Top of the World Hike – Oct 2013

by Sarah Mills | Jul 23, 2014 | Diary of a walker

As part of our itinerary we decided one day that we would do only a half day hike and spend some time for the rest of the day doing some wine tasting at local bodegas (wine yards) around Competa. David suggested, as we were planning quite a day of activity, that a nice hike would be to start at, what he calls ‘The Top of The World’ Hike. After a lovely breakfast served by David and Sarah, David and his team transported us from Finca Los Pinos’ accommodation at 10am, to what is officially known as ‘The View Point’ at the top of the white-washed village of Competa. A ten minute transport only, and very comfortable too. What a view. It really does seem as if you are at the top of the world and we could see for miles across different mountain ranges and we could see the sea and the Atlas mountains of Morocco. A treat to see these in the clear skies of the Autumn and Spring months as David advised these cannot be seen through the hot haze of the summer months. I really had no idea how beautiful and lush these mountains still are, even after the long blistering summer months that preceded our visit here. David and his team carried our refreshments and we began our gentle hike across the top of the mountain and down into the valley, before a gentle ascent back to Finca Los Pinos, to the doors of our accommodation on foot. As we walked down the mount track and into the valley we delighted in the scenes of small ‘shepherd’ dwellings, typical Spanish haciendas, white washed with grape vine threaded shades over their front verandas, dotted around the mountains. We were surprised to walk through Eucaplytus tree lined tracks – did not expect to see Eucalyptus trees outside of Australia. We wound our way down into the bottom of the valley, where the vegetation turned into that of a tropical forest and we crossed through two rivers that appear as gurgling deep streams across the mountain track. We stopped for some water and juice and fresh fruit at the bottom of the valley before we had a gentle climb out of the valley and straight back to our accommodation front doors at Finca Los Pinos. David and Sarah had prepared a lovely home made beef stew and dumplings for our lunch on return, which was absolutely delicious, and lined our stomachs well for our upcoming wine tasting tour later that afternoon. A great hike, spectacular views, interesting history and fauna, and perfect if you are going to take part in a separate afternoon activity.

Mountain Goat Trails – March 2014

by Sarah Mills | Jul 23, 2014 | Diary of a walker

On a clear and temperate morning, 9:30am we set off from Finca Los Pinos accommodation, to complete the half day mountain goat trail walk that Competa Hikes offers. We climbed straight up the mountain, from right outside one of the log cabins on the property. It was excellent to be able to start a hike from right outside our front door. A green rope tied from post to tree, guided us up the 30 meter climb to get to one of the many mountain goat trails that cross the splendid mountains here. That 30 meter initial climb certainly got the blood racing and the muscles warmed up for what turned out to be a simply stunning hike, where it felt like we were on the roof of the Almejera mountains. As we walked I could smell the scent of wild Thyme, blooming Sayge and Wild Rosemary. This scent never left us throughout this hike, it was a truly welcoming scent that fit so well with the wilderness of fauna we were walking through. I did not know whether to continue to look at the ground, amazed at all the wonderful wild flowers, or look across at the view of the mountains and the sea.

The path meandered around the top of the mountain and we came across many large boulder clusters, dotted with tropical and savannah type fauna all in one place. As we came across a sheer cliff face reaching upwards from our path, David pointed out two wild eagle nests hanging from the cliff faces. Stepping over fallen trees, that had been there some time by the look of the wild orchids, and other green plants growing amongst them, we continued to stroll along thees pleasant tracks until we came to a ‘cross-roads’ – well David said it was a cross roads, but to my eye I would never have found it – simply a fork in the track – to continue to ramble around the tops of the mountains for an extra two hours, or to start winding down the mountain to the river and back along the mountain road to Finca Los Pinos. As we had only been walking a couple of hours by this time, we decided as a group to continue around the tops of the mountains. So at this point we all perched on some “comfortable” boulders and enjoyed a refreshment of cold water and fresh juice, and some fresh fruit to energise the rest of our hike, all supplied by David and Sarah as part of our package. I am glad we decided to continue with the walk around the tops of the mountains as we came across wild orchids, starting their Spring pursuit, and the views continued to be absolutely breathtaking. The walk took us through some forested areas as well, which were lush and green, but on the whole we climbed quite gently and descended gently throughout the walk and had clear views to the sea, and to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco – which were surprisingly large, showing how close they really are. A real treat was when David spotted some Ibex – a mother and two babies scuttling up the cliff faces of the mountains above us. David told us that the Ibex had become an endangered species in Spain only ten years ago, but they are thankfully starting to grow in population again. So we were very pleased to see some today.

Another fork in the paths ( again, only seen by David) brought us to begin our descent, down a well defined mountain track through Eucalyptus tree lined paths and across the river, past La Fabrica de la Luz III, back towards Finca Los Pinos. The descent was a good challenge, as the path really narrowed at this point and was fairly overgrown. We were glad of our long paths that we had been advised by David to hike in. When we reached Finca Los Pinos by around 1:30-2pm a delicious lunch oh warm salads and home cooked breads welcomed us back, and I prepared for a little book reading and siesta in the hammocks of the “Tranquil Zone” of Finca Los Pinos for my afternoon. Others in the group decided to take on an activity of an African and Latino drumming workshop around the pool. It all sounded great as I drifted off, a gentle breeze whispering through the pines…

Diary of a walk to Acebuchal

by Sarah Mills | Jul 23, 2014 | Diary of a walker

After our Spanish breakfast of poached eggs in a chorizo tomato sauce, we packed our backpacks with some water and a banana or two and headed off down the Finca Los Pinos driveway toward the dirt track, which was the starting point of our four hour hike.

We had only been walking for five minutes when the backdrop of the stunning Almijaras Mountains came into view. We walked for a further twenty minutes until we crossed a wooden bridge over a stream and started up a gentle slope on the other side of the valley we had come from.

After 20 minutes of a gentle climb we reached the break in the shrubs on the side of the road and started our ascent of the hillside. It took us about 40 minutes to reach the top ridge, where we sat on a few rocks, had some water and took a few photos of the Mediterranean Sea and surrounding mountains.

The next part of the walk took us around the top of one of the peaks, before we started our descent to the other side. As we meandered our way down, the backdrop constantly changes and allowed for good photo opportunities. We reached the main dirt track which connects Competa and Frigiliana through the natural park, and headed South towards the coast. The odd ruin crossed our path, evidence of the old trading routes, and casually strolled along the winding track until we reached the turn for Acebuchal, The Lost Village

The final part of the walk took us through a welcoming, partly shaded, dry river bed. Upon reaching Acebuchal we enjoyed a few cold beers, served in clay mugs, and feasted on some of the wild game dishes on offer for lunch. The food was excellent and reasonably priced. We took a few photos of the quaint, well manicured village and we were picked up by our hosts, and arrived back at the Finca fifteen minutes later and spent the afternoon in and out of the pool. An enjoyable day indeed!