Photo-journey Wim van der Velden

Here are some winter photographs taken by Wim van der Velden, one of our friends that came over for the Christmas holiday season. We made a selection from his web page ´mijnalbum.nl´.
Use the arrow at the bottom right to go to the next photograph!!

Sendero Local ´Gerald Brenan´, Yegen

Yegen is one of our neighbouring Alpujarras villages. It has become known by the hispanist Gerald Brenan who gave an affectionate portrait of his life in this village in his book ´South from Granada´. Gerald Brenan was twenty-five when he first arrived in Yegen in 1919. He described vivedly all aspects of village life and gave a rich account of Spain´s vanished past. Don Geraldo loved to wander around in the countryside around Yegen with its views across to the Contraviesa and the sea. One of his favourite afternoon strolls was put into a waymarked circular walk of 3,5 kilometres a few years ago. This ´Sendero Local de Gerald Brenan´ passes wash houses, fountains, ruined mills and a large flat-topped outcrop, called Peñon del Fuerte or Piedra Fuerte. Since they renewed the green-and-white waymarking in 2006, they changed the direction of the walk to anticlockwise. To start the walk you therefor now need to ignore the old small wooden arrows on the walls that read ´Ruta Gerald Brenan´. Instead you go down to the bottom of the village where you find the Fuente Camellona and the first wooden marker post with a white arrow and green-and-white stripes with the name of the walk. At the end of this walk you pass the house he lived in. It can be recognized by a plaque dedicated to this hispanist that “universalized the name of the village, and the customs and the traditions”. When you continue up to the main road, you will see opposite the bus stop a house with number 16. This used to be a ´posada´ or village inn, where ´El Inglés´ stayed before he moved into his house. The town hall is in the process of buying this place with the idea to convert it into a Casa Museo in honour of Don Geraldo.

Related keywords: Alpujarras, Sierra Nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, trektocht, hiking, trekking, Berchules, B&B, hotel, wanderungen

Sendero Local ´Acequias de Bérchules´

The early snowfall is rapidly forgotten when the sun comes out and makes winter as good as any season for keen walkers. Today we went out to check one of the local circular walks (Sendero Local) ´Las Acequias de Bérchules´ which follows the ´acequia real´. Apart from gathering the GPS data to draw an accurate map, it allows us to update the walking descriptions we offer our guests. This relatively easy walk (3 hours) alllows you to enjoy the impressive Sierra Nevada hinterland and the stunning views over the Alpujarras valley. This surely is one of the aspects that makes Bérchules so interesting for walkers. Note that the waymarking to leave the village is scarce. Later on you will find a mixture of old yellow-white marker posts as well as new green-white marker posts, indicating the same walk.

Bird watching Sierra Nevada check list

Although autumn is coming to its end, it is still an interesting season for bird watching. Around ´El Paraje´ green woodpeckers, serins, tits and robins are around, but also a good number of jays, magpies and spotless starlings for example. Golden eagles overfly with some frequency, as well as the short-toed and bonelli´s eagles. Common buzzards, common kestres, peregrine falcons, eagle and little owls can be seen as well, just to name a few. For those people interested in ornithology, we have made a checklist with the birds of the Sierra Nevada and Alpujarras region. The latin names are in alphabetical order and behind these the Spanish, English and Dutch names are given. We have also given more information on whether they are residents or live here part of the year, whether they breed here and in what sort of biotopes they have their home etc. This is as far as we have found this information in different books and articles on the subject. We will continue to improve this list when we obtain the necesarry data to do this, so comments are very welcome. We hope that this list proves to be useful for those people interested in keeping track of their bird observations during their stay in the area. ...

Related links:
- Organized tours with BirdwatchAlpujarras.

related keywords: birds, aves, vogels, oiseaux, Vögel, check list, controle lijst, liste de vérification, checkliste

Cross-country skiing Puerto de la Ragua 08-09

The Granada downhill ski station opened this year the 15th of November. Pradollano is still quite a long way from our Casa Rural (about 140 kilometres), but those who like cross-country skiing don´t need to drive so far. Puerto de la Ragua opened its circuits as well and this is about a 45 kilometres drive from ´El Paraje´. Prices can be found on the website of the Estación Recreativa de la Puerta de la Ragua and more information on the ski runs and circuits can be found on the website of Turgranada.

Ruta literaria por el sendero de Gerald Brenan

Saturday the 6th of December a ´literary walk´ on Gerald Brenan is organised during which texts from his book ´South from Granada´ will be read. This route starts at 11.15 hours from the Plaza del Ayuntamiento in Yegen. It will take people through the countryside where Don Geraldo often used to walk during the years he lived in this village. Between 1920 and 1934, there were regular and prolonged visits to Yegen, and adding all these periods up, he spent seven years in this village. Before the walk the film ´La Mirada de Brenan´ will be shown in the Salón parroquial de Yegen.

Walking in the Río Dílar valley

Our friends of Casa Albayzín in Otura near Granada guided us on one of their walks in the Río Dílar valley. We set off near the Aula de la Naturaleza of Dílar where we started climbing up el Cerro de la Pescá. Once up the views were fabulous, to the right the snow-capped mountains and to the left the city of Granada. Near Cortijo Sevilla we started descending on the beautiful Vereda del Canal de la Espartera towards the river. Crossing the river was quite an adventure with the amount of water running through it at the moment. This is the GPS track of the walk of about 16 kilometres that we can definitely recommend. Other walks in this area can be found in Spanish guidebooks like Excursiones por Sierra Nevada (Desnivel Ediciones).

Media maratón in Cádiar - April 5th 2009

The half marathon that will take place the 5th of April 2009 and that starts and ends in Cádiar, is the first one that is organised in the Alpujarras. The run will be along country tracks and paths with a small section on tarmac roads. You can run or walk it, inscribe indivually or as a group (maximum of four people). Adults pay 15€ and children 10€. A part of the revenues will be donated to the Red Cross in Granada. More information can be found on the website on the media maraton.

The first snowfall

Quite a lof of snow fell on many parts of Spain last week. In Sierra Nevada there is now such an amount that they are talking about opening the Granada ski station the 22nd of November. On this picture taken today you can see how close the snow is to the village of Bérchules. The snow line is close to 2,000 metres. In the meantime the weather has stabilized and when you look at the forecast, you can see that it will be perfect for hiking, horse riding or mountain biking the whole coming week. The maximum temperatures mentioned, around 13 degrees, are as measured in the shade. In the sun the temperatures easily reach 10 degrees more. On television the proverb “año de nieves, año de bienes”, was repeated quite a few times the last couple of days. Let´s hope that this saying “year of snows, year of riches” holds true. It´s already quite a joy to see that there´s now more water flowing from the fountains in the village since the first precipitations.

related keywords: el tiempo, het weer, le temps, das wetter

Fa Re tetería in Ferreirola

A visit of La Taha valley with its pretty villages we quite often recommend to people, because there are many fantastic hiking possibilities. In this area it is easy to ´devise´ your own route with copies out of one of our books. As Ferreirola is in the centre of this valley, it´s likely that you pass through this village. If you do, we can highly recommend having a break at Fa Re Tetería-Cafetería. Fátima and Rebecca, the two ladies that opened their Morrocan style tetería at the end of July, gave the place a lot of character. Apart from a wide choice of teas with lovely home-made pies, a good glass of wine with some cheese can also be enjoyed at Fa Re. When the weather is good it´s possible to sit outside and enjoy the views down into the valley. You can find this coffee and tea house at the bottom of the village in Calle Soledad, and it is open from Thursday to Sunday from 10.00 to 23.00 hours. (FaRe)

Lactarius deliciosus

Guests that recently walked the GR-7 from Juviles to Trevélez had told us about people collecting wild mushrooms in the pine woods. From local people we heard that they were looking for ´níscalos´ or ´robellones´. These saffron milk caps are apparently a type of fungi that finds its way to shops and restaurants in different parts of Spain. Today we went out mushrooming ourselves in the pines above Juviles. We soon found out that this red pine mushroom is completly covered with earth and needles so you need to look for small heaps and just try your luck. The forest had obviously been cleared quite thoroughly by other people, but nevertheless we did find enough to make a nice risotto. After some rain these saffron milk caps can grow overnight, so this might not be the end of the wild mushroom season yet.
 

Chestnut anniversary

Five years ago we were busy with the last preparations for the opening on the 1st of November. Friends from Holland that came over drove up in the mist and had at that moment no idea what the views could be like. Luckily the sun broke through the morning of the inauguration and we were able to roast chestnusts outside as we had planned a ´castañada´. Today the views are as good as ever, like the day of the opening. From the terrace we can see the sea clearly and the first snow on the mountains in the distance. A perfect day to cherish special memories and collect chestnuts.

Figs

Figs are a popular product of the Alpujarras. The small white or green figs are dried and sold as such, or used to make Pan de Higos, amongst other things. Our favourite type are the blue figs of which we have a number of trees. The first weekend of September we were able to put the first ones on the fruit-bowl on the breakfast table and use them in different types of desserts. The big tree that on sunny days offers shade on the terrace is our most mature and precious tree and will probably continue to bear fruit for three more weeks.
 

Autumn 2008

The third autumn day El Paraje woke up to this magnificent view. It was a prelude to a whole day of rain which is after a number of consecutive dry years a godsend. As the first rainfalls are relatively early this year, we hope that this is a good sign for the coming winter. After the rain had stopped the mist formed a photogenic background and the constantly changing skies offer magic views during this time of the year.
related keywords: el tiempo, het weer, le temps, das wetter

Almond harvest 2008

Our almond harvest tradionally starts the end of September, although lower down in the valleys they can start the end of August. This year we are lucky to be able to harvest some at all, because in the whole region a lot has been frozen during a cold spell at Eastern. The way to collect them is to put nets on the ground and hit the branches with a long stick. After gathering the almonds we pass them through a machine to get rid of the soft green shells to leave the nuts as most of us know them. We will have more than enough for our home cooking. We serve them roasted as tapas or use them in traditional Andalucian soups like ´ajo blanco´.
 

Sendero Sulayr Tramo 8

Today we checked out one of the less accessible sections of the Sendero Sulayr. Tramo 8 starts in the middle of nowhere at the Loma de Lastonar and ends in the middle of nowhere at the Fuente del Espino and is 16,5 kilometres long. If you´re not bivouacking high up, you need a transfer with a fourwheel drive as the dirt track from Mecina Bombarón is in a regular state. The access to the GR240 is badly indicated so you need to follow the GR7 signs for about 4 kilometres to find the first Sulayr marker post.
Once you´re up the views are spectacular and the walking is a joy for the first 10 kilometres. The route takes you through beautiful scenery and is well signposted. Going down towards the Río de Mecina you need to pay attention. Large flocks grazing here have made many paths and the marker posts are scarce. On the Cuesta del Diezmadero the signs have fallen off and are incorrect. The Fuente del Espino is still further away than the 2,9 kilometres indicated. After having crossed the Acequia de Válor the track has become overgrown. After having crossed the Río de Válor the marker post at a crossing of dirt tracks indicate again a wrong number of kilometres and the climb up the Peñón de la Loma is poorly waymarked. Having reached the end of the section at the Fuente del Espino, the nearest village is still 16 kilometres away. As there´s no mobile coverage in this area, contact with somebody in order to change the appointment for a transfer is impossible. So if anything doesn´t work out as planned you could get into a difficult situation. Walking all the way down would not be the most attractive ending of a splendid day high up in the mountains.
Note: the maps of the guidebook and of the Junta de Andalucía of this section do not coincide. The route as drawn on the map in the Penibética guidebook is the correct one.

Related articles
- Special about the Sulayr

Sendero Sulayr Tramo 6

The most accessible section of the Sendero Sulayr is Tramo 6. It links Capileira with Trevélez and there´s a bus connection between these two villages. The total length of this stretch is 17,4 km with a height difference of about 920 m. The Penibética guidebook describes this section from west to east, so starting in Capileira, but we tried out if the reverse gives any problems in finding the route. It turned out that only on leaving Trevélez it is not so clear where to pick up the route. Knowing that within a kilometre the GR7 and the GR240 join each other on a dirt track, it is not a problem to follow the red-and-white waymarks of the GR7 on leaving Trevélez. Apart from this, it is a well waymarked stretch that can also be walked from east to west without a description. The map from the guidebook of this Gran Recorrido might be useful though. It´s a diverse section, as you walk on broad tracks as well as on small paths, through open terrain as well as through pine and oak woods. One of the attractive aspects of this stretch is its impressive vastness of space.


Related articles:
- Special about the Sulayr

Papilio machaon or Old World Swallowtail

The Old World Swallowtail or Common yellow Swallowtail is a regular visitor of El Paraje. This striking butterfly flies from April to October and has two favourite spots on the finca. One of them is the old threshing circle, the highest point of our terrain. This swallowtail, or subspecies of this butterfly, is protected by law in various countries.






Related key words: macaón, koninginnepage, schwalbenschwanz, vlinders, schmetterling, tagfalter, familie der ritterfalter, papilionidae, familia papilionidae, grote pages, alpujarras, sierra nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, trektocht, wandelvakantie, standplaats vakantie, hiking, trekking, bérchules, B&B, hotel, wanderungen

A pool with a view in Juviles

Juviles, our neighbouring village at just three kilometres from El Paraje, has since 2007 a public outdoor swimming pool. Today we had an opportunity to visit it. It was a pleasant surprise to see how Juviles has managed to give the pool the right proportions. Apart from this, a good spot was selected, natural materials have been used and the views to the Sierra have not been blocked. From the pool you stil have the feeling of being in one of the most beautiful parts of the Alpujarras. On festive days it might be crowded, but most days you will probably experience a haven of peace.
The ´piscina pública´ is open from the first Saturday of July till the first Sunday of September. Entrance is two euros.

GR 240 Sendero Sulayr

Today we incorporated some information on the Sendero Sulayr into our website. This Long Distance Path, the GR240, circles the Sierra Nevada. It was inaugurated in 2007, and this same year a Spanish guidebook on this trail was published. We are about 6 kilometres away from the Sulayr, halfway stage 7. This stage that connects Trevélez and the Loma de Lastonar has a total length of 24,9 kilometres. On our website you can find information on how to get to our Casa Rural from the Sulayr or vice versa. Having a look at the website of the Junta de Andalucía or at the guidebook, you can see that most stages end or begin in the middle-of-nowhere, like at the Loma de Lastonar above Bérchules. It´s therefor interesting to know that overnight camping is allowed with prior written notification. This form "notificación de acampada nocturna" needs to be send to the Park authories. Please take notice of the leaflet "normativa de acampada" on which you can find the norms regarding bivouacking.

Walking in high summer

Although in southern Spain in July and August the temperatures are in general a little bit too high to be very active, walking in the high mountains can still be very pleasant during this time of year, especially when you start off early. Today we checked out a route that starts at the Puerto de la Ragua, a mountain pass at 2,000 metres height. The Puerto de la Ragua is about an hour and half drive from Bérchules. We chose to go up the Morrón del Mediodía, a route of Top Walks which we can definitely recommend. It is the height of the tourist season in Spain, nevertheless two other walkers and a shepherd were the only human beings we saw. Special encounters with animals were more numerous.
 

Related keywords: Alpujarras, Sierra Nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, trektocht, hiking, trekking, Berchules, B&B, hotel, wanderungen

Parnassius apollo nevadensis

The Parnassius apollo nevadenis is according to some people the most emblematic butterfly of the Sierra Nevada. The endemic Sierra Nevada subspecies can easily be recognized by the yellow-orange ocellus. On the website of Waste Magazine it is explained that there are few colonies left since collectors have had a great interest for this specimen and therefor paid a lot of money to obtain one. We were able to spot this injured Parnassius apollo near the top of the Morrón del Mediodía at about 2,700 metres height.

Sempervivum minutum

One of the best aspects of checking out a new walking route is the thrill of spotting special flowers and to capture its beauty on a photograph for the ´El Paraje Flora Book´. Special are certainly the unique species  like this Sempervivum minutum, endemic to the Sierra Nevada and Sierra de Baza. We took this picture of the ´Sierra Nevada Liveforever´ just before reaching the top of the Morrón del Mediodía, at an altitude of about 2,650 metres. According to Gabriel García Guardia, author of ´Flores Silvestres de Andalucía´ people used to recollect this Siempreviva because they believed that it could attribute to a longer life. The name ´Sempervivum´ has its origin in the Latin ´Semper´ (always) and ´vivus´ (living). Sempervivum are called `always living´ because this perennial plant keeps its leaves in winter and is very resistant to difficult conditions of growth. This ´Nevada liveforever´ likes fissures of siliceous rocks of he slopes higher than 2,000 metres. The ability of this succulent plant to store water in its thick leaves allows it to live on rocky slopes of the high mountain summits. Rosettes of  this sempervivum propagate asexually by lateral rosettes (offsets), which secures its reproduction.
PS On the 18th of July 2010 we saw large numbers of this Sempervivum minutum while walking from the Plaza de Lobos to the Cerro del Gallo, the highest mountain of Bérchules.

Related aritcle:
- Parnassius apollo nevadensis (2)

Related links:
- On-line magazine Waste: La flora endémica del macizo de Sierra Nevada
- On-line magazine Waste: Series de vegetación,  rocas verticales

Related key words: sempervivum vicentei, siempreviva de sierra nevada, sempervivum nevadense, crassulaceae family, familia crassulaceae, famille des crassulacées, perennes suculentas, crasas, succulenten, plantes succulentes, vetplantenfamilie, familie der dickblattgewächse, houseleek, hen and chicks, huislook, donderblad,  hauswurze,  joubarbes

Expo Cádiar 2008

From the 14th to the 17th of August the IX Feria Agroalimentaria, de Artesanía y Turismo is organized in Cádiar. The fair is open to the public from 12:00 to 22:00 hours and apart from a demonstration of local products and services there will be some performances and other cultural activities. Click here for the programme.

Festival de música tradicional de la Alpujarra

On Sunday the 10th of August 2008 the XXVII edition of the festival of traditional music of the Alpujarras is celebrated in Alboloduy.

Related links:
- Festival de Música Tradicional de la Alpujarra (wiki pedia)

Our web tips

In this article we list websites that we think are special in one way or another. It is not a link list.
All usefull links can be found in the individual articles. Looking for links you can also use the search engine in the side column.


ALPUJARRAS SIERRA NEVADA

Luces de Sulayr
The history of the Sierra Nevada in all its aspects. It is the online version of the exhibition with the same name held in Granada from October 2009 to the end of January 2010. All books are scanned and can be read online. Discovering the contents of this site is an adventure in its own. Pure quality.
- Our article on the exhibition
- list all articles on Sierra Nevada

El Sabor de la Alpujarra
This is the online version of the booklet about food and drink from the Alpujarras. We introduced the publication in this article. Hoover with the mouse over the corners of the pages and click to turn the pages. (list all articles on food and drink)

Sierra Nevada News
An English news blog of Spanish Highs in Lanjarón about the Sierra Nevada and Alpujarras. Well written, well tagged and easy to navigate.

Birdwatch Alpujarras
Ian Williams and Kiersten Rowland organize bird watching tours in the Alpujarras and adjacent regions. Their website is a good example of promotion with content, getting your enthousiasm across, and without being distracted by a lot of adds.
(list all articles on birds)

Recuerdos de Cástaras
We like this website about Cástaras a small village off the main road. The website made by Jorge García García breaths the tranquility of the village. It shows the cariño and dedication the maker has for the village and its roots. A special part that we would like to mention is the Mirada de Artistas. It is not a website to browse in a hurry.

Al sur de Granada - el blog de Rafael Gan
Rafael Gan from Motril has traveled around the Costa Tropical de Granada, la Alpujarra y algo más His interest in places and people has given him a knowledge about the region that is unique. In his blog he shares his experiences in a loose and joyful manner. His photos always show the heart of things.
A blog in Spanish that we follow regularly. We wrote an article about Rafaels blog when he started, but we think the blog deserves a permenent place in this list.
P.S. In 2011 Rafa started a new project RAFA TOURS. Check it out!

ANDALUSIA - SPAIN

Tertulia Andaluza
"The definite guide to events in Andalusia." Read what´s happening in southern Spain in English or in Spanish. An online magazine with an agenda of cultural events, articles on Andalusian art, music, literature, gastronomy, architecture, the environment and society. Interesting book reviews and travel notes of the different Andalusian cities or of small hidden gems.

Anthos: Spanish plants information system
ANTHOS is a program that was developed in accordance with a specific agreement between the Fundación Biodiversidad (Biodiversity Foundation) (Ministry of the Environment) and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spanish National Research Council) - Real Jardín Botánico (Royal Botanic Garden) (Ministry of Education & Science) in order to show assorted information about the plant life of Spain on the Internet. Scientifical quality. The reference guide for all Spanish flora enthousisasts.

Waste magazine
Spanish online magazine on science, nature and the environment. It contains a lot of information on the nature reserves in Andalusie, its flora and fauna. Here we link to the Sierra Nevada chapter. Apart from this, there are amongst others, articles on energy, recycling, pollution and waste.

Sollaúras - antes: La cabeza en las nubes, los pies en la tierra
Spanish blog of José César Perales López. About endurance cycling and (trail) running. Announcments, reports, background information and links.
"Un lugar sobre deporte, esfuerzo, resistencia, y las razones por las que hemos decidido disfrutar pasándolas canutas. "

INTERNATIONAL

National GeographicInspiring people to care about the planet since 1888. News and background information, sience, education, travel and more. Content and design, clearly structured.

Wild Wonders of Europe
"Revealing Europe´s amazing natural treasures to the world" . A beautiful and professional website on nature photography in various parts of Europe, inaugurated in May 2008. All photographers of the week have their own gallery showing their personal way of capturing the beauties of nature. Here we link to the Spanish galleries. Amazing website.

WALKING AND HIKING SITES

 tweevoeter
probably the most complete site about walking and hiking.  (in dutch)

Fiestas patronales de Alcútar

From the 8th to the10th of August the fiestas patronales in honour of Santo Cristo de la Misericordia are celebrated in Alcútar. Midnight on Friday the 8th of August there will be a performance of Tony Ronald. Saturday at 12:00 o´clock there will me a Holy Mass and a procesion at 21:00 hours. Sunday at 14:00 hours there will be paella for all the people present.

IV Jornadas Culturales de Cástaras y Nieles

From the 1st to the 3rd of August 2008 the nearby villages of Cástaras and Nieles celebrate their cultural days. Click here for the programme.

V Semana Cultural de Juviles of 2008

From the 1st to the 7th of August the Ayuntamiento Juviles organizes a semana cultural. Click here to see the programme.

Sendero Local ´Junta de los Ríos´ changed

The local yellow-and-white waymarked circular walk of Bérchules called the ´Junta de los Ríos´ has been changed into a green-and-white waymarked linear walk up into the Sierra. It follows the Camino a Lanteira for 9,5 kilometres up to Cortijo los Poyos - or Cortijo de los Pollos - and the same way back to the village. The marker posts are placed only thinking about walking in one direction. Following the green-and-white waymarks you miss out the lovely part along the irrigation channel, the ´acequia nueva´. We therefore removed the old brochure of the local walks from our website. As far as we know a new brochure has not been developed. We offer our guests both the old and new version of the Junta de los Ríos walk with our own detailed descriptions.
PS of 15 March 2009:
The local walk Junta de los Ríos is now walk six in the new guidebook, see our post on the news of this publication.
Information on this walk and the GPS track can be found on the website of the Mancomunidad Alpujarra Turistíca.

Related keywords: Alpujarras, Sierra Nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, trektocht, hiking, trekking, Berchules, B&B, hotel, wanderungen, vakantie, wandelvakantie

GPS walking descriptions

Our fondness of walking in the mountains was one of the things that brought us in Bérchules, a village situated in a beautiful part of the Alpujarras. For six years we have been checking out routes and making descriptions. Since November 2007 a GPS is making our lives easier and enabled us to add many new interesting hikes to our file. We are now able to offer more accurate map material with a short description of the different waypoints, a profile of the altitudes and the exact lenght of each walk. We can offer the service of loading tracks on a Garmin GPS with usb

Related keywords: Alpujarras, Sierra Nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, trektocht, hiking, trekking, Berchules, B&B, hotel, wanderungen

Iphiclides Podalirius or Scarce Swallowtail

Belgian guests spotted the Iphiclides Podalirius or Scarce Swallowtail on a walk to the village of Bérchules. We learned that this can be an unique experience for nature lovers from countries where this butterfly is getting rarer. Therefor we are delighted that the last few weeks we have seen this beautiful insect around the house quite regularly. The podalirio or chupaleche on the picture is not a local specimen though, but one that we photographed near the Río Bermejo above Pórtugos.

Related key words: sail swallowtail, pear-tree swallowtail, southern swallowtail, koningspage, segelfalter, flambé, pages, papilionidae, papillon, famille des papilionida, vlinders, mariposas butterflies, schmetterlinge, famille de lépidoptère, alpujarras, sierra nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, wanderung, B&B, hotel, hostal, hostel, bérchules, trektocht, hiking, trekking, standplaats vakantie, wandelvakanties, holiday, urlaub, vacances, GR7

External links

SPECIAL POSTS (with lots of related external links)
Accommodation
Berchules
Campings
Contact information
GR7
GR142
GR240 sendero Sulayr
Ruta Medieval
Handcraft (artesanía)
Museums and private collections (museos)
News
Outdoors activities (turismo activo) (mtb, guided walks, horseback riding, adventure etc)
Sierra Nevada visitor centres
Sports events
Villages of the Alpujarras with links to townhall website (los pueblos)
Wineries (bodegas)

BUS
ALSA routes and schedules

TAXI
Taxi services in Granada province, including most in the Alpujarras villages
Taxi services in Almería province, including most in the Alpujarras villages

RUTA MEDIEVAL
Stages, description and maps on Mancomunidad
map & gps Ruta Medieval on wikilocl

TOURIST BOARDS
tourist board Alpujarras Valle Lecrín
tourist office in Lanjarón
tourist board Granada city
tourist board Granada province
tourist board Almería province
tourist board Andalucía
Official english leaflet about Alpujarras Valle Lecrin (pdf 3,5Mb)

GOUVERNMENT
Diputación de Granada province
Diputación de Almería province
Junta de communidad autónoma de Andalucía

WEATHER
Weather photo gallery
Weather forecast Andalucía
Weather forecast per city or village
Weather forecast Bérchules
Weather forecast Sierra Nevada
Weather forecast Sierra Nevada Muhacen summit
Wind chill effects
Webcam Lanjarón
Weatherstation Spanish Highs in Lanjarón
Showers radar Spain
Showers radar Almería covering the provinces Granada, Almería, Jaen and Murcia
European extreme weather alert

HISTORY
History of the Alpujarras on the ADR website (in spanish)

ASSOCIATIONS
Asociación Desarollo Rural Alpujarras (ADR)
Centro Excursionista Andarrax
FEDAMON Federación Andaluza de Montañismo
FEDME Federacion Española de Deportes de Montaña y Escalada
Fed. MujeresAlpujarreñas
Mancomunidad de Municipios de la Alpujarra Granadina 


MAPS
How to find El Paraje from Berchules
map alpujarras,  our old m:ap,  offical map ´obras publicas´ (big pdf) (see also our blog post)
map gr7 (for maps of individual stages see special GR7)
map gr142  online topoguide
map gr7 and gr142
map gr240 overview (for maps of individual stages see special gr240)
map gr240 alpujarras
map ruta medieval PR A299
map Granada City access map
map Granada streetmap
map Granada municipalities
map Almería municipalities
map Mecina Mecinilla and Fondales
map Trevélez - Mulhacen
map & gps Ruta Medieval
streetmaps: Berchules Bubion Capileira Pampaneira
1:40.000 map at TiendaVerde
sierra nevada big scan
map sendero de Launa in Válor
map Haza del Lino
map PR-A 70 Poqueira
PR-A 249 Camino de la Sierra Ohannes
map PR-A 296 Sendero de los Pradillos Sierrade Gador
a lot of routes and maps on ´Senderos de Almeria´
map senderos locales Trevelez
map enderos locales Alpujarra de la Sierra (senderos de salud, acequias, brenan, encinas)
online brochure of the transnevada biking trail

BOOKS
Also scan table of contents at keyword Publications or all articles with label Publications
Books and maps on the Alpujarras at TiendaVerde
Books on the Alpujarras at CasaDelLibro
Books on the Alpujarra at AulaMagna
Books on walking in Andalucia at Librería Desnivel
Books on the Alpujarras at the online Library Cervantes
Books on the Alpujarras at Iberlibro (use keywords to refine)
14 books on the Alpujarras on www.la-alpujarra.org
34 Alpujarras Walks by Charles Davis
South from Granada by Gerald Brenan

FLORA
Flora amenazada y endémica de Sierra Nevada. (ed.: Consejería de Medio Ambiente, 2001)
Índice árboles singulares de Granada Index medio ambiente de la Junta de Andalucía
Árboles singulares de Granada part 1 part2 part3 (castaño Haza del Lino)
Venerablesarboles.blogspot.com

SIERRA NEVADA
National Park Sierra Nevada
List of information centres (centros de visitantes) Sierra Nevada - Alpujarra
Refugio postero alto
Refugio Poqueira
Fedamon - Sierra Nevada refuge huts
Microbus service from Capileira to Mulhacen (Alto del Chorillo)
Exhibition online Luces de Sulayr
Sierra Nevada Nevasport
online brochure of the transnevada biking trail

OTHER
Alpujarras photo gallery
Guestbook photo gallery
How to visit the Alhambra (do not get lost in non official sites)
Rafa-tours
Guia gastronomia online El Sabor de La alpujarra
Anthos - Spanish plants information system
Music on Listengo
gas stations

Menu

We hope this article will help you find your way in our blog.

THERE ARE MANY LINKS
We do not like the underlining of (hyper)links. With a lot of links the page gets too chaotic. So take notice that all different coloured text in the articles are either internal links to other posts in this blog or links to external websites (which will open in a new window).
ABOUT US
While 90% of this blog is enthousiasm and information about the Alpujarras, some article and links are directly related to us and our B&B.

ALPUJARAS SPECIAL REFERENCE POSTS
Some articles have a permanent Alpujarras information reference value. We update them as new information becomes available on the subject. Links to these alpujarras specials can be found in the right hand column

INDEX LABELS
These are the tags of the articles. Choosing a lable while sort all complete articles that relate to that subject. Note that in the right hand column all lable are listed including all villages (which we do not repeat hear). A special article on villages also has all label links

BLOGFEEDS
In the right hand column we also have blogfeeds. These show the last 2 articles of blogs we consider relevant to the Alpujarras and interesting to potential visitors. These are externañ links that jump to that blog website.

ABOUT US	ALPUJARAS SPECIALS REFERENCE POSTS	INDEX LABELS	GENERAL	EXTERNAL LINKS
this blog home our contact details comments guestbook online house photo gallery food photo gallery - - - - - - - - - goto our B&B in het nederlands en español	campings events handcraft introduction links market days musea-collections music archive news outdoors villages GR7 GR142 GR240 sulayr Ruta Medieval wineries sierra nevada sports events - - - - - - - bérchules	acequias art bike (our) casa rural events fauna all · birds · butterflies flora . endemic . flora finca food and drink · wine heritage general news music publications-books sierra nevada . mulhacen villages walks all · local walks · GR7 · GR142 · GR240 Sulayr · mulhacen video weather	this menu labels explained road map webcam	our B&B blogfeeds accommodations sierra nevada tourist boards alpujarras photo gallery webcam lanjarón web tips many more links . .

Table of content by label (loading...)

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Below all articles you can click on ´read and write comments". This will open a window in which you read existing comments and can write your own comments on the article.
We apreciate opinions and suggestions. You do not have to subscribe or log in. Feel free to use your own language.

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Clicking on the articles title will show you the article with all comments (if any). From there you can add comments as well by clicking ´post a comment´ .

Comments and suggestions can also be send to our mailbox:info@elparaje.com

Video impression of Granada and the Alpujarras

This video only highlights three ´musts´ while visiting this region: Granada with the Alhambra and the Alpujarran villages Lanjarón, Pampaneira and Trevélez. The Alpujarras has more to offer than these villages. Nevertheless this video is one of the few well made videos we found on the internet.

To watch the video in a higher resolution:
Once started , 480p shows up in the lower bar. Click to choose 360p to watch the video in a lower resolution.

Alpujarras events calendar

Here we have extracted the module ´events calendar´ from our website http://www.elparaje.com/. Apart from this calendar we dedicate this blog individual articles on events (see ALL ARTICLES ON EVENTS). This may take the form of an announcement (if we are informed in time) or a report.
Use the scrollbar or mouse scroll button to go down the list!



related keywords: eventos, evenementen, evénements, veranstaltungen, lista, programm, programma, list, lijst, evenementen, program, programme, 2010,
kalender, calendario, calendar,calendrier

Mulhacen winter ascent

The Mulhacen is not difficult to climb in summer and along the normal tracks. This excludes the northface. In winter the weather on the mulhacen decides if your yourney will be a fairytale or a disaster. We selected this video from youtube as example of a winter fairytale.

To watch the video in a higher resolution:
Once started , 360p shows up in the lower bar. Click to choose 480p to watch the video in a higher resolution.

Click here to link to the original page on youtube for more details.

related keywords: el tiempo, het weer, le temps, das wetter

Webcam Lanjaron

Lanjarón is the western entrance to the Alpujarras. It lies 20 kilometers west from El Paraje as the crow flies. Although in a mountainous area all corners have their own character, this picture gives a fair idea about the weather conditions at the moment.
(IExplorer: Use Ctrl + F5 to refresh picture download).


Courtesy of Spanishhighs Walking, Trekking & Mountaineering activity holidays in Lanjarón.

Check out their live weatherstation!

related keywords: el tiempo, het weer, le temps, das wetter

Links on Berchules and Alcutar

general - lodgings - activities - bars - restaurants - supermarkets
shops - businesses - banks - fuentes - monuments - videos - photographs


General information:

- description on turgranada, on adr alpujarra , on andalucia.org
- street map (or ´plano´)
- town hall latest official website  town hall old website
- local weather forecast
- guardia civil (tel: 958-9002)
- post office or ´correos´ at plaza abastos (12.30 - 13.00 hours)
- medical service or ´consultorio´ (tel: 958-769195)
- public el. school or ´colegio público´ (tel: 958-769161)
- forum (foro-ciudad)
- bus service granada and almería
- closest gas station in cádiar at 15 minutes: josé maría lópez (tel:958-768212)
- all our blog articles on bérchulesWe have a special chapter on bérchules on our website www.elparaje.com under ´region´.

Lodgings:
- casa rural el paraje
- hotel los bérchules
- el mirador de bérchules
- el cercado
- el vergel de bérchules
- aula de la naturaleza la alpujarra
- appartments jesús peralta, appartments ramón,

Activities:
- mountain biking with pure mountains or watch one of their videos


Bars:
- bar juan (plaza iglesia 2, tel: 958-852553 alcútar)
- el mirador de berchules
- bar vaquero (plaza abastos, tel: 958-852549)
- bar vergeles (plaza iglesia 8)
- la triana
- bar La Posada
- cuatro vientos (calle carretera 4, tel: 958-769039 mondays closed)
- terraza la tranca (at village entrance crossing, tel: 958-852525)
- bar cafe el duende (tel: 679-823200)
- discotheque el duende (ctra. alcutar-bérchules, 958-769169 or 679-823200)

Off course you can have a drink on the terrace of el paraje

Restaurants:
- casa rural el paraje (on reservation only)
- el mirador de bérchules
- hotel los bérchules (best call in advance)
- la triana
- el cercado
- bar cuatro vientos (´menu del día´ and ´raciones´)
- bar el duende
- bar pizzeria La Posada (plaza abastos)

Supermarkets
- covirán (calle haza gualda 27, tel: 958-852579)
- spar (calle iglesia 14, tel: 958-769103)
- komo komo (calle haza gualda 13, tel: 958-769054)
- tienda isabel (calle agua 21, tel: 958-769081)

Shops:
- bazar angelitas (estanco and giftshop, calle fuente iglesia, tel: 958-769163)
- el cairo (giftshop, tools and more, calle haza gualda, tel: 958-852585)
- hairdresser´s or ´peluquería´ lupe (calle haza gualda, tel: 958-852585)
- estanco alcútar (calle iglesia 8, alcutar, tel: 958-769097)
- bakery or ´panadería´ josé antonio
- pharmacy or ´farmácia´ san pantaleón (plaza abastos 1, tel: 958-769003)

Businesses
- ocaba 2005 sl, constructions and renovation (calle nueva 6, tel: 685-544 830 or 653-462428)
- semilla la alpujarra sl (cno. de la sierra 16, tel: 958-852537)
- hermanos gervilla peralta - construction materials and animal food (tel: 618-924824 or 620-075353)
- la cooperativa (tel: 958-769005)

Banks:
- caja rural de granada, with cashpoint (calle iglésia 4, tel: 958-769 031)
- caja granada (calle iglésia 17, tel:958-769012)

Fuentes:
- fuente carmela, fuente la platera, fuente del porton, fuente grande, fuente de garcía, fuente agria


Monuments:
- Iglesia San Juan Bautista (Berchules), Iglesia Santa María La Mayor (Alcútar)

Videos:
- Made by Alvaro Bernal Alejandre

Photographs:
- Slideshow San Marcos 2010
- Slide show of ten old photographs of the village: by Jordi Rico
- Slide show of three group photographs from 1894 taken from the virtual exhibition Luces de Sulayr
- Coat of arms or ´escudo´ of Casa Claudio

Related keywords: wandelen in de Alpujarras in andalusie spanje, hiking through the Sierra Nevada spain, wandelen, wandelingen, trektocht, standplaats vakantie, hiking, trekking, Berchules, B&B in berchules, hotel, wanderungen in andalusien spanien, wandelvakanties

Information on Bérchules from our website www.elparaje.com

Here we have extracted the module ´Bérchules´ from our website http://www.elparaje.com/.
Use the arrow at the bottom right to go to the next page!

Information on flora from our website www.elparaje.com

Here we have extracted the module ´flora´ from our website http://www.elparaje.com/.
Use the arrow at the bottom right to go to the next page!

Information on fauna from our website www.elparaje.com

Here we have extracted the module ´fauna´ from our website http://www.elparaje.com/.
Use the arrow at the bottom right to go to the next page!

Information on GR7 from our website www.elparaje.com

Here we have extracted the module GR7 from our website http://www.elparaje.com/.
Use the arrow at the bottom right to go to the next page !!



Related links:
All GR7 stages in the Alpujarras with maps , from the website Mancomunidad de municipios de la Alpujarra Granadina

Information on GR240 from our website www.elparaje.com

Here we have extracted the module GR240 Sulayr from our website http://www.elparaje.com/.
Use the arrow at the bottom right to go to the next page!

Contact details

CASA RURAL EL PARAJE
Ctra. Granada - Bérchules sn
18451 Bérchules (Granada)
(A4130 km 23)
tel : (0034) 958 064029
mov: (0034) 626186035 (0034) 619238518
mail: info@elparaje.com
web: http://www.elparaje.com/
blog: http://casa-rural-el-paraje.blogspot.com/
libro de turismo: CR/GR/00100

VISIT our guest book online  (libro de viajeros - gastenboek)
VISIT our B&B photo gallery
Take a look at our food


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related keywords: alojamiento, hotel in berchhules, rural lodgings, rural accommodation, alpujarra guesthouse, alpujarras bed and breakfast, kamers, rooms, habitaciones, hiking through the  Sierra Nevada, Andalusia spain, Andalucia, wandelen, wandelvakanties in de alpujarras spanje, wandelingen met gps, trektocht, standplaats vakantie, hiking, trekking through Berchules, B&B, hotel, wandern in andalusien spanien