It is now a standard part of the itinerary for visitors that I take them up to Trevélez which is generally regarded as the highest municipality in Spain (if you don't count a ski resort in Aragon!). It sits at a height of 1476m and, to give some sense of proportion, I've plugged in the graph below (which also shows where my cortijo, Los Ruices, sits in the 'ranking').
The thought of driving 'La Furgoneta' higher than Ben Nevis was daunting the first time I did it with Jamie but the van makes the trip with (relative) ease. This time there were 5 people on board and, especially as we took a more cross-country route, there were a couple of first-gear moments!
We took a 'short cut' across the valley through the villages of Lobras & Timar and then on an unmarked (and almost un-driveable) road towards Nieles before shooting uphill to Juviles. On this part of the journey we caught sight of a flock of 25 Griffon Vultures trying to make the most of any thermals to gain height. This was shortly followed by the sight of a Golden Eagle being mobbed by two Booted Eagles with two Peregrine Falcons circling above keeping an eye on the punch-up. Quite a concentration of birds of prey in such a short distance.
Juviles prompted a stop for a spot of ham-buying for the visitors, a quick coffee in front of a log fire in a local bar and a photo opportunity with the 16th-century church of Santa María de la Gracia in the background.
Onwards then to Trevélez which involves a general climb west before turning north into the valley which Trevélez heads. This is a spectacular piece of road and one that I remember vividly from my grand tour of Spain in 2007. With pine woods on your right hand side, a very deep valley to your left and views across to the road you are on 'coming back' on its route to Orgiva. The panorama below is taken at the start of the journey north and shows the valley diverging. (Remember, clicking on the picture will open up a larger view)
The thought of driving 'La Furgoneta' higher than Ben Nevis was daunting the first time I did it with Jamie but the van makes the trip with (relative) ease. This time there were 5 people on board and, especially as we took a more cross-country route, there were a couple of first-gear moments!
We took a 'short cut' across the valley through the villages of Lobras & Timar and then on an unmarked (and almost un-driveable) road towards Nieles before shooting uphill to Juviles. On this part of the journey we caught sight of a flock of 25 Griffon Vultures trying to make the most of any thermals to gain height. This was shortly followed by the sight of a Golden Eagle being mobbed by two Booted Eagles with two Peregrine Falcons circling above keeping an eye on the punch-up. Quite a concentration of birds of prey in such a short distance.
Juviles prompted a stop for a spot of ham-buying for the visitors, a quick coffee in front of a log fire in a local bar and a photo opportunity with the 16th-century church of Santa María de la Gracia in the background.
Onwards then to Trevélez which involves a general climb west before turning north into the valley which Trevélez heads. This is a spectacular piece of road and one that I remember vividly from my grand tour of Spain in 2007. With pine woods on your right hand side, a very deep valley to your left and views across to the road you are on 'coming back' on its route to Orgiva. The panorama below is taken at the start of the journey north and shows the valley diverging. (Remember, clicking on the picture will open up a larger view)
This link will give you a better sense of the terrain http://binged.it/Qry9qJ
We had a lovely 3-course lunch with wine for a tenner in Trevelez, the picture below showing my regular eating spot.
The sun shone though coats & jumpers came off and went back on at various stages through the meal. Given that it's the 2nd of November, there was little grumbling!
We then retraced our steps, stopping off at the river though not to cool of feet as had been done on the previous trip here with Jamie in September. A further stop was made to take the panorama photograph above. The picture below shows 'La Furgoneta' enjoying the rest with 'my' hills (the Contraviesa) away south in the background.
We then took the road west towards Almejigar which would bring us then down to the main valley road near Torvizcon and home. I did a detour to show everyone my municipal town (Castaras) which is visible across the valley from Los Ruices. While picturesque in its autumnal setting (see below), it hasn't got much of note and we could have saved a gallon of petrol!
Though the straight line distances are short, in reality one covers alot of miles when driving in the area as you can count the pieces of road that are straight for more then 100 yards or are level on the fingers of one hand. The previous evening, our neighbour Jose had tried to convince us to visit the Chestnut festival in Nieles. That would have meant covering a fair proportion of the roads we had just driven but in the dark. Call me faint-hearted if you will but after all the preparations for the fiesta and the drive to Trevélez on the cards, I did bottle out. Perhaps next year. The thought of hot chestnuts and hot chocolate on a cold autumn evening does sound rather inviting.
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