Author: FelipeCaminante

As a result of the pandemic I lost about a year of travel and of writing, so my Spanish Trails books for new areas have been delayed. However, my 3 original books (Picos de Europa; Mountains of Madrid; and Sierra Almijara (near Cómpeta) remain available, either by contacting me or from the usual book distributors online.

Book Two of the series (Sierra Almijara and Tejeda) has just been extensively updated and the new version will leave the printers within the next few days. It includes paths which did not exist until recently, particularly the Puente Colgante (Hanging Bridge) near Sedella. The title has also been expanded to make it clear that these are the hills close to Cómpeta.

Book One, Picos de Europa, has also been updated to include just a few changes which have come to light since the first edition was published in 2018.

Here are some videos which will give you an idea of the terrain in the Picos de Europa.

This is the Cares Gorge, as described in Walk 26 of my Picos book, although the video goes in the opposite direction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bi6HFxX2-s

And here is a mid-winter video of the route to Pico Tesorero. You will see how difficult winter conditions can be in northern Spain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7TsmRU7fKg. The first section of this route is the same as in walk 17 of the book.

I will shortly add some videos from the areas covered by my other books.

During the lockdown I was unable to continue my exploratory work on my next books, for the Ordesa area of the Pyrenees and the Sierra de Cazorla in south-central Spain.

My first three books remain available (the Picos de Europa, the Sierra de Almijara and Tejeda, and the Mountains of Madrid) on the websites of Cordee, Amazon, Waterstones and Stanfords amongst others.

And I can send you copies directly by mail or courier. Send me an email to info@spanishtrailsco.com if you are interested.

Stay safe.

The Spanish authorities have a system for marking certain paths within national and natural parks. There are two categories of officially-marked path, the GR (Gran Recorrido, or long distance) routes, and the PR (Pequeno Recorrido, or short distance) routes.

GR routes are indicated with red and white markers, and PR routes with yellow and white. To confuse matters, there are often other colours marking local routes.

In one review of my Picos de Europa book on Amazon, a reviewer has complained that I do not reference the “national” trails. There are several reasons for this.

• Very often the official routes do not take the optimum route. For example, in one area of Andalucia, the GR 249 follows a main road for several kilometres, ignoring an excellent (but more strenuous) footpath which follows a similar route at a higher level. These routes often take the easiest way from A to B, which may not be the most interesting route.
• One or two of my walks include a small amount of walking on surfaced roads, but only where there is no real alternative. The official routes use surfaced roads more frequently.
• Some of the official markings can be difficult to follow. For instance, only two weeks ago I followed a PR route in the Picos from Arenas de Cabrales to Tielve. The paint marks which were made a few years ago had in many cases almost disappeared.
• The routes in my books are intended to provide good geographical coverage and a range of easy to difficult walks, through the most interesting parts of the terrain. Although I do not often reference the official waymarks, I believe that my walks are more interesting, and often lead you to less popular places. The directions for my walks should stand on their own merits. If you find that they do not do so, feel free to let me know.

I frequently return to the Picos de Europa, re-visiting some of the routes in my book. Some parts of any guide book can get out of date. Things are constantly changing. I keep my information up to date as far as possible. So if you are using my book and find any inaccuracies, please let me know. You will find some updates here.

The national park authorities have been working hard improving paths and even creating brand new ones. For example, the alternative route in my Walk 18 for the Picos is now fully signposted as a national park route. You will often find yellow and white markers (for short-distance routes) and maybe red and white (long-distance) but my routes are my own routes, and do not always follow the whole of the “official” ones. Please use my directions, which hopefully are self-explanatory.

Any feedback you have from doing these walks is welcome.

I am returning soon to the Sierra de Guadarrama, near Madrid, to complete my research for Book Three. Few people in the UK have heard of the Guadarrama, so it will be called “The Mountains of Madrid”. I have the help of Tim Price, a young Englishman who was born and bred in Madrid. We aim to have the book on the shelves before the end of 2019.

This is a brilliant walking area, with lots of easy, moderate and strenuous routes taking you to over 2,400 metres altitude. The views are long-distance and brilliant. And you get the chance to visit the famous capital city of Spain as well.

AND HERE IT IS – PUBLISHED 1OTH FEBRUARY 2020

In the spring of 2020 I will be leading a group, as often, from the wonderful Finca el Cerrillo in Canillas de Albaida. I will be taking the group on from there to Granada where they will walk in the Alpujarras, in the city of Granada, and in the Sierra Sub-Betica, which is half way between Granada and Córdoba. I am looking forward to returning to some of my old walking routes for the first time in a little while.

I am pleased to say that I have recently received the following message from a person who bought my Picos de Europa book. The printers had made a mess of the third reprint, and had to print it over again.

“I arrived home today to find your book delivered as promised.

I have to say a big thank you for your exceptional customer service.

I am visiting the Picos in early summer and am looking forward to walking a few of the routes described.

Thank you once again.”