Great Axarquía Path (GR 242). Stage 04. Moclinejo - Rincón de la Victoria
Access to the start: You have to find the Chorro Spring next to the MA-3114 Moclinejo - Almáchar road, where from you need to walk few metres southwards to the concrete path which goes upwards. At the crossroads, you will see a board that marks the beginning of the stage.
Access to the end: This is the mouth of the Granadillas River where it enters the Mediterranean and the junction of the Great Path of la Axarquía (GR-242) with the Great Málaga path (GR-249), which are to the east of Rincón de la Victoria centre that can be accessed by the seafront.
Sections in common with official trails
- Stage 2 Long-distance path 249 Rincón de la Victoria - Vélez Málaga
- Vélez Málaga - Rincón de la Victoria Long-distance Path (GR-92)
- Moclinejo - Totalán Local Path (SL- A 68)
- Granadillas - La Capitana Local Path (SL - A 82)
- Granadillas Stream - Tío Cañas Hill Local Path (SL A - 83)
Walk past Chorro Spring, the only point where you can drink water along this walk, and the road that goes from Moclinejo to Almáchar. At the beginning of the trail, you will see the board that marks the beginning of the 242 Long-distance Trail and you will start walking upwards, along a concrete track for some 700 m up to the maximum elevation point of the route. This is where the crossroads of three ways is and where the path that connects Moclinejo and Totalán (local- path 68) appears and disappears. There is a wonderful panoramic view from this place. To the east you can watch from above the wide Vélez Valley and the long mountain ranges of Tejeda and Almijara. The Málaga Mountains are in the west, as well as the Málaga Bay, the Sierra de Milas and the Serranía de Ronda, where Torecilla Peak (1,919 m) stands out as the highest point in the Sierra de las Nieves National Park.
Continue walking along Roca hills, alongside the Vereda de las Cuesta de Granadilla drovers’ road, between olive and almond trees, which take turns with uncultivated land covered in brooms and Genista umbellata, a subshrub or shrub. You will also see a long centre of El Valdés village, part of Moclinejo, at the border with Rincón de la Victoria Town. If you have another look, you will find out there is a tower of an interesting house called Axarquía House-Museum on a higher ground. This is a housing which was inspired by Gaudi’s architecture and has plenty of details which refer to La Axarquía. No doubt this area has a very peculiar spirit, which is why we do not get surprised by its own currency called ‘axarco’. It comes from 1988, when Antonio Gámez, a scholar from Vélez-Málaga, made it legal. These silver coins include ‘axarcos’, ‘axarquillos’ and ‘mialaxarquines’. Today, it is used much less and most part of these coins and notes are owned by collectors.
Furthermore, you will be able to discern Bartolo Hill in the distance with some houses on its sides, and the blue Mediterranean Sea at the bottom with the town of Rincón de la Victoria. Having covered 2.7 kilometres from the beginning, the Great La Axaquia Path goes around the western side of this hill and borders the towns of Moclinejo and Rincón de la Victoria, which are only five kilometres away. From that place forward, the pathway overlaps the Granadillas Stream - Tío Cañas Hill Local Path (SL A - 83). From there on, the nice track turns into a rough way, which finally changes into a better one. This happens again, while livestock and farmland surround you, as well as second homes and greenhouses cloaked in plastic covers. The scenery includes ploughed up, terraced land where mango is grown and large water tanks.
You will then reach the Granadillas Stream, a wide riverbed which is usually dry throughout the year and used by locals to connect their plots. As mentioned before, it is dangerous to walk along the stream during heavy rain. Vet clinic Don Animal is placed at the same junction, where you will find a fountain for dogs to drink water. Continue walking southwards along the Granadillas - La Capitana Local Path (SL - A 82). Then walk under the MA-3200 road and the Mediterranean Mortorway between industrial facilities, housing estates and buildings.
The path ends by overlapping with the Great Málaga Path (GR - 249) at the seafront by Rincón de la Victoria Beach, a lively town close to Málaga City. It is worth visiting its most attractive landmarks, such as Bezmiliana Fortress or the Tourist Information Centre, which is actually a refurbished building of one of train stations along the railway Málaga - Vélez Málaga - Ventas de Zafarraya, which operated from 1908 to 1968. Although the railway was dismantled, there are still some of its parts as well as tunnels, viaducts, and stations. Its refurbishment or turning it into a greenway have been suggested and supported by many people. We would gladly welcome any of these two options.
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