Despite the cool freshness of my waterside trail, I soon began to feel the warmth of  the November sun and peeled off a layer before emerging into the bare reaches of the upper valley. I was following the Sunflower Guide to Andalucía, and the directions together with the map were proving to be almost entirely idiot-proof. Suffice to say that I completed my climb to a remote white farmhouse, admired the mountain views from the heights, tracked around the mountain slope and made my descent to the car without getting lost. It was a super little stroll of no more than a couple of hours, including picnic time.

The next day was reserved for my guided walk with Elma, in company with whoever else turned up on the day. Our group included homeowners and holidaymakers, a Yorkshire biker, an outdoor clothing salesman, garden centre manager and a German lady who walked with two ski sticks, an unnatural practice but one that is far more sensible than it looks. Strangers all, we struck up a lively chatter while waiting for the bus. By the time we had completed the short journey to Nerja Caves we had become acquainted with each other. Elma told me how she and her husband - tragically deceased some years before - came to this area twenty-odd years earlier, and they immediately began to reconnoitre the trails. Friends joined them on their walks and, through recommendation by word of mouth, friends of friends. Finally complete strangers began turning up in droves. Before they knew it they had up to 50 walkers arriving at the bus stop for their weekly stroll. Demand, quite clearly, was pent-up, and only needed some facilitating to be unleashed, potentially in floods. Soon the walks were re-organised on a more commercial basis and a small charge was levied. Around the same time, Elma and Denis published a book entitled: “Twelve Walks Around Nerja” and their first print-run disappeared from the shelves in weeks. 12,000 copies it sold – further evidence, if any were needed, of people’s desire to walk in Spain. As a consequence of these changes, the size of Elma’s twice-weekly groups had stabilised at around a dozen.

The caves of Nerja are the biggest tourist attraction of this part of the coast but we were on our way to less crowded parts. We left the bus stop and began our walk along a broad stony track, passing the Park boundary almost immediately. After a few hundred yards I could see endless green mountain slopes and blue open sky ahead while, looking over my shoulder, the pylons and the sprawl of the margins of the resort were still visible. Once well into the park we dropped into a dark defile overhung with creepers and silent but for the tropical trill of the odd startled bird. It was faintly eerie, this, as we threaded forward in silent single file, like Victorian explorers. Eventually emerging into sunlight we began climbing in earnest, and reached a beautiful picnic place by mid day, with bold summits all around, a freshness in the air, a supply of fresh spring water, and the statue of and Ilex.

The Spanish Ilex, or Cabra Montes as it is known, is a fine sturdy fellow of striking stance and boldly curving horns. This being the rutting season (according to my Sunflower guide) we were hoping to catch a glimpse of one or more “in frolicsome mood” but were, alas, to be disappointed. Never mind, the views were fantastic, and the highest summit we could see was the impressive 1508-metre rocky horn of Cielo, just a handful of miles from the sea.

Breathing fragrant, pine-scented air we continued up to the coll, where our valley ended and another series of valleys spectacularly began. From this knife-edge vantage point we stayed with one of the ridges, striking towards the south and in the direction of Nerja. It was an invigorating march, tracing the sharp ridge line, weaving among rock outcrops, with new vistas opening at every turn. An hour or so later we began our descent into a neighbouring valley, that if the Chillar, whose name means shriek but whose voice today was muted to a gentle murmur.  The Chillar it was that provided our highway to Nerja, its pebbly bed providing long, dry strands in between wetter stretches, but by the time we reached the coastal motorway, overhead on a towering viaduct, we were still dry shod for our return to town. It had been a fabulous day’s walk, all the more impressive for being so near to the clamour of the coast.

The next day I tried some shorter walks, staying close to Nerja and using some of Elma’s current walks leaflets. From the seaside village of Maro I traced the terraced fields and the coastal hillocks, meeting friendly dogs and a well-groomed donkey along the way, and I climbed up to the headland with the old Moorish watchtower that dominates the landscape hereabouts. It was a clear morning and the views were stunning both up and down the coast, the air was scented with the aromatic shrubs that thrive on the headland. It seemed like an awfully long way from the Costa del Sol. 

Getting Started

The best general introduction to walking in Spain is a book of the same name, published by Lonely Planet in 2003. Walking in Spain provides an introduction to the whole of the country, then zooms-in on half-a-dozen prime walking regions with detailed descriptions and outline maps of 51 walks, including the classic Camino de Santiago. It costs £14.99 and is available from most book shops, or see www.lonelyplanet.com 

The maps to look for are the Mapa Guia series covering many of the Parques Naturales at a scale of 1:50,000, albeit obscurely drafted. Another possibility is the 1:10,000 Parques Naturales de Andalucía series. The Institut Cartografic Catalunya produces good 1:50,000 maps for that region. Although often out of date and prone to lapses, the Military series Cartografía Militar de España at least covers all the country at 1:50,000.

These maps are hard to find in Spain but are available (much cheaper than sources in UK or US) at branches of Librería Indice in a few major cities. The one in Malaga is at Panaderos 2, esq. Puerta de Mar, in the Centre. For long distance (GR) trails, local walking clubs and other outdoor pursuits, www.fedme.es is a well-organised and practical site, though only in Spanish. For Iberian wildlife, and some useful references to walking, check www.wild-spain.com

In Nerja, Elma Thompson’s  guided walks leave from the Bus Station at 0915 on Wednesdays and Thursdays from November through to May. 

This article first appeared in Living Spain magazine, a UK monthly publication.

Richard Robinson is a UK-based travel writer, specialising in Andalucía in southern Spain. For information, walks, accommodation etc. in Priego de Córdoba and the Sierra Subbetica, visit his website: www.rural-andalucia.co.uk/