There won’t be many early starts on this hike. It’s often difficult getting breakfast in Spain before 9. Robert, used to having hikers stay, prepares ours for 8 this morning, but it isn’t even daylight then at this time of year. We find he has left us a terrific spread in the kitchen with everything that we could possibly desire, even fresh figs and pomegranates.
When we set off at 8:30, it’s already warm enough to hike without a jacket, especially as we begin the day with a climb up from our B&B through the village, and then up to the trail high above the valley.
The Recto-Verso guide says this first day is an easy one before tougher ones to come. And, indeed, after this initial climb, the walking is indeed easy, mostly on farm tracks, with a couple of short stretches on quiet roads. From the high point above Periana, the trail descends gently towards the main road that our bus took yesterday.
There are a number of very noisy dogs in the properties along the trail. Every bit of fenced land seems to have two or three that start barking when we’re a good 200 metres away. They’re often huge beasts but they never seem particularly aggressive, just guarding their territory. The only one that approaches us clearly isn’t a threat…
After reaching the main road, the trail turns off and begins to climb again, but much more gently this time. The track is often lined with eucalyptus trees between olive groves, but the olive trees are in the majority.
At one point, we’re overtaken by the only other “hiker” we see that day, a local man in his mid-seventies who advances at a good pace (without the 10 kg we both have on our backs). After a friendly greeting, he says something about making the most of the fresh air and filling our lungs with it. We soon lose sight of him when he vanishes into one of the farmhouses dotted along the trail.
The trail leads up to a ridge from which we are finally able to Alcaucín, our destination, in the distance. The white houses of the village spread out over the mountainside before us make an attractive sight, until we realize that to reach them we need to make a steep descent into the valley followed by a long climb.
The trail crosses a main road, then begins its steep descent to the valley bottom. Along the way we spot papaya, avocado, mango and pomegranate trees all heavy with fruit, but always behind fences. There are so many, I’m sure the owners wouldn’t miss a few, but they remain beyond reach.
The climb up from the valley bottom is a tough one with a 200-metre gain in elevation over a very short distance. Plus it is a lot warmer now, around 28 degrees, but the cool breeze takes the edge off the heat. And there are some fine views as we go, notably of the pass at the head of the main road we crossed.
We arrive in the pretty village, passing a fine municipal swimming pool that unfortunately doesn’t seem to be open, and head to a square just outside our hotel where we’ll be able to check in two hours from now. There’s a magnificent Moorish-style fountain on the square that wouldn’t be out of place outside an Istanbul mosque.
After a refreshing drink there, we move on to El Rancho Grande which, despite its name, is an Indian restaurant and one of the few restaurants open. There’s a vast terrace with a fine view of the valley and, going by the traditional tiles inside, it was a Spanish restaurant before the current owners took it over.
After a tasty biryani and a chicken sahg, we check in at the hotel where the charming owner shows us to a comfortable room with a large terrace overlooking the valley where we spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing and reading.
We go out again around 7 for a wander around the village. It’s a fine little place, with lots of pretty streets and viewpoints over the valley. For such a small place, there are quite a few bars and restaurants but, oddly, they’re all closed on this Saturday evening, except for a small place on the square that only does drinks. And so we end up back at El Rancho Grande for a couple of tapas to round off this very pleasant first day of hiking.
Footsteps 