I had three main aims when, over a year ago, I first contemplated the idea of forming a local walking group. 1. To ensure I got off my backside and out into the hills on a regular basis 2. To visit new areas of Andalucia and discover mountain ranges that I never had time to […]
I climbed my first hill in 1963, the year that President Kennedy was shot and when I was just eight years old. My Dad was an accountant and had a job doing the books of a pub in Appleby in Cumbria. On a day off he drove me to the village of Dufton and we […]
Blizzards, snowdrifts, gales, frostbite, snow blindness, buried tents, floods, hardship, cold, sleepless nights. It must be summer then in deepest Patagonia.
Well, that day was different. A first visit for me to the Via Ferrata paradise that is found at John Hogbin, Zafarraya. Lots of steep ladders (some decidedly more wobbly than others), Tyrolean Traverses, rungs, zip wires and cable bridges to negotiate. All good, clean and exposed fun in the sun! There were also a […]
We dropped lucky. The night before the walk was planned we had the first real snows of the winter in the mountains. The temperatures were low as the resilient group of Nomads congregated at the trailhead at the base of the Barranco de San Juan, close to the town of Guejar Sierra. All around us […]
It was a cold, clear morning as a large band of Nomads congregated at the car park at the town of Pantano de Bermejales. Today was a first for all of us, a trip down the river gorge of the Tajos de Bermejales, northwards towards the town of Cacin. The initial few kilometres provided a […]
The Nomads stayed overnight in Alhama de Granada and had a pleasant but somewhat noisy evening in the town's only bar that was open. Next morning was bright and clear, not as cold as we had anticipated. We drove to La Robledal where we commenced our ascent. We knew this would be a tough day […]
A short video showing you one of the main reasons why I so love it here. Driving uphill on dirt tracks from my house I quickly reach some really beautiful and natural mountain environments. I enjoy a short ski tour with my dog, Rita, my first ski since injuring a knee a few years back. […]
A nice 12km walk on a cloudy day through the lush forests along the Cañada del Sereno in the Parque Natural de la Sierra de Huetor. Not the most inspirational of walks given the overcast conditions and general lack of photographic opportunities, but interesting nevertheless. Of special interest were the autumnal colours and variety of […]
Last Tuesday the Nomads walking group headed to the Sierra de Huetor just north of Granada. There was a peak there that I had seen many times from the A92 motorway during my years in Spain. It is called the Penon de la Cruz. I never climbed it before because, quite frankly, it looked a […]
