El Pozuelo and Los Cuchillos from Juanar

Very Good. 10/12k. 5/600m. 4-6 hours. Medium/Hard difficulty. Prickle Factor Medium.

The variations are dependent on how many of the additions you do. With none the walk is given 5.5k and 2 hours – but you’d practically have to run and look at nothing but where your feet will next land to achieve that! The walk is much better in the direction (anti-clockwise) described.

Park near Juanar Refuge and walk back down the road a half kilometre to the marking post leading down left to the (dry) river bed. (Note the marker post almost opposite for another day), then follow the large track leading diagonally up right towards the col and back up left to El Pozuelo a water system which (mostly) has the only running water in the Sierra. Don’t depend on it! A little further on you reach the second col – the Puerto del Pozuelo.

Decision time. On your left a (very) faint track goes up to the ridge exactly at right angles to the path (there may be a small cairn) and then go along it right to the unnamed summit at 1230m (small cairn enlarged by me) with nice views of the area over and beyond Juanar. For most of the way there’s no track but it’s easy walking adding well under an hour – just make sure you return roughly the same way to get prickled least.

Opposite a clearer track (prickly) goes to what is shown as a very high peak – part of Los Chuchillos and given 1237m making it possibly the highest point in the Sierra Blanca. It is (justly) called Picacho de Castillejos on another map. Where the track reaches the rocks scramble up them and the ridge above to the summit. Obvious traces of passers by at two places. Very easy on the left and just a little more sporting five metres right, and progressively harder the further right you go.

This can be avoided by a continuation of the track going left under the rocks for some 200m until at a col there was (is?) a cairn showing a way up rightwards (straight ahead the ridge leads easily downwards and is a nice continuation but I’ve only followed it for another half k until it steepens). There is then a faint line to the summit with the odd small cairn, although these now seem to have vanished.

Coming off in thick cloud I found it hard to refind this line up so watch the way. The scramble is only a little harder in descent or, alternatively, continue to the drop into the gap before the continuation of the Chuchillos (that I would not fancy – even with a rope!) and carefully make your way over rough ground to the Col back on the left to pick up the track back. (Harder to find than you'd think).

In good weather there is no real difficulty but if cloud covers the tops it is easy to get confused. Again this add-on takes under an hour and is one of the highlights of the walk.

Back at the Puerto del Pozuelo contine on the easy path round the hill on your left to the bottom of the drop into the Infierno.

Decision time two. Ahead you can see a post on the dirt track which will take you back to Juanar (30 mins). Right there are rocks giving a pleasant scramble up to the same dirt track. Left this is the route on the map but you can add an extra pleasant hour or so going right to circumnavigate the mountain in front of you (un-named – 1144, 1139 etc).

The next bit [..] is as it was until 2007. But as I discovered when doing Walk 5 this year the paths described are now being removed and the area is being turned into an olive grove(?). You can still do this part of the walk by keeping as close to the rocks on your left as possible (even on them) with little trace of a path until the final uphill is reached. The two previously existing signposts have been removed.

[Follow the dirt track right (X) until it becomes a path down into the Rio Molinos valley. We used to have to scramble down rocks on the left but there is now an easy path. At the bottom the path goes down right to Istan and at some point a path goes off left to the Col at 1036 (Walk 5). However I’ve never done this as a faint track can be made out going directly to the same col over rocks at the bottom of the mountainside and I’ve always taken this more sporting, direct, (but I’d bet slower) way.

A small bit of scrambling may be involved here and there and you may keep losing and refinding bits of track but eventually any line leads more or less straight to the steep final approach path up to the Col from whence a steep zig-zag path leads down into woods (note sign to La Concha – route 4) and the main dirt track back left to your car.]

Quite a day if you do it all in Summer!

Walk 2

Ojen – Juanar Lookout

Very Good. 10k. 550m. 4 hours. Medium Difficulty. Prickle Factor – Low.

Another lovely excursion through pleasant forests with no route finding difficulties once above the motorway.

From Marbella take the first entry to Ojen and after 2k ignore the sign down and right to the central car park but go into an unsigned car park (for about 40 vehicles) on the left almost immediately after reaching the village. If you have passed the caves on the roadside and reached the shops and restaurants you have passed it!

Since it was by-passed Ojen has become a lovely, largely Spanish, town and it is well worth an hour or so. The tourist office in the central square is worth a visit – if you can find it! - and had all the local walking maps when we went.

Even harder to find is the start of the walk. The girl (a walker) in the tourist office couldn’t help and only a search of the appropriate area and a friendly ancient local led us to it. Don’t think you’d find it starting from Juanar because this would probably prove impossible if you hadn't read this!

From the car park there is a faint path and also tracks up on either side. All may (or may not) be possible but the best is on the right as you go in with caves on its right side and the car parks buildings on the left. You are following the left bank of the (dry?) river. This soon reaches a levada – irrigation channel. Go left 200m or so along its concrete wall until a path leads up immediately before an interesting bridge.

After a house on your left a dirt track is reached. Note the house for your return (green fence?). Go right for a few metres to your first signpost on the left and through the gated grounds of a campsite. At the top (house) another gate leads on through a tunnel beneath the motorway.

From here on the way is clear so, of course, the occasional waymark is found! About halfway up there is a left fork (X). Ignore it – it’s the way back. At the top, when the main track is reached, a few metres left another big signed track leads left and round to a new lookout with spectacular views of where you’ve been. You’ve come up the left valley and will return down the right.

From the lookout a smaller path right completes the circular walk back to the Juanar track. Return the way you came up until the path forking right is reached. Ignore the (X) and follow this path easily down to a Sanctuary and then on to another tunnel. This is longer and curves left. If you take your sunglasses off there is just enough light for you not to need a torch!

Through it stumble down the old water bed for a short distance to a dirt track and, just left, you will recognise the area and path leading back to the levada and car park.

There are some pictures on walking world wide