Andalusia – Day 7 – Acebuchal to Frigiliana

Our final day on the trail before a few days’ rest in Nerja, then in Barcelona to split up the train journey home, see a dear friend and stock up on the world’s best sausages from the Botifarrería de Santa María. And, after the previous day left Odile totally wiped out, a day when we adapt and improvise.

Lucas serves a very good breakfast at 8:30 and we set off just before after 9 for this final day of hiking. As we cross Acebuchal, we discover that the majority of the houses in the village are holiday rentals, some even with swimming pools (well, more like plunge pools given the little space available). I imagine that’s the only way to keep a village like this alive, but it’s a pity that all village life as such has vanished.

The trail rises up out of Acebuchal, not too steeply, but on a steady rise, following a dirt track that leads from the small village to a main road. It’s not a tough climb, but Odile clearly isn’t in great shape and already looks exhausted at the top of the climb.

Fortunately, we then begin a gentle descent along a quiet road that offers terrific views of the mountains and of Nerja, our goal, by the sea in the distance. As we walk, we pass, countless, very fancy holiday homes, often with luxuriant gardens.

The trail continues to descend and reaches a busier road. We follow it for a while and, fortunately, the morning traffic is light. After about one kilometre, our trail leaves the road and we start to descend a path into a valley. After a while, I realize we have taken a wrong turn, so we turn back. On reaching the intersection where we went wrong, we see that the trail we need to take descends very sharply to the bottom of the valley on a path of loose rocks. After the nightmare descent from the pass the day before, I don’t want to impose this on Odile, especially as it would mean a steep climb up to Frigiliana at the end. So we return to the road, which leads more or less on the level to Frigiliana.

As we go, I think about what to do once we get to the village. The 7-km trail that I found on AllTrails to get us to Nerja could be pleasant enough if it were not along a river that is likely to be dry at this time of year. Moreover, it passes beneath the motorway at one point and the area around that is likely to be pretty ugly. All things considered, as completing the full trial is out of the question today, I decide it’s wiser to stop in Frigiliana and take one of the regular buses to Nerja. Needless to say, Odile is delighted when I tell her this.

The road actually leads us to a high point with a fine view of Frigiliana, which has now become the final destination for this hike. From there, we descend to the village proper.

Initially, we discover a pretty, well-maintained and spotlessly clean white village. After all, Frigiliana is considered one of the most beautiful villages in the area.

However, as we move towards the village centre, we find ourselves surrounded by tourists from all over the world (including Chinese newlyweds posing for souvenir photos in full regalia) and, along the main street, there are countless shops selling tacky souvenirs. After the untouristy villages that we have seen like Competa and Canillas de Aceituno, Frigiliana is a real shock. We retreat to a quiet café terrace with a fine view of the valley for a coffee and to check on the bus schedules.

And when we board the bus, we have a partial explanation for the number of tourists in the village. The bus is packed with day-trippers from Nerja. The village’s proximity to the resort town and the regular buses means that it’s far more accessible than all the other villages we’ve seen.

And so that marks the end of our first Andalusian hiking experience. There are quite a few lessons to take home from it and they will need to be applied if Odile and I are to keep on hiking together. I underestimated both the difficulty of the trail and her condition after several months of intense work. Will try to prepare better next time, and if that proves impossible, we’ll just opt for somewhere flat like Holland or Denmark! After all, there’s a whole world of hiking trails out there.