Mediterranean Walks....The Cami De Ronda

I've done some great walking this year in different areas of the Spanish Mediterranean, so I'm going to group them together into a mini series of posts. We start with a weekend spent in Girona in March. The walking was really just an add-on to our annual calçotada excursion at this time of year, although this time the destination was not Tarragona. On the first day we did part of the Cami de Ronda, a coastal path that was created originally for control of the coast by the Guardia Civil.

The section we did, between the beach at Castell and Calella de Palafrugell, is beautiful. At times you walk along the beaches, at other times along the cliffs. Although the Costa Brava has something of a reputation for having been badly hit by ugly tourist developments, there are sections that are really quite well preserved in comparison with other parts of Spain's coastline. Even the part of the route that passes through built up areas is still an enjoyable walk. We stopped in Calella for lunch on the beach, it wasn't hot but it was warm enough. You have to bear in mind that this was just 36 hours before the great snowstorm that hit Girona and later Barcelona.

On the way back to our starting point we stopped off at the Barraca d'en Dalí, a hut used by the painter. Of course, this being Dalí, you wouldn't expect everything about the building to be completely normal.

After the walk we also stopped off briefly in the beautiful village of Pals, with views all the way to the Pyrenees, and to the coast.

Having overdone it with the calçots on the first night we needed to do a walk on day 2 that would create an appetite for the paella that would then in turn be justified by the exertion of the walk; if you see what I mean. The circular route starts in the centre of Tossa de Mar and ascends up to the peak of Puig de Cadiretes. Although it's quite a climb the route is very easy, because it follows dirt forest tracks and only the last part to the peak is a narrower path. This makes it quite possible to do in a morning, arriving back in Tossa conveniently enough for lunch.

No photos of the route itself, it wasn't a very clear day although there were still no signs of what was to come that night; it was far from cold. The views from the top of the peak are impressive. Tossa itself has a well preserved old quarter just above the beach as well as plenty of places to eat.

Two maps, one for each route, as Google Maps seems to have changed its behaviour by slicing routes up into segments and paging the results. Maybe I will find a way around this but for the moment each route gets displayed separately.

View Mediterranean Walks in Spain in a larger map

View Mediterranean Walks in Spain in a larger map

Gavilanes To Pedro Bernardo

A brief respite from what is being quite a tough winter in Madrid meant that last Sunday was a good day for doing some walking. The route was in the lower part of the Sierra de Gredos, connecting the two small villages of Gavilanes and Pedro Bernardo. I wonder if you can guess, from visual clues in the images below, which political party controls Gavilanes? I'll offer another hint, it's not the Falange.

The route climbs up from the top of Gavilanes through the woods, following a beautiful path. This area was once an important source of resin extracted from the pine trees for industrial uses, but now the woods are just for walkers....and hunters. Higher up we wandered into the middle of a batida de caza, behind every tree or large rock there seemed to be a heavily armed hunter waiting to see whether the dogs could drive something his way. They didn't seem very pleased to see us and we had to change our route just in case someone confused a group of 25 walkers with a wild boar.

Down below there were views far across to the province of Toledo.

The water tumbling down the hillside in this image is not a natural stream. The water has been redirected for electricity generation and falls some 400 metres down the mountain.

Sadly, the area near Pedro Bernardo is no longer so beautiful as it once was, two fires in recent years have destroyed much of the woodland. Pedro Bernardo itself looks from above like quite a large village but many of its houses are only occupied at the weekends, many of the villagers live in Madrid.

Water Flows Again In Las Tablas De Daimiel

Journalists were taken on a boat tour last weekend of Las Tablas de Daimiel, so that they could marvel at a level of water that once again allows this hugely neglected national park to be referred to as wetlands. It seems that the underground fires that were burning in the dried out peat of Las Tablas have now finally been extinguished. The Spanish government would almost certainly like journalists to write that this transformation has been accomplished as a result of the emergency water transfer organised from the Tajo river. In reality most of the water to be seen in the area these days is a result of more natural conditions, the unusually intense rainfall in Castilla-La Mancha during the last few weeks has provided significantly more water than the government's efforts.

Whatever the source of the water it has to be welcomed. The problem is whether, as critics of the government's plan have frequently pointed out, the water will last for very long. The reason why Las Tablas dried out was not because of natural causes, there are said to be thousands of illegal wells being used for agriculture in this area and over exploitation of the aquifers is what led to the dramatic situation for the park. So if nothing is done to prevent the continuing extraction of water from these wells it seems quite likely that the water shipped from the Tajo could just end up passing temporarily through the Tablas before being used for crops. The long term question is whether the government is really prepared to stand up to the demands for water for agricultural use in order to preserve Daimiel.

Valle De Los Caídos....The Case For Demolition

1). You restore a beautiful wild mountainside that was destroyed by the construction of a brutal, ugly fascist monument. The monument continues to be maintained with public funds.

2). You avoid this.



3). We could have a small scale memorial, appropriate for its surroundings, placed in memory of those political prisoners who died building El Valle de los Caídos.

Las Tablas De Daimiel On Fire

A few months ago I wrote a post on the plight of Las Tablas de Daimiel, but it seems that since then the situation in what is supposed to be one of the most important wetland areas of Spain has got even worse. The lack of water in the park has now led to a situation where underground peat fires are burning, and the European Union has threatened to intervene to force the Spanish government to act.

There's nothing very natural about this disaster, and it looks as if the Spanish government has more or less decided to let the park die. Now, with the threat of outside intervention, there is talk of a water transfer being arranged from the Tajo River. The poor Tajo seems to be the solution to everyone's water problems, and already there have been complaints from Murcia that water should be used to help preserve a national park when they can be using it to grow tomatoes. Precisely the attitude that has led to the once water sufficient Tablas reaching the state they are in today. It would be interesting to know whether any water from the Tajo still makes it across the frontier into Portugal. If anyone ever wants to create a monument to unsustainable management of water resources then Las Tablas de Daimiel will be as good a place as any.

Hard Times For Spain's National Parks

Life’s not always easy for a national park. Even more so if the resource on which the park depends can be removed by people without even entering the park itself. Take the example of Las Tablas de Daimiel, a once important area of wetlands in Ciudad Real province and a national park since 1973. I visited Las Tablas a few years ago on the way back from a trip to the town of Almagro, and it was a sorry sight then with only a small area covered by surface water. Now it seems that the situation has got worse, and UNESCO has warned the Spanish government that the area could lose its status as a biosphere reserve if they don’t do something to protect it.

The situation is not a result of drought or other natural circumstances. It is instead a consequence of the over exploitation of water resources, particularly for agriculture. Las Tablas de Daimiel have always relied on the excess water of underground aquifers but now these have been drained of much of their water. The only solution the Spanish authorities could find to continue justifying the description of wetland was to transport water into the Tablas. In fact this is what they thought they had done but the villagers of nearby Villafranca de los Caballeros had other ideas, and diverted the water intended for Las Tablas into their own lagoons! The Guardia Civil had to be sent down to close off the diversion to the village.

Meanwhile there is the equally sorry case of the area that should be a national park but which never quite seems to make it. The Sierra de Guadarrama, the range of mountains just a short distance from Madrid, is a hugely important natural wilderness. Yet the project to convert the area into a national park has been systematically obstructed by the regional authorities for years. Just in case you think I’m going to put all the blame on Madrid’s Esperanza Aguirre, let me point out that her party allies in Castilla y León also deserve their 50% of the blame. Neither of these administrations is happy with a project that would limit their ambitious plans to replace once savage wilderness with the neatly tended lawns of the now compulsory golf course that comes with every new urbanisation. Although, when you look at Las Tablas de Daimiel, you can’t help wondering whether it’s worth it to have the park declared in the first place.

It Was A Peñalara Kind Of Day

I don't know how the weather was yesterday in the rest of the country, but here in Madrid it was a perfect day for being in the mountains. Warm spring sunshine with (melting) snow and fantastic visibility. From the top of Peñalara we could clearly see Segovia city, the peaks of Gredos and those of the northern frontier of Guadarrama around Somosierra. It may be the highest point of Madrid but it's surprisingly accessible, take a train to Cercedilla, connect with the beautiful train ride up to the Puerto de Cotos and from there you can be on top of Peñalara in a little over 2 hours.

Peñalara and a frozen lagoon

Looking towards the Bola del Mundo and the Puerto de Navacerrada

The Cuerda Larga seen from Peñalara

A Weekend In Somiedo

Another rewarding weekend walking in Asturias. If anyone believes that this region is just about the Picos de Europa, then I recommend a visit to the Parque Natural de Somiedo. Far less touristy than the Picos, but with some magnificent mountain routes and scenery. On Saturday we ventured to one of the most protected natural spaces in Spain, the Reserve of Muniellos. A maximum of 20 people per day are allowed to enter this reserve (and prior reservation is needed), which amongst other things serves as a refuge for the endangered Iberian brown bear. The lack of human disturbance is evident as you walk through one of the country’s largest oak forests. Even the rain didn’t put us off although I ended the day completely soaked. This place has to be wonderful in Spring or Autumn.

We had better luck with the weather on Sunday and Monday, and were able to do two different high mountain routes in the area around Saliencia and Valle de Lago. On neither of these routes did we see anybody else at all, obviously early January is not peak season but even so it is impressive to be in such peaceful surroundings. We did see plenty of wildlife in the area around Lagos de Saliencia, as every rocky outcrop seemed to have a rebeco (Pyrenean chamois) looking down on us.

Lago de la Cueva

Above the Lagos de Saliencia

Ever get the feeling you are being watched?

Lago de Valle

We stayed in Pola de Somiedo, a still small village although it seems to be expanding to meet the growing demand for rural tourism in Spain. Here is the map of the three routes, clicking on each one gives additional information and links. As usual it is easier to manage if you view the larger map. Any GPS users who want the tracks of the routes should send me an email.

View Larger Map

Let's Play While The Sun Shines

Africa here we come! Well, in reality it's more a case of Africa coming to Spain according to the latest worst case predictions of the effects of climate change on the country. Spain has been told off last week for not even coming close to its targets on reduction of emissions, and up to a third of the country is said to be at risk of desertification on current trends. Those in the north will get the Mediterranean climate, whilst the rest of the country will experience African weather conditions. After a December day in the mountains on Sunday where I was able to spend a good part of the day in short sleeves I'm prepared to believe it; even if some people prefer the opinions of Mariano Rajoy and his now famous cousin.

Of course, not everyone is upset by the prospect of climate change. I'm sure that those who are proposing to construct a huge "Las Vegas" style complex in the desert like landscape of Los Monegros in Aragon are not in the slightest bit concerned about the issue. The project would include 32 hotels, 5 theme parks, and the now compulsory golf courses. The area is poor and has little to keep its existing population from drifting away to the cities. This is because it is very dry and not particularly suitable for agriculture. It also lacks good communications. I'm sure that the price of land here is very cheap compared to much of the rest of the country, and the local inhabitants are reported to be quite excited about the opportunities it will bring. Where will they get the water from? Maybe they can put that question to the organisers of next year's Expo in Aragon's capital, Zaragoza. The theme of the Expo is going to be err....water.

Somewhere else that could use some water is the city of Madrid, it has hardly rained this autumn and the city is suffering from what they call inversión termica, which means that we get a big static pollution cloud hanging over us. What would really sort this out is some rain, and given that I am about to disappear for two weeks the best time for it to start raining would be Thursday evening. A nice prolonged steady downpour, like something from a Gabriel Garcia Marquez story, so that the air gets cleaned, the lakes fill up and there is a good layer of snow on the mountains.

Autumn In Irati

One of the best places in Spain to witness the effects of autumn is the area around Irati in the north of Navarra. This is the Pyrenees, although the highest peak in the area, Orhi, only just makes it over 2000 metres. The highest point we reached last weekend was on the Sierra de Abodi, from where we got perfect clear views of the high central massif of the Pyrenees that straddles the border between Huesca and France.

We arrived perhaps a week too late to see the changing colours of the forest at its best, but this is not an easy thing to predict. With fantastic weather during the day we were able to do two different routes in warm sunshine, although at night it was frosty and bitterly cold. Following the precedent set by my recent trip to the Picos de Europa, first comes the photos - later the map.

More Tales from The Green

Back on a sporting theme, I've seen a couple of stories in the last week which demonstrate just how vital it is for us to have more people playing golf. Over in Avila yet another area of woodland has been devastated to make way for an urbanisation of several thousand homes and its now inevitable golf courses. There is only one problem, the inhabitants of the nearest village (only 150 of them) are entirely reliant on water brought in from outside as the already severely depleted local supply is contaminated with arsenic. I'm sure a solution will be found to stop the golfers dropping dead on the first hole. No such problems at the private Real Club Puerta de Hierro in Madrid, as the city administration has generously agreed to invest 800,000 euros on setting them up with a guaranteed water supply. Anybody who thinks this is not an appropriate use of public funds can move to Avila....or anywhere else except Madrid.

The golf course is deserted....

I have a pitch for a Hollywood movie, but before I get on the plane to Los Angeles I thought I'd try it out here first. It's the year 2040. A clean, wholesome looking young professional couple dressed in matching polo shirts are discussing their plans for the evening. "What shall we do tonight darling?" says one. "It's so lovely outside, let's get the clubs out and have another round of golf". Happily they make their way down to the lush green golf course that lies just inside the heavily guarded perimeter of their urbanisation. Meanwhile, not far away in the ruins of the city formerly known as Madrid, groups of private "security" guards roam the delapidated streets. They are paid to hunt down and exterminate the few remaining people who have had problems adapting to the lifestyle made compulsory 25 years earlier by twin headed hydra and President for Life Aguirre-Gallardón. Stopping by a dusty, sunbaked concrete gully to rest for a while, one security guard says to the other "what do you think this was for?". " I'm not really sure", replies his companion, "although they say a river ran through it".

It's A Vole, Not A Mole

There is a plague of topillos covering much of central Spain this summer. It doesn't seem very Biblical, they sound far less threatening than locusts for example, but the little beasts are steadily munching their way through a high proportion of crops in Castilla and Leon; and the menace is still spreading. So what is the difference between a topo (mole) and a topillo? That was the question I put to a couple of Spanish people I know last weekend. The answers I got were not very convincing, suggesting that it's been a while since the last plague. Having seen a picture of one in the paper, I didn't really buy the suggestion that the topillo was just a smaller version of the topo, it looked too mouse like. Fortunately there is always Wikipedia, and given that there are thankfully still no conspiracy theories concerning the common vole, the online encyclopaedia contains a decent account of Microtus Arvalis. Nothing to do with blind Mr. Mole at all.


All the farmers in the affected areas are currently clamouring for the use of poison to deal with the plague, presumably any subsequent ecological consequences are entirely accidental. They are also starting to use “controlled” burning of fields to try and hold back the advance of the vole army; which doesn’t strike me as being very wise considering how dry much of Spain tends to be at this time of year. Anyway, now its time to play spot the connection, and the key word for today is poison. Because voles are not the only victims of poisoning in this part of the country. If you take a look at the Wikipedia article I have linked to, you will see that el topillo has quite a distinguished list of predators. The problem is that those who seek to keep natural predators out of the hunting grounds of Castilla and Leon make frequent use of poison to kill them all off. One bad decision breeds another, and maybe the idea that the plague results from an unusually warm winter is just a poisonous rumour?

The Chainsaw Blues

Following up on my posts about destructive development proposals in Ávila, there has been a bit of good news. It turns out that there is a crime in Spain known as a “delito ecológico” (environmental crime), something which was news to me, and that the developer who destroyed thousands of pine trees in spite of a court order halting his development is to be charged with this offence. At least this means that the proposed development is halted until this issue is resolved, although if they do not find him guilty then he can probably resume the destruction of what should always have been a protected area.

Meanwhile, the recently appointed prosecutor for offences connected with urban development has come up with a very radical proposal, the demolition of illegally built dwellings! This would be a very drastic change from the policy that seems to have existed up to now, where illegal buildings are constructed and sold without any apparent impediment, and then 10 years later someone from the relevant authority comes along and says “you really shouldn’t have done that” – end of story. If things carry on this way we could even reach a stage where construction could be stopped before the building is completed and sold, or they could even make it impossible for a property to be sold without having the required permissions. There are an estimated 100,000 illegal dwellings in the country, probably several thousand of these are in Marbella and other areas on the Mediterranean coast. That should keep the bulldozers busy for a while.

Crazy Golf

Since writing last week about the proposed urbanization and golf course development in Las Navas del Marqués in Avila, a few more details have come to light:

• 
  The regional government of Castilla and Leon, together with the local council, set up a public company which had as its declared aim the protection of the area where the development is supposed to take place. No sooner was the company set up than they promptly changed the use of the land to allow construction.
• 
  The developer behind the project had already presented his project before the land was put on sale. There was only one bidder.
• 
  In between the original proposal and the actual sale of the land, the developer was given double the area originally proposed for very little additional cost. It has been estimated that only 6000 euros per house sold is needed to pay the cost of the land.
• 
  The developer was promised huge compensation if the land use of the area was not changed to permit construction within a fixed period.
• 
  In addition to being a nesting area for black storks, several other rare species of bird (including eagles) also nest in this area.

The deal with the construction company included a commitment to reforestation of another area of similar size to that which was to be stripped of its trees. This led the court dealing with the case to question, not unreasonably, why they couldn’t just build on this second area and leave an area of ecologically valuable woodland in peace. The whole affair stinks to put it mildly, but that does not guarantee anything will be done in the end to prevent the development; it was only the initiative of a private citizen that led to the courts dealing with the case at all.

Meanwhile details of another similar project In Ávila province have been published today in the press. In this new case it is proposed to construct 7500 houses and 3 golf courses in the village of Villanueva de Gómez, which currently has just 143 inhabitants. It appears that 10000 pine trees have already been cleared in a zone that had only recently been nested by an imperial eagle. It almost seems to be a prerequisite for development in these areas that the environmental destruction involved has to be significant.

All of this development in Ávila is a further consequence of the trend for people to move out of Madrid and buy a house in what used to be called the countryside. With much of the area between Madrid and the Sierra de Guadarrama already constructed, companies are now looking at the possibilities on the other side of these mountains and seem to be able to count on the enthusiastic backing of the local and regional governments.

The curse of South of Watford on all these developments. May all their golf courses dry up and turn to dust.

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

After a week when the regional director of urban development for Madrid has been forced to resign for, how shall I put it, confusing his private interest with his public responsibilities – last Friday’s El País brought confirmation that the Spanish construction frenzy is now putting a protected species in danger. The supreme court of Castilla and León has stepped in to paralyze a project in the locality of Las Navas, in the province of Avila. The proposed project involves the construction of 1600 homes and no fewer than four associated golf courses. The court has blocked the project because this is the nesting area of the endangered black stork, of which it is estimated that there only remain 322 pairs in the whole of Spain. The local mayor, astounded by the decision to halt the project, has declared that “golf is good for the countryside”. It appears today that work on cutting down the pine forest in the area is proceeding despite the court decision, with the full approval of the regional government; the ridiculous excuse being that the company has not yet been officially notified of the judicial decision.

The fashion for constructing urbanizations with golf courses attached is completely crazy in a country which is in the second year of a fairly serious drought, that many of these developments are being carried out in the regions with least water only emphasises the craziness of it all. In this part of Avila water may not be such a desperate problem because of the proximity of the proposed development to the mountains of the Sierra de Guadarrama, but this very proximity demonstrates that even the most unspoiled natural landscapes are currently under intense pressure from the construction industry. I have been intending for some time to write a post on the massive corruption scandal emerging in Marbella, but it is quite possible that there are hundreds of smaller Marbella’s happening around the country, driven by the huge amount of money generated from this construction boom.

UPDATE October 10: In between the original court ruling and an instruction yesterday to stop work it seems that the construction company involved managed to bring in a machine capable of uprooting 1000 trees a day. They got to 3000 by the time they were stopped, and have been supported in their efforts to create facts on the ground by the local council and the regional government. Now what was that about the rule of law?

Remembering Guadalajara

This time last year I went with some friends to pass the weekend in the beautiful area known as the Alto Tajo, in the province of Guadalajara. It was a very hot July weekend, and we went swimming in the river Tajo to cool down. As we left the area where we had been swimming we stopped and took some photographs, the surrounding countryside is mostly hilly pine forest with the river cutting its way through the hills. One of these photographs is now quite difficult for me to look at, I’m not even sure if I still have it – it’s a group portrait like many others but with the difference that in the background of the photo there is a clearly visible column of smoke. At the time the photograph was taken we had no idea that this smoke column, some distance away, was turning into one of the most devastating forest fires of last summer – ripping its way through the resinous pines with a speed that made it extremely difficult to bring under control, spurred on by a hot dry wind. By the evening we already knew more about the fire, and that it was serious. We were far enough away from it to be safe and we slept out in the woods that night.

The next day on our way back to Madrid it was clear that the fire was still raging, we had seen that morning regular flights from the planes that were collecting water in reservoirs to try and bring the flames under control. We could also see from the road the massive cloud of smoke that the fire was producing. However, it was only when we got back to the city that we realised what was really going on out in the woods; on the television news we found out that a team of 12 people fighting the fire had been trapped in a gully and surrounded by the flames. Only one of these 12 survived to be able to tell how the fire had caught the group by surprise as it spread so quickly, leaving them with no chance of escape. The fire had been started by a poorly controlled barbecue, one of the many barbecues that were surely held that day in the region – we had one ourselves. The idea of a day out in the country accompanied with a barbecue is well established in Spain, and the place where the fire started was equipped for barbecues like many other similar sites, it wasn’t that someone had just lit a fire in the middle of nowhere.

Eventually the fire was brought under control, and then after the disaster the government took measures; by decree they made it illegal for fires to be lit in the countryside. But some of these measures were temporary, in the end it is the responsibility of the autonomous regional governments to control fire prevention measures, and each one can adopt a different policy. Now, one year on, the families of the dead firefighters are denouncing the lack of action taken by the authorities. After the fire last year there was plenty of coverage in the media of the poor contracts that are offered to those who work in tasks of fire prevention, and who get called on to act when a fire has broken out. They are not well paid and in many cases work on temporary contracts, as the authorities refuse to spend more than is absolutely necessary on fire prevention. It is a task which should be carried out in winter and spring, but which is often left until it is potentially too late to do properly. One year on the hot dry conditions mean that the risk is high; so far there have fortunately been relatively few fires this summer. Whether any of this is due to extra efforts and resources to prevent them is not clear. The death of 11 people should not be forgotten, it’s too high a price to pay just so that people can have their lunch in the middle of the woods rather than in the nearest village.