting point: From Ardales, along a paved track off the MA-4401road. From Álora and Ardales, the MA-5403.

Starting point: point: Station of El Chorro.

Enjoy the walk safely:   The viewpoint placed along the penstock (reinforced high-pressure pipe structure) does not have any railings to prevent falls, and potentially could be the most dangerous spot of the whole stage. Take great care looking out if
you do walk along it.

Roads at the beginning and at the end of the stage usually do not have much traffi c, but the hard shoulder is narrow or lacking. The entrance to Ardales does have much more traffi c. The rest of the asphalt or concrete sections are actually paved country tracks. If you look at the icon representing type of surface at this stage, roads as such do not cover as much of the itinerary as it may suggest. The ford across the Arroyo del Algarrobo, at km 10.5, normally poses no problem, since here it is a dry stream bed, but be careful in rainy season just in case. The water spring of the Fuenfría is the only water source, which hasn´t, of course, been treated for human consumption, and in addition it is diffi cult to locate. Finally, at kilometre 4 there is the Embalse de Villaverde. It
is forbidden to walk along the highest perimeter track at the top edge of the reservoir and any fall into the reservoir´s basin is very dangerou.

2. Completion of Stage:

Access to finish point:  Ardales is on a detour from the A-357 Málaga- Campillos road. From El Burgo it is reachable by the mountain roads that follow the Turón river: the MA-5401 and MA-5402.

Finish point:  Municipal Museum of the Village of Ardales.

3. Alternatives:

Possible "escape  routes": The best place would be the Mesas de Villaverde, where there are the Contraembalse de la Encantada and a Venta (an inn).

No return point: Granado it is better to continue until Ardales, since with every step there are more houses and the track becomes gradually more accessible to any vehicle

Connections to other footpaths and trails:

GR 248, The Guadalhorce Great Path, links up at start, GR-7 E-4, Overlaps up to km 11, PR-A 90, El Calvario Capellán Hill – Turón, links up at start.

Hazards:

• Road traffic circulating by the reservoir and in Bobastro

Duration - 7:00 horas
Length - 21700 Km
Routes

Between the lower and upper reservoirs (Up to km 5.5) 

The hydroelectric power plant of the Tajo  de la Encantada reservoir and the Villaverde  dam are connected by a penstock (a pipeline),  well worth the effort of walking its  full length, from start to finish. You follow  it in a westerly direction along, what was  originally the service road between the  lower reservoir, the upper reservoir and the  penstock. The numerous bends are due to  the steep incline. 

The stage begins at El Chorro train station  and sets off along the road that crosses the  dam of the Tajo de la Encantada reservoir.  Then it turns right at the T-junction and  continues to a little over a kilometre from  the start. At the 11-kilometre sign of the  MA-5403, you turn off onto a gravel track  (km 1.2) heading west. Just a couple of  bends down this track, you turn off again,  this time onto a footpath, very close to where  the penstock comes out of the ground.  Continue uphill through very sparse Pine  forest. Its floor was once covered by Olive and  Almond trees, but now by Mediterranean  fan palms, Kidneyvetch, White broom and  African sandalwood. 

Further on, at the base of a steep rock  face, you have an excellent chance to inspect  its peculiar mixture of yellowish sandstone  and aggregate, predominantly calcareous but  with pebbles of other rocks such as slate,  schist or peridotite. In the strata higher up,  there are formations as a result of erosion in  the form of vaults and honeycombs, which  are very typical in this area. 

Throughout this part of the route there  are spectacular views over El Chorro, the  Guadalhorce valley, the Castellones and the  Pine forest where the previous stage ends.  The footpath widens, turning into a track as  it passes through a Pine forest of larger trees  with a few Savin Junipers. Rather suddenly,  you come face to face with the concrete wall  of the upper reservoir. Take the detour to the  right here, which climbs up to the upper edge  of the dam at the north-east end (km 3.8), a  restricted area, and then continues along the  perimeter track that follows the base of the  long dam. A clearing among the pines soon  offers one of the best views of Los Gaitanes  Gorge and its two chasms. Over to the right is  the Sierra del Huma and a little of the Sierra  del Almorchón, in particular the sharp outline  of the mountain of El Convento. There is an  information panel about the scenery and  another on the birds in the area. 

El Chorro watchtower stands on a prominent  hillock at the north-western end of the  Y-shaped reservoir. The small building next to  the path is part of the Plan for the Prevention  and Extinguishing of Forest Fires in Andalucia  (Plan Infoca). The track then turns to the south  and passes through an area that is usually  waterlogged and has abundant Tamarisk trees. 

Bobastro and Umar Ibn Hafsun (Up to km 6.3) 

After 5.6 kilometres, you join the MA-4400  service road for the reservoir, precisely at a  large bend in the road, offering a possible  deviation. The route continues down to the  right, going along the road verges until you  reach the information point of the archaeological  site of Bobastro. However, taking a  left at this bend, takes you to a viewpoint at  the Mesas de Villaverde, close to the upper  archaeological areas. There is a ledge with  difficult-to-access cave houses and Mozarab  quarries, known as the Casa de la Reina Mora  (House of the Moorish Queen). 

Umar Ibn Hafsun (Omar Ben Hafsun in  Spanish historiography) chose Bobastro  for the capital of his rebellion against the  Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba. Part of the  fortified settlement remains at the top of  Las Mesas, but some of its outbuildings were  lost during the construction of the dam in the  1970s. At the 6.6-kilometre mark, you can  visit the ruins of the cave church and other  remains (during opening hours). They are  well located strategically, protected from the  winds and facing west. The rebellion became  a tug-of-war that lasted 50 years between the  successive emirs and Hafsun’s descendants.  It finally came to an end when Abderraman  III captured the site in 928. 

The farmed ridges of Las Viñas and hill of Don Pedro (Up to km 11) 

The Aleppo pine forest ends just as you  turn off the road to the left, after travelling a  kilometre along it. The track you join is in good  condition and runs along the watershed divide  of the Granados stream and the Guadalhorce  river, which flow in opposite directions here  incidentally. The ridge is formed of clay soils,  with underlying slate and schist rocks and  dotted with country houses and farm buildings.  You pass various private residences, such as El  Bolero house, Las Zamarrillas and El Merchano  and El Boina ranch. The ancient vineyards lost  during the phylloxera epidemic were replaced  by non-irrigated crops, predominantly  Almond trees, while other areas were left for  grazing goats and sheep with White broom  and Slender broom. 

There are numerous tracks going off both  left and right, but make sure to continue along the crest of the ridge, heading south-west and  with numerous water supply pipes running  alongside. If you turn around, you have some  excellent panoramic views of the Sierra del  Huma and the Central Limestone Arc, which  includes the Torcal de Antequera and the  Guadalhorce Valley with the AVE high-speed  train line. Up ahead, is the Sierra del Agua  with its row of wind turbines. The Cruz del  Chaparro, at kilometre 8 is an excellent spot  to take a break. 

At kilometre 9, the path gets very close to the  Granado stream, with private houses scattered  on its slopes and a few small woodland areas  of Holm oaks or reforested Pines. A kilometre  and a half further on, you cross the stream  just where it narrows and there is a string of  rapids, before you climb up the other side.  You now find yourself back on Monte Público  (Public Upland) in Pine forest. This leads on  to the Riela pass, followed by the Alamedilla  area and finally to the fork where the GR 7 E4  separates from the Gran Senda de Málaga. This  goes directly to Ardales, passing by its famous  cave, which is open to visitors. 

The Blanquilla hills (also known as Sierra de Baños) (Up to km 16) 

The route gradually bends round to the  south, passing through the last area of Pine  forest on this section and soon arrives at the  Romero pass. A little further on, you leave  the forestry track for good, making a sharp  right turn onto a footpath. Going straight on  would take you directly to Carratraca (to the  right), whereas the other option takes you  to the crossroads at El Mozal.

The footpath  you turn onto, is the third decent climb of  the day and takes you up to the top of the  San Pedro hill, a commanding ridge formed  of schist with magnificent views. Geologically  speaking, this area is a dividing line. Since it  lacks the water supply from the reservoir that  the houses before the Granado stream had,  most of these other properties are abandoned  and Mediterranean shrubs thrive all around  as a result. At Los Arenalejos or Llano de los  Pinos (Plains of the Pine trees), the vegetation  changes to woodland of Stone pines, growing  in the sandy soils of the dolomite rock which  give the Sierra Blanquilla (Whitened Hills) its  name.

A rickety wire fence (km 13.2) gives  way to the municipal area of Carratraca. For the  next few kilometres, the charming pathway  rises and falls under the cover of the Pine  trees, ending up near the ruins of the Shrine of  Nuestra Señora de la Salud. As a replacement,  a small chapel was built a little further down  with a sculpture of the Virgen inside. It is here  that the village of Carratraca comes into view  for the first time. 

From Carratraca to Ardales, via the Málaga pass (To the end of the stage)

The road winds up to the eastern part of  Carratraca (km 16), on Calle Glorieta street.  Passing in front of the picturesque town hall  and the nearby tourist information office,  you come to the jewel of this whitewashed  hamlet, the Balneario. The strong smell of the sulphurous waters emanates from the  mid-19th century building with wrought  ironwork on its front. The baths and the village  itself owe their existence to these waters and  result in very attractive sites to visit.

Continuing  through the streets in a northerly direction,  you come to the Plaza de la Constitución and  the Avenida de Andalucía. Continue along this  until you come to an alleyway to the west,  which leads to the old road near a livestock  drinking trough. You then begin a descent in  a north-westerly direction through fields of  non-irrigated crops. To pass under the A-357  you have to negotiate several bends and pass  through a tunnel. On the other side of the road,  the Cortijo del Lagar has been converted into a  sheepfold on the ancient Camino del Colmenar. 

This track passes areas of mountainside  in the process of re-cultivation on the left,  while orchards of Olive and Almond trees lie  next to the Las Cañas stream on the right. The  watercourse’s source is at the nearby Málaga  pass (km 18.5), which is located between the  wind turbines and the northern slopes of the  Sierra de Alcaparaín mountain range. All the  springs here feed tributaries of the Guadalhorce  river, but take very different routes to get there.  To the north are two very dry channels, the  Cantarranas and Torre streams which support  some interesting patches of Oleanders. They  flow into the River Turón just before being  dammed, and so contribute to the province’s  largest river. The Arroyo de las Cañas goes off  to the south and accompanies the A-357  road for a good stretch until it also reaches  the Guadalhorce, near Pizarra. In this section  close to the track, Oleanders and Brambles  flourish as the water flows over the clay,  sandstone and slate. 

You climb a little further, accompanied by  two rows of trees, until we start to descend in  a north-westerly direction. The hill formed of  schist and covered in boulders to your right  is El Olivo. Also close by is El Conejo stream,  which leads to a confluence of streams in  an area with numerous farmhouses. This  is the hamlet of La Torre (km 19.4), which  the watercourse to one side shares its name  with and from where you turn slightly to  the north. There are some large Eucalyptus  trees and dykes to reduce soil erosion, but  you soon leave the valley floor to begin the  last climb of the day, near another shelter  for goats. Continue to follow this main track,  which leads to the small chapel of El Calvario  at a crossroads with privileged views of the  village of Ardales and the castle of La Peña. It  is just a short way down, but when you reach  the first houses of the village, stage 21 of the  Great Malaga Path comes to a close. 

GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. El Chorro and the Sierra del Huma with the pressure chimney of the Enchanted Reservoir (Salto de la Encantada) Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. El Chorro and the Sierra del Huma with the pressure chimney of the Enchanted Reservoir (Salto de la Encantada) GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. The slopes of Las Viñas which you have already travelled along, and the ridge of the Huma mountains in the background Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. The slopes of Las Viñas which you have already travelled along, and the ridge of the Huma mountains in the background GR 249. Etapa 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. Pine in the dolomitic sands and the Sierra de Aguas in the background Imagen de GR 249. Etapa 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales.  Pine in the dolomitic sands and the Sierra de Aguas in the background GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. The white municipality of Carratraca among pines and rainfed crops Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. The white municipality  of Carratraca among pines and rainfed crops GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. The hermitage of Calvary with Ardales and the castle of La Peña Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. The hermitage of Calvary with Ardales and the castle of La Peña GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. Start stage Sierra de la Pizarra Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. Start stage Sierra de la Pizarra GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. View of the south face of the Gaitanes Gorge Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. View of the south face of the Gaitanes Gorge GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. The sandstone cliff shows a different granulometry Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. The sandstone cliff shows a different granulometry GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. Watercourse of Arroyo del Granado surrounded by dry farmed crops and sparse scrub Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. Watercourse of Arroyo del Granado surrounded by dry farmed crops and sparse scrub GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. View of Arroyo Granado from the trail Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. View of Arroyo Granado from the trail GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. Short-Toed Snake Eagle Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. Short-Toed Snake Eagle GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. The trail leaves the Sierra de Huma behind it Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. The trail leaves the Sierra de Huma behind it GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. View of Ardales from the final stretch Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Álora (Estación de El Chorro ) - Carratraca - Ardales. View of Ardales from the final stretch GR 249. Stage 21. Estación de El Chorro (Álora) - Carratraca - Ardales. The view of the penstock seen from a bend in the path, on a slope leading towards the Embalse de la Encantada Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Estación de El Chorro (Álora) - Carratraca - Ardales. The view of the penstock seen from a bend in the path, on a slope leading towards the Embalse de la Encantada GR 249. Stage 21. Estación de El Chorro (Álora) - Carratraca - Ardales. The cliffs known as Placas Frontales and one of the most beautiful railroad bridges Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Estación de El Chorro (Álora) - Carratraca - Ardales. The cliffs known as Placas Frontales and one of the most beautiful railroad bridges GR 249. Stage 21. Estación de El Chorro (Álora) - Carratraca - Ardales. Train stop at El Chorro, Placas Frontales and the pine forest you walked during the previous Stage Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Estación de El Chorro (Álora) - Carratraca - Ardales. Train stop at El Chorro, Placas Frontales and the pine forest you walked during the previous Stage GR 249. Stage 21. Estación de El Chorro (Álora) - Carratraca - Ardales. The slopes of Las Viñas which you have already travelled along, and the ridge of the Huma mountains in the background Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Estación de El Chorro (Álora) - Carratraca - Ardales. The slopes of Las Viñas which you have already travelled along, and the ridge of the Huma mountains in the background GR 249. Stage 21. Estación de El Chorro (Álora) - Carratraca - Ardales. Maidenhair fern surrounding the Fuenfría water spring Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Estación de El Chorro (Álora) - Carratraca - Ardales. Maidenhair fern surrounding the Fuenfría water spring GR 249. Stage 21. Estación de El Chorro (Álora) - Carratraca - Ardales. La Casa de la Reina Mora, out of the way but accessible from the Mesa de Villaverde (not sign-posted) Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Estación de El Chorro (Álora) - Carratraca - Ardales. La Casa de la Reina Mora, out of the way but accessible from the Mesa de Villaverde (not sign-posted) GR 249. Stage 21. Estación de El Chorro (Álora) - Carratraca - Ardales. Campanula mollis flowering in the vicinity of Bobastro Imagen de GR 249. Stage 21. Estación de El Chorro (Álora) - Carratraca - Ardales. Campanula mollis flowering in the vicinity of Bobastro

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