Round Trip passing Cortijo Alegria – http://cortijo.upexa.de/
TERRAIN
- Good solid paths.
- Lots of gentle slopes, plus some short but steep slopes. Both up and down.
- Need good footwear.
- Waterproofs if raining (or if it has recently rained).
TIME TO COMPLETE
- 2 – 2½ hours
- Depends on whether you want to take your time and explore the flora and fauna.
DISTANCE
- 6½ kilometres (4 miles)
START: Restaurante Montemare – https://www.restaurante-montemare.com/
FINISH: Restaurante Montemare.
When you set off from the Restaurant, turn left out of the car park, up Calle Pensamientos – away from the dustbins. Continue up this road until you pass underneath the motorway. As far as I know, this is still Calle Pensamientos, but the tarmac stops fairly soon after the motorway.
Continue up the road until you reach the turning for the Paintball Field. Turn right here. http://www.paintballfieldtarget.com/. The road now passes the Paintball Field and drops away into the valley beyond. At the bottom of the road, there’s a sharp right turn which takes you across a shallow (stride able) ford. Be careful here if it HAS been raining heavily.
You will now be heading back towards the motorway for about 100-150 metres. After about this distance, you will see another track turning sharply off to your left. Take it. This road has recently been re-made and is easy to walk along. It is occasionally steep, but is mainly a steady climb. Take the time as you walk to see and smell the rosemary and the sage.
Look carefully and you will see small clumps of thyme hiding underneath the gorse.
You will see birds and butterflies up here and hear virtually nothing other than nature’s steady hum.
On Google Maps this road/track is called, Urb. Finca la Katria and eventually reaches a ‘T’ junction at Calle Tramo de Unión (which we would use if continuing up to Mijas – see separate walk), where you will turn left.
In this area, just before and just after the ‘T’ junction, there are a number of neglected properties, fast becoming derelict. Take a minute to consider what life must have been like up here; what beauty they had on their doorsteps, what a task they had getting to and from the main areas of commerce.
Once you have turned left at the ‘T’ junction there is a short steep climb, but it’s pretty much the last, as you are on your way back now. Keep walking and you will pass Cortijo Alegria on the right.
Continue along the track now until you reach a small roundabout. You will know the right one because just at the side of it is what we think is a disused ‘ice-house’.
This is a small round building with locked iron gates.
We turned right here and walked past the entrance to Rancho La Paz.
Carry on walking and go left at the next roundabout (there are palm trees in the middle) and straight on at the next ‘triangular’ roundabout. You could also walk straight on from the ice-house if you liked, you just need to keep the wall to your left until you reach the triangular roundabout. Here and hereabouts you will pass through long avenues of Cypress trees that have been planted presumably to keep those accessing the area cool.
After this you soon reach yet another roundabout, you could walk straight on as far as the Paintball Field and then retrace your steps – or – you could turn right and cut out the bend. This is more of an uneven descent, you just keep heading for the sea – or, more specifically for the apartment building you set off from. You will cross what looks like an ancient, disused (never used?) dual carriageway – at this point don’t be tempted to go right as you will end up on Los Pacos – keep on straight ahead, ever downwards.
When you get back to Restaurante Montemare, have a drink – I recommend it.