ALPUJARRAS walking, news, culture, nature, events, books, history

Full moon, stars and clouds in the valley

2012-01-09T21:05:00.002+01:00

The 9th of January 20.30 hours. No further comments

Felices Fiestas

2011-12-25T18:34:00.001+01:00

A few years ago we already wanted to share our enthusiasm for this culmination of Spanish culture. We did not put it on the blog because it was not directly Alpujarras related. But now, enjoying Christmas and on the brink of 2012, we think it is a good moment.
Enjoy this flamenco ballet, the music of Manuel de Falla, the performance of Antonio Gades and Carlos Saura. The singer is the late Rocío Jurado. Some names!

If you are into flamenco ballet dance, also check out Bodas de Sangre based on the Lorca work and part of Carlos Saura's flamenco trilogy.

First oranges from the Orgiva valley

2011-12-19T13:46:00.002+01:00

Yesterday Paco drove up our dirt track and proudly presented his first orange harvest.
We feel very lucky that we met him a few years ago.
Every few weeks, from the end of December until well into April, he passes by with his fresh ecological oranges from the Orgiva valley. It is a special Alpujarras experience to see that snow on the mountain tops comes with organges from the valley.

Se vende leña - fire wood for sale

2011-12-06T16:16:00.002+01:00

Se vende leña de encina. Un remolque a 250 Euros (son dos dumpers). Entregado a domicilio gratuito si se trata de la zona de Bérchules o Cádiar. Razón: Juan Rafael Arana 619 533 659.

Last year we began with the cleaning of holm oaks on our finca. (See earlier published article). This has resulted in a stock of good, well dried, hard holm oak fire wood.
A highly piled up trailer (two dumpers) costs 250 Euros. It will be delivered at your house for free when living in the Bérchules or Cádiar area.
You can contact us at info@elparaje.com or 626 186 035.
If your Spanish is good enough you can directly contact Juan Rafael Arana at 619 533 659.

Mecina Bombarón, Juviles, Yátor, Yegen, Timar, Alpujarras, Busquístar, Contraviesa

Post nr 358 - visits 50.000

2011-11-06T11:23:00.003+01:00

After about 4 years of Alpujarras blogging we celebrate post number 358 and visit 50.000. We would like to thank our loyal readers for their comments and tips. We enjoyed gathering practical information about the Alpujarras which we hope to be useful, but most of all we hope to have shared our enthusiasm.

P.S. Today we enjoyed another beautiful autumn day after a few days with quite some heavy rainfall.

By clicking the comments count below any article you can leave your comment.
By clicking a label key word, you will get all articles related to that same label.
An overview of all content organising label key words can by found in the lower part of the right hand column.

The Alpujarras seen through the eyes of photographer Jesus Ruiz

2011-11-04T17:35:00.002+01:00

We found these videos of photographer Jesus Ruiz on Vimeo. It invites you to take your time and camara when visiting the Alpujarras.

Capileira from Jesus Ruiz on Vimeo.

Trevelez from Jesus Ruiz on Vimeo.

Vicente Amigo complete concert

2011-10-28T18:17:00.004+02:00

We found the complete copy of the dvd of one of Vincent Amigo´s concerts (almost one hour). We published the first part earlier in this blog. Take your time to enjoy this, it has some spectacular surprises....

related keywords: musica, muziek, musique, musik

Programme Otoño Cultural Alpujarra de la Sierra 2011

2011-10-28T15:22:00.000+02:00

Programe of the cultural activities in Mecina Bombarón and Yegen from the 28th of October till the 3rd of December 2011

Yegen Viernes, 28 de octubre
12:30 horas. Fonda-Museo Gerald Brenan. Inauguración de la Exposición de Pintura “LA SOMBRA DE BRENAN”, conjunto de obras de pintores aﬁncados en el municipio.

Mecina Bombarón Sábado, 29 de octubre
JORNADA DE LA CASTAÑA en MECINA BOMBARÓN
09:00 horas. BUÑUELADA tradicional alpujarreña en el Salón Cultural.
10:00 horas. Apertura del MERCADO OTOÑAL con productos de la tierra.
11:00 horas. EXPOSICIÓN GRÁFICA de productos de la Agricultura Ecológica y de Alta Montaña en el Salón Cultural. Recogida de castañas siguiendo senderos de la Sierra de Mecina Bombarón.
14:30 horas. La Gastronomía tradicional en Mecina Bombarón. Degustación de productos de la tierra en el Salón Cultural.
22:00 horas. XXV FIESTA DE LA CASTAÑA. “La Castaña Musical en Mecina Bombarón”, con verbena y GRAN CASTAÑADA en el Salón Cultural.

Yegen Sábado, 29 de octubre
VI NOCHE DE HALLOWEEN en YEGEN
22:00 horas. Fiesta de Halloween en el Salón Cultural, con concurso de disfraces, elección de “Reinas” y “Damas” de las Fiestas de Yegen 2011 y degustación de castañas.

Mecina Bombarón Domingo, 30 de octubre
IV JORNADA DE LA SETA en MECINA BOMBARÓN
11:00 horas. Recogida de setas, guiada por micólogo experto, en la Sierra de Mecina Bombarón.
14:30 horas. Degustación de Setas en el Salón Cultural, con la presentación de una excelente “mico-tapa”.
22:00 horas. Velada Musical en el Salón Cultural.

Mecina Bombarón Sábado, 5 de noviembre
11:00 horas. RUTA LITERARIA OTOÑAL, con recogida de castañas, por el Sendero de la Acequia Baja, en Mecina Bombarón.
20:00 horas. II Castañada Alpujarreña en Granada, junto a la Piscina Pública Municipal del Zaidín, de la mano de la Asociación de Vecinos “CASTAÑO-MIRASIERRA”, en colaboración con el Ayuntamiento de Granada, y con la participación del Coro y Música de Cuerda San Miguel, de Mecina Bombarón y de La Casa de La Alpujarra en Granada, que hará entrega de la Castaña de Plata al Alpujarreño Universal.

Yegen Sábado, 12 de noviembre
III JORNADA GASTRONÓMICA OTOÑAL en YEGEN
11:00 horas. Excursión etnobotánica por el sendero de la Fuente de la Salud.
14:30 horas. La Gastronomía tradicional en el otoño de Yegen. Degustación de productos de la tierra en el Salón Cultural.
22:00 horas. Velada Musical en el Salón Cultural.

Mecina Bombarón Domingo, 27 de noviembre
RUTA ABEN ABOO POR TIERRAS DE MORISCOS
09:30 horas. Recogida de picnic y salida desde la Plaza del Ayuntamiento, en Mecina Bombarón.
13:30 horas. Elección de la fotografía ganadora y entrega de premio en el Restaurante El Rincón de Yegen.
14:00 horas. Degustación de productos alpujarreños en Yegen.
15:00 horas. Regreso en autobús a Mecina Bombarón. Plazas limitadas. Más información en el teléfono 958 851001 (Paco Mingorance) o en http://www.alpujarradelasierra.es/contactar

Mecina Bombarón Sábado, 3 de diciembre
VI FIESTA DE LA MATANZA en MECINA BOMBARÓN
11:00 horas. La matanza en la economía familiar alpujarreña. Exposición gráﬁca y stand de productos derivados del cerdo en el Salón Cultural.
11:30 horas. La Constitución en la historia de España. Exposición gráﬁca en el Salón Cultural.
12:00 horas. La cultura del agua en la Alpujarra. Paseo otoñal por el sendero de las Fuentes en Mecina Bombarón.
14:30 horas. La gastronomía tradicional en Mecina Bombarón. Degustación de productos derivados del cerdo en el Salón Cultural.
17:00 horas. Tarde deportiva.
22:00 horas. VELADA MUSICAL en el Salón Cultural.

Yegen Sábado, 3 de diciembre
VIII FIESTA DE LA CONSTITUCIÓN en YEGEN
10:00 horas. Plantación de 33 árboles en diversos parajes del municipio
11:00 horas. La Constitución en la historia de España. Exposición gráﬁca en el la Fonda-Museo de Gerald Brenan.
12:00 horas. Excursión fotográﬁca por el sendero de Gerald Brenan.
14:00 horas. Elección de la fotografía ganadora y entrega de premio en el Salón Cultural.
14:30 horas. La Gastronomía tradicional en Yegen. Degustación de productos derivados del cerdo, en el Salón Cultural.
17:00 horas. Tarde deportiva.
22:00 horas. VELADA MUSICAL en el Salón Cultural.

Autumn 2011 at El Paraje

2011-10-23T17:40:00.001+02:00

This morning we welcomed the first rain after months. Dark low hanging clouds passed the The Alpujarras and left some serious showers. We lit the fireplace. But as soon as the clouds went, our guests enjoyed the walk around our estate and the afternoon sun.

Feria de octubre Cadiar 2011

2011-10-04T15:52:00.001+02:00

PROGRAMA DE ACTIVIDADES DE LA FERIA 2011.

JUEVES 6 OCTUBRE

13:00 Inauguración de la fuente del vino.
Concierto de la Asociación Musical San Blas de Cádiar.
14:00 Comida homenaje a nuestros mayores, amenizada por el grupo Al-cadí.
19:00 Reapertura de la fuente del vino.
20:00 Encendido del alumbrado de la feria.
22:30 Pregón de fiestas a cargo de D. Nicolás Maldonado Fernández.
23:00 Proclamación y coronación de las reinas juveniles e infantiles de la feria de Cádiar 2011.
23:45 Velada musical amenizada por la orquesta “La Prometida” y el trío “Esfera”.

VIERNES 7 OCTUBRE

11:00 Pasacalles a cargo de la Asociación Musical San Blas de Cádiar.
13:00 Apertura de la fuente del vino.
18:00 Fiesta infantil con merienda para los niños
Bob Esponja y Patricio.
19:00 Reapertura de la fuente del vino.
20:00 Pasacalles Brasileño con el grupo Brasil 2000.
22:00 Actuación del grupo Brasileño Brasil 2000 en la Caseta Municipal.
23:00 Verbena musical a cargo de las orquestas “La Prometida” y “La Tentación”

SABADO 8 OCTUBRE

10:00 Gran Tirada al Plato Comarcal en los Llanos de Cantarranas.
11:00 Inauguración de la feria del ganado en el rio, con la actuación del trío “Babilonia”
Se invita a todos los asistentes a que acudan vestidos con trajes rocieros.
12:00 Desfile de carrozas.
Premio en metálico a la carroza mejor engalanada.
Lugar de salida: Cruce de la Gasolinera.
13:00 Apertura de la fuente del vino.
14:00 Comida Popular, a la que invita la comisión a todos los vecinos, entidades y asistentes en agradecimiento por su colaboración.
17.00 Festival taurino y suelta de vaquillas en la plaza de toros.
19:00 Reapertura de la fuente del vino.
19:30 Ofrenda floral.
23:00 Gran verbena en la Caseta Popular, amenizada por las orquestas “La Tentación” y “Tropical Show”.

DOMINGO 9 OCTUBRE

06:00 Rosario de la Aurora y despierte.
08:00 Diana floreada a cargo de la Asociación Musical San Blas.
11:00 Concierto de la Banda de Música de Cádiar en la Plaza de la Iglesia.
12.30 Santa Misa en honor del Stmo. Cristo de la Salud y Ntra. Sra. De la Esperanza.
13:00 Apertura de la fuente del vino.
14:30 Paella Popular a cargo de los Mayordomos de Santo Cristo.
19:00 Solemne Procesión del Stmo. Cristo de la Salud y Ntra. Sra. De la Esperanza por las calles de Cádiar.
19:30 Reapertura de la fuente del vino.
20:30 Castillo de fuegos artificiales a cargo de los mayordomos de Santo Cristo.
22:00 Gran Revista de Variedades con las actuaciones de:
- ROSALEZ canción española y rancheras.
- ANA TORRES vedette.
- CARLOS BERROCAL humorista.
00:00 Actuación de la orquesta “Magic Band”.

Large Grizzled Skipper or Pyrgus alveus

2011-09-23T19:26:00.002+02:00

With temperatures slowly beginning to drop we´re coming to the end of the butterfly season. Two days ago, the first autumn day, we still saw about ten different species around the house though, amongst which the Large Grizzled Skipper that we had not photographed on our own terrain yet. According to different descriptions on websites and in books it says that this Ajedrezada serrana or Pyrgus alveus flies in June, July and August. It is therefor quite remarkable to still see this butterfly around on the 21st of September. Since we started taking pictures of butterflies on our terrain in March this year, we photographed different species. We got the permission of two guests two add their photos to the album Butterflies sighted at El Paraje, by which we come to a total of 45 different species. This is quite a large number when there are 54 different day-flying butterflies in the Netherlands according to Vlinders kijken. There are still also a number of butterflies that we did see but have not been able to photograph on our finca yet, for this we might need to wait till next year.

Related key words: hesperida, hespéridos, sonnenröschen-würfel-dickkopf, schmetterling,groot spikkeldikkopje, hespérie du faux-Buis, dagvlinder, mariposa diurna, ropalóceros, rhopalorocera, schubvleugeligen, lepidoptera, day-flying insect, natuurreis, natuurreizen, turismo de naturaleza, nature holiday, wandelen, stappen, hiking, alpujarra, sierra nevada, andalucía, andalusië, spanje, spain, españa

Inauguration Centro Temático del Vino Alpujárride Torvizcón

2011-09-22T20:53:00.016+02:00

Nine months after the first stone was laid, the Centro Temático del Vino Alpujárride above Torvizcón was officially inaugurated this afternoon. The simple, yet stylish design of the buidling provides a pleasant atmosphere inside. Thanks to large windows and balconies, you´re continously in contact with its breathtaking surroundings; the vineyards and almond orchards of the finca Juan de Reyes, part of the Sierra de Contraviesa, Sierra Nevada, Sierra de Lújar and the Mediterranean Sea. The Centro Temático del Vino will be open (on reservation) Thursdays to Sundays from 12.00 to 17.00 hours and on bank holidays.
For more information:
Centro Temático del Vino Alpujárride
Carretera Haza del Lino a Murtas Km. 4, Torvizcón
Tel. Juan Parrillas 622-959500 or e-mail: gerencia@alpujarride.com

Related links:
- Arquitectos José María Olmedo Espigares, José Miguel Vázquez Martín DTR_studio see proyecto BODE

Related articles:
- Wineries or ´bodegas´ in the Alpujarras

Related key words: wine museum, wijn museum, bodega, wine region, wijngebied, wine tastings, wijnproeferij, cata de vinos, restaurant

Figs and more harvest 2011

2011-09-16T16:38:00.005+02:00

Your favorite recepy with fresh figs?

New gadget to harvest fruit high up in the trees. We made peach compote to use in desserts.

With the grapes we make mosto that we serve with breakfast.

The ´verde de doncella´ harvest, a perfect apple for pies, juices and compotes.

Almond harvest 2011

2011-09-16T11:37:00.003+02:00

A beautiful September morning, with clear mountain air, wide views and Fred and our Belgian guests Kris and Dirk starting up the 2011 almond harvest. A unique experience at El Paraje.
Inspired by our guests enthusiasm Anita is now preparing Ajo Blanco con Uvas.

Related articles:
- Almond harvest 2008
- Almond harvest 2009
- Almond blossom routes in February

Walking route PR-A 28 of Bérchules cleaned and signposted

2011-09-13T15:02:00.003+02:00

This summer volunteers cleaned one of the must beautiful walking routes of Bérchules. At the moment two collages of this project can be seen at the town hall of Bérchules. This route is described in the visitor guide of the Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada that was published in 2004. In this Guía de Visita it is called ´Río Grande de los Bérchules´. Unlike most other walking routes in this guide book, it was not signposted, nor mentioned on the website or brochures of the National Park. It has been waymarked this summer with yellow and white paint marks and wooden posts. This PR-A 28 of 12 kilometres is now one of the official Pequeños Recorridos in Andalucía.
The first part coincides with the waymarked Ruta de la Junta de los Ríos which is a Sendero Local. The green-and-white waymarks at the beginning have been changed into yellow-and-white, which might be confusing for people that do want to do the Junta de los Ríos walk. The last part coincides with the GR-7 that runs between Bérchules and Mecina Bombarón. It is 4 kilometres shorter than our Tajos de Reyecillo walk as we make a detour to follow the beautiful old irrigation channel up to the Cima del Tejar. Another difference is that our walk is described the other way around as we think the part between the village and the Cima del Tejar is easier to ascend than to descend (the gps track of our Tajos de Reyecillo route).

Satyrus actea or Black Satyr

2011-08-10T10:51:00.001+02:00

A butterfly that has caught our attention on recent walks is the Black Satyr. According to the online magazine Waste Ideal, there have been cited two subspecies of this ´Negra´ in Sierra Nevada, namely Satyrus actaea subsp nevadensis and the Satyrus actaea subs podarcina. It does not mention in what ways these two subspecies differ, except that the first one flies at higher altitudes. As we mentioned in our article on the ´High route to Trevélez in High summer´ we saw the Satyrus actaea flying in large numbers on the slopes of the Peña de los Papos, only every now and then resting on a stone. On our new route ´Trevélez por el Horcajo´ we saw them close to streams, acequias and barrancos feeding on ragworts, mint and thistles. Like the Parnassius Apollo nevadensis, Pseudochazara hippolyte and the Erebia hispana, this is a butterfly that is being monitored by the Observatorio Cambio Global de Sierra Nevada. Of these four species, it is this Black Satyr that we sight in largest numbers.

Related key words: papilio actaea, actaeon, hipparchia actaea, petite coronide, kleine saterzandoog, vlinder, butterfly, schmetterling, papillon, nymphalidae, satyrinae, satíridos, satyridae, satyrinae, natuurreis, vlinderreis, nature holiday, turismo de naturaleza

XXI Festival Flamenco de Fondón 17 agosto 2011

2011-08-08T18:37:00.001+02:00

Website : http://fondon-andarax.blogspot.com/2011/08/cartel-xxi-festival-flamenco-de-fondon.html

Related key words: gitaar, guitar, flamenco, alpujarras, valderrama, tomatito, sonidos blancos

De Bérchules a Trevélez por el Horcajo

2011-08-08T14:37:00.009+02:00

Yesterday we checked out a walking route of 19 km from the Plaza de Lobos above Bérchules to Trevélez. It involves a landrover drop off at 2600m from were you start following an irrigition channel. Right from the beginning you have spectacular views of a number of the high peaks - like the Mulhacén - and you can see Trevélez in the distance. After 4 km you get to the Barranco de las Albardas from which the high Acequia de Bérchules takes part of its water. Another 2 km further on you arrive at the Barranco de Río de Jérez, the origin of the Río Trevelez and with its borreguiles a very lush place. From here you start following another irrigation channel which even in high summer is bordered by green grass and flowers. This part is not suitable for people with fear of hights, because you need to walk on small, steep stretches with loose stones. Southwards you can see on a clear day the sea in the distance and to your right the views of the Alcazaba are impressive. You get to a crossroads with a sign for the Lagunas Vacares and the Puerto de Jérez. From this point you follow the waymarked Puerto de Jérez route to El Horcajo and from here you walk along the river down to Trevélez. More information on these routes can be found in the small booklet Rutas por Trevélez.
If you are interested in doing this walk to Trevélez, or use the Plaza de Lobos as a starting point for any other route, you can contact us for more information on a landrover ride up to this excellent viepoint. If you just want to spend a few hours high up, something can be arranged as well, just driving up is already a great experience. A nice alternative is to just walk to the Barranco de las Albardas, a great place for butterfly sighting. Here we photographed, amongst others, Dusky Meadow Browns (Hyponephele lycaon), the endemic Spanish Brassy Ringlet (Erebia hispania), Black Satyrs (Satyrus actaea), Dark Green Fritllaries (Argynnis aglaja) and the Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus) with the rolled up proboscis. This photo journey gives an impression of the spectacular route ´Trevélez por el Horcajo´. Here we offer the GPS track of this walk

High mountain walking without climbing, a perfect high summer option.

Related articles:
- Rutas por Trevélez
- Horseback riding with Virgen de las Nieves from Trevélez
- Cerro del Gallo, the highest mountain of Bérchules
- Acequia de Bérchules

Related key words: wandeling, bergwandelen, hiking, trekking, las alpujarras, hooggebergte

A slide show of the high route to Trevélez in high summer

2011-08-06T09:21:00.002+02:00

Having now a better idea of the different butterflies in the area, we decided to count the number of species on an August day on the high route to Trevélez. While ascending through the pine forest we saw a number of graylings resting on trees. In a clearing we saw a Tree Grayling (Hipparchis statilinus) with marbled looking underwings resting on a stone with exactly the same colouring. Almost at the end of the forest, close to a small pond, we saw a number of Iberian Marbled Whites (Melargia lachesis). After having left the forest behind, we entered the world of slate and Black Satyrs (Satyrus actaea), there were literally hundreds of them. At 2400m we saw a Humming-bird Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) polinizing a Centranthus nevadensis, an endemic type of valerian. Just before the highest point of the route we saw a number of Blues that we have not identified yet. On the top of the Peña de los Papos (2538m) a Purple-shot Copper (Lycaena alciphron) and a Large Wall Brown (Lasiommata maera) were sunbathing. Another highlight was the reservoir at the top of the Barranco de los Castaños were we saw more Iberian Marbled Whites, apparently they want to be near water. Here we could also take photographs of Clouded Yellows (Colias croceus), Fritillaries, Lang's Short-tailed Blues (Leptotes pirithous) and other types of Blues, all atracted by the flowering ragwort, mentha and thistles. On the descend we saw Dusky Heaths (Coenonympha dorus subsp andalusica), another Large Wall Brown feeding on a yellow thistle, a Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) that did not want its picture taken and more Blues while crossing a stream. In the slide show we included a Striped Grayling (Hipparchia fidia), not a very good photo but the first one we sighted ever. Apart from the fifteen different species of butterflies we counted, we also saw a number of different grasshoppers and two different types of dragonflies, a male (blue) and female (golden) of a Broad-bodied Chaser (Libelle depressa) and the striking Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) near a small natural pool close to Trevélez. We made a slide show with photogrpahs of these insects and their habitats, and of course of the excellent views. For those interested in doing this route, we offer a taxi drop off to the pine forest at 1900m. This means you could arrive in Trevélez at lunch time, when you do not get off too late, which can be nice on a warm summer day.

Sierra Nevada, a paradise for nature photographers

2011-07-27T14:35:00.000+02:00

One of the interesting phenomena of the Sierra Nevada are the insects inhabiting the high peak areas. According to an article on the Fauna de Sierra Nevada on the website of Waste Ideal, there are possibly about five thousand species of invertebrates of which more than a hundred are endemic to this mountain range. A few days ago we took the microbus up from Capileira the Mirador de Trevélez (2,650m) and enjoyed taking pictures of the flora and fauna in the vicinity of this viewpoint. We wandered about on the boggy pastures or borreguiles of the Barranco del Postercuelo and the Barranco del Peñon Negro above the dirt track going to the Refugio de Poquiera. The Estrella de las Nieves immediately caught our eye and we were pleasantly surprised by the number of Apollos, Fritallaries and colonies of Silver-studded blues. We saw one Plebejus Argus being caught in a spider web. We came across a longhorned beetle, Iberodorcadion lorquini, and and a ´smiling´ grasshopper. While walking cross-country up through pebbled terrain we saw many endemic plants, like the Sierra Nevada violet and a black beetle called Pimelia monticola. We followed the Pista de Capileira (antigua carretera de Sierra Nevada) back to the Mirador de Trevélez and photographed a Baetica ustulata holding on to a flower of the Jurinea humilis and an Eumigus rubioi, an endemic wingless grasshopper, enjoying his lunch. A Silver-studded Blue was comparting a flower of the Reseda complicata with a couple of interesting looking insects. While we still had some time left before the microbus would take us back, we climbed up the Alto del Chorrillo, an excellent watch out point with a large ruined building that was used to store supplies in the Civil War. Our selection of photographs of Monday the 25th of July shows that if you´re interested in nature photography in the high peak area, but don´t want to walk for hours, taking the microbus up from Capileira to the Mirador de Trevélez is an excellent alternative. On the way back somebody showed us his inspiring pictures of beautiful flowers, mountain goats and birds. At that moment we were confirmed in the thought that the higher zones of the Sierra Nevada is a paradise for nature photographers, especially in this time of the year.

Erebia hispania or Spanish Brassy Ringlet

2011-07-24T16:50:00.002+02:00

The Erebia hispania is now considered to be endemic to the Sierra Nevada and therefor one of the highlights of butterfly lovers that visit this mountain range. The habitat of this Montañesa excéntrica are stony and wet grasslands between 1,800 and 2,900m. On Waste magazine we can read that the number is reducing of this Nymphalidae and that it is listed as ´threatened´. It also says that it flies in the Pyrenees as well. Tristan Lafranchis, in his latest book on identifying European species, divided hispania into two distinct species, ´Erebia hispania´ occurring in the Sierra Nevada in southern Spain, and ´Erebia rondoui´ or the Pyrenees Brassy Ringlet as confined to the Pyrenees. On the fore-wing upperside of the Spanish Brassy Ringlet the orange band becomes abruptly narrower and the black ocelli is reduced ormissing on the male hind-wing upperside. Its primary foodplants are gramineae (grass) and Festuca (fescue). We photographed our Spanish Brassy Ringlet in a ´borreguil´ close to the Barranco de las Albardas (2,600m) at the beginning of August last year. It was sharing its habitat with a Parnassius apollo. We are now planning to go back there in the same week hoping to reencounter this unique Erebia. In Dutch its name is Spaanse glanserebia and in French it is known as Moiré des Ibères.
PS On the 7th of August 2011 we did indeed reencounter a Spanish Brassy Ringlet in the same barranco, see article De Bérchules a Trevélez por el Horcajo.

Related key words: nymphalidae, satyrinae, satíridos, satyridae, satyrines, satyrids, browns, bruintje, brush-footed butterflies, vlinder, schmetterling, papillon, natuurreis, natuurvakantie, turismo de naturaleza, nature holiday

Programa festivo San Pantaleón 2011 in Bérchules

2011-07-23T17:55:00.003+02:00

This is the programme of the fiesta de San Pantaleón, the patron saint of Bérchules. The procesion in his honour will be held on the 27th of July at 21.00 hours.

related keywords: programma , alpujarras

Pseudochazara hippolyte or Nevada grayling

2011-07-18T14:56:00.011+02:00

The Pseudochazara hippolyte is called Cuatro ocelos de Sierra Nevada in Spanish as it has four ocelli. This Nevada grayling can be seen flying in Sierra Nevada at altitudes between 1,400 and 2,700m from the third week of June to mid July. The female lays eggs on Festuca Indigesta (fescue grasslands or Nevadan stripped grasslands) that grows on the siliceous upper slopes and summits. The Pseudochazara hippolyte is included in the ´Libro Rojo de los Lepidópteros ibéricos´ (The Spanish Invertebrates Red Data Book), but classified as not threatened. In the Libro Rojo de Invertebrados de Andalucía it is classified as vulnerable. This Red Data Book is available on the internet as PDF and this is for us a good source of information on this butterfly. As there are isolated populations in the different mountainous areas different subspecies are described. In the Red Data Book it mentions that in Sierra Nevada there is a subspecies known as Pseudochazara hippolyte williamsi and that three other subspecies in Spain exist: Pseudochazara hippolyte augustini in the Sierra de Gádor, Pseudochazara hippolyte aislada in the Sierra de María-Orce and Pseudochazara hippolyte reverchoni in north-eastern Andalusian Sierras. According to the information available in 2001, it is mentioned that the populations of the Sierra Nevada are not endangered, whereas the other three subspecies must be regarded as vulnerable because of the low population density, the small number of colonies and the small area they occupy. There are also populations of the Pseudochazara hippolyte in the Ural, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, southern Siberia, Mongolia and China, where they fly at altitudes between 1,500 and 2,000m.
We had the privilige to see a number of Nevada graylings two days ago at an altitude of about 2,500m while walking over a ridge between the Alto the las Chorreras and the Peñon del Lobo in the sierra above Mecina Bombarón. The photo below gives an idea of the fantastic views from this ridge as well as of the habitat of the Nevadaheremiet as it is known in Dutch or Ocellé andalou as it is known in French.

Related links: European interests group of Butterfly conversation in Spain; in the text on the highlights of the Sierra Nevada, Pseudochazara hippolyte or Nevada grayling is mentioned.

Related key words: insectos, lepidóteros, ropaloceros, nymphalidae, satyrinae, satíridos, satyridae, nymphalidés, papillons, vlinders, natuurvakantie, turismo de naturaleza, nature holiday

Libelloides longicornis

2011-07-17T15:11:00.000+02:00

Just after writing an article on the Libelloides baeticus, we saw a large number of a different species of owlflies near the Peñon del Lobo in the Sierra above Mecina Bombarón at an altitude about 2,400 metres. We were delighted to see two of them resting on a stem that kept still just long enough to get a picture. A little bit higher up we reached a mountain pasture, and there they were flying around in even greater numbers. The ones we photographed yesterday were the Libelloides longicornis, which occur in a number countries in southern Europe. We found an informative text on the Libelloides longicornis in Dutch on the website of the Soortenbank. We are now looking forward to photograph the other four species of owlflies of Spain: Libelloides coccajus, Libelloides ictericus, Libelloides hispanicus and the Libelloides cunii.

Related key words: ascalaphus libelloides, insectos, neurópteros, ascalaphidae, vlinderhaften, insecten, netvleugeligen, alpujarras, sierra nevada, andalusia, andalucía, spain, spanje, turismo de naturaleza, nature holiday, natuurvakantie, aAscalaphe commun, langfühlerige schmetterlingshaft, netzflügler, schmetterlingshafte, ascalaphidae

Libelloides baeticus

2011-07-15T22:28:00.000+02:00

Each time more guests tell us how much they enjoy a stroll on our finca. We feel that making new paths has been worth the effort, and we will definitively continue to extend our network of trails. We personally very much enjoy them as well. They prove to be especially useful for the inventory we are making of the flora and fauna of the finca. Since we started with this in March this year we have photographed more than forty different butterflies (see album ´Butterflies sighted at El Paraje´) and more than a hundred different species of wild flowers. While trying to get a better idea of the El Paraje habitat, we discovered that there are also quite a large number of other interesting insects flying around on our terrain. We have been adding pictures of these insects to our facebook album ´Flora and Fauna of the Finca´, a few photographs of this album were sent to us by guests. One interesting insect that we saw a few times in June is the Libelloides baeticus. On the website of Waste Magazine a list of five other libelloides can be found that are said to fly in Spain. Libelloides are members of the Ascalaphinae that are the namesake subfamily of the owlfly family (Ascalaphidae), winged insects of the order Neuroptera. According to a text on the Libelloides baeticus on the website Granada Natural, it says that it only lives a few weeks. In this same text we can read that this insect can be seen on the Iberian Peninsula, although there are discrepancies between different authors concerning the possible distribution in the Mediterranean. The Libelloides baeticus was described in 1842 by Jules Pierre Rambur (1801 - 1870). Rambur was a French entomologist who studied the insect fauna of Corsica and Andalusia and who wrote a ´Histoire naturelle des insectes´ (1842).

Related links: New walking and MTB tracks on own terrain

Related key words: ascalaphus libelloides, insectos, neurópteros, ascalaphidae, vlinderhaften, insecten, netvleugeligen, alpujarras, sierra nevada, andalusia, andalucía, spain, spanje, turismo de naturaleza, nature holiday, natuurvakantie

Issoria lathonia or Queen of Spain Fritillary

2011-06-21T14:40:00.000+02:00

Last week we saw a butterfly with large silvery spots on the underside hindwings, and knew immediately that it was the Issoria lathonia. It was too short a moment to take a good photograph. Since then we went back to our water deposit where we had seen it every day, hoping to sight it again as we think it is a unique butterfly with an intriguing name in English: Queen of Spain Fritillary. In Spanish it is called Sofia, coincidentally the name of the current queen of Spain. Yesterday we finally saw one just above the house feeding on a Lavender cotton. On Wikipedia various foodplants of this Queen of pain Fritillary are mentioned: different viola species like Wild Pansy or Heartsease (Viola tricolor), Field Pansy (Viola arvensis), Lucerne (Medicago sativa) and Borage (Borage Borago. In the Netherlands the ´Kleine parelmoervlinder´ is one of the species on the Dutch Red List of butterflies, classified as ´vulnerable´.

Related links: ´Butterflies sighted at El Paraje´, album of photos on our facebook page

Related key words: ninfálidos, nymphalidés, silbriger-perlmutterfalter, petit nacré, dag-actieve vlinder, mariposa diurna, schmetterling, alpujarras, sierra nevada, wandelen, stappen, wandelingen, trektocht, standplaats vakantie, hiking, trekking, bérchules, B&B, hotel, wanderungen, andalucía, andalusië, granada, spanje, spain, españa

Thymelicus sylvestris or Small Skipper

2011-06-20T21:21:00.000+02:00

In the Granada province three types of grass skippers occur: Thymelicus actaeon, Thymelicus lineola and Thymelicus sylvestris. It is this last type, the Small Skipper, that we saw just above the house today. In Spanish it is known as ´Dorada linea larga´ and in Dutch ´Geelsprietdikkopje´. The caterpillars feed on various grasses (Holcus lanatus, Bromus, Phleum, Dactylis glomerata and Brachypodium) and the adults drink nectar from flowers such as thistles and knapweeds. They are strongly attracted to purple flowers. It is said that Small Skipper colonies are found where grasses are allowed to grow tall. We try to keep the grasses short close to the house, but having twenty hectares of land means that there are surely many parts where they have grown quite tall.

Related links: ´Butterflies sighted at El Paraje´, album of photos on our facebook page

Related key words: hesperida, hespéridos, braunkolbiger braundickkopf, ockergelbe braun-dickkopffalter, schmetterling, bande noire, hespérie de la houque, dagvlinder, mariposa diurna, ropalóceros, rhopalorocera, schubvleugeligen, lepidoptera, day-flying insect, natuurreis, natuurreizen, turismo de naturaleza, nature holiday, wandelen, stappen, hiking, alpujarra, sierra nevada, andalucía, andalusië, spanje, spain, españa

Maniola jurtina or Meadow Brown

2011-06-13T21:21:00.002+02:00

The Maniola jurtina or Meadow Brown is one of the more common European butterflies and on the terrain of casa rural El Paraje it is well represented as well. It´s Spanish name is Loba and in Dutch Bruin zandoogje. Last week we took a photograph looking one in the eyes and today we were lucky to take a picture of two of them together. We also found out that the one on the last photograph that is somewhat brighter orange, is actually considered a subspecies. According to Matt Rowling this subspecies called Maniola jurtina hispulla flies in Spain, North Africa and southeren France. He writes that it has orange markings in the underside hindwing post discal band.

Related links: ´Butterflies sighted at El Paraje´, album of photos on our facebook page

Related key words: epinephele splendida, papilio hispulla, große ochsenauge, myrtil, ninfálidos, nymphalidés, edelfalter, vlinder, schmetterling, papillon, satyrinae, satíridos, sayridae, alpujarras, sierra nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, stappen, trektocht, standplaats vakantie, hiking, trekking, berchules, B&B, hotel, wanderungen, turismo de naturaleza, natuurvakantie, natuurreis, butterfly holiday

Pyronia bathseba or Spanish Gatekeeper

2011-06-10T20:25:00.003+02:00

This last week we have seen a fairly large number of Pyronia batshebas on different parts of the finca, in general skulking low down about entwined twigs and branches of scrub. Today we encountered a cooperative one posing on a flower just above the house. According to the drawing of the Spaans oranje zandoogje on the website of the Soortenbank we photographed a male Pyronia bathseba. In Spanish this butterfly is called Lobito listado. The white stripe on the underside hindwing is distinctive for this Spanish gatekeeper and it has an orange upperside with broad brown borders. Larvae feed on Brachypodium grasses, tussock or bunch grasses that grow abundantly on our terrain. Apart from the Iberian Peninsula, this butterfly can be seen in North Africa and across southern France as well.

Related links: ´Butterflies sighted at El Paraje´, album of photos on our facebook page

Related key words: l'ocellé rubané, tityre, ninfálidos, nymphalidés, alpujarras, sierra nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, stappen, trektocht, standplaats vakantie, hiking, trekking, berchules, B&B, hotel, wanderungen

Bar - Pizzeria La Posada in Bérchules

2011-06-07T13:41:00.005+02:00

A few weeks ago bar La Posada in Berchules reopened. Two brothers, Valentín and Ezra Ocaña, run this small but cozy place at the Plaza Abastos square. They serve home made pizzas, salades and soups. A place that makes a difference and is worthwhile checking out.
Opening hours are from 10.00 till 23.00 hours. Mondays closed.
Telephone Valentin: 669023972 Ezra: 628577021
La Posada on Plaza Abastos used to be a Bed and Breakfast (hostal) but rooms are no longer rented out.
The owners have renovated another guest house (casa rural) in the villages in calla La Platera

Melitaea didyma or Spotted Fritillary

2011-06-02T23:00:00.003+02:00

The Spotted Fritillary is a very variable butterfly and it is said that the underside is the best means of identification. As we have no photographs of the underside yet, we consulted Matt Rowlings. The Spotted Fritillary can be found on his excellent website on European butterflies.
He wrote that he considered the changes in colouration of our ´Spotted Frit´ within the normal range and that it looks like a female judging by the rounded abdomen. We took this photograph of the Melitaea didyma last Monday, an excellent day for butterfly watching. In a few hours we spotted a number of species we had not seen on the finca before like the Spanish Marbled White.

Related links: ´Butterflies sighted at El Paraje´, album of photos on our facebook page

Related key words: doncella tímida, red-band fritillary, tweekleurige parelmoervlinder, la mélitée orangée, damier orangé, didymaeformia didyma, rote scheckenfalter, edelfalter, ninfálidos, nymphalidés, alpujarras, sierra nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, trektocht, standplaats vakantie, hiking, trekking, Berchules, B&B, hotel, wanderungen

Alectoris rufa or Red-legged Partridge

2011-06-01T19:00:00.000+02:00

Yesterday guests that were having a drink on the terrace were treated by a close look at a pair of Red-legged Partridges. As they were keen birdwatchers they had there binoculars within reach and enjoyed following this game bird and looking at its colouration. We quite often hear this Perdiz roja and we sometimes see them in the kitchen garden, but so close to the terrace was quite special. A Russian ornithologist who stayed with us in April had taken a number of photos of this bird of which we incorporated one in a slideshow. Here is another photo of this Alectoris rufa taken by Sergei V. Drovetski.

Related key words: rode patrijs, rothuhn, perdrix rouge

Melanargia Ines or Spanish Marbled White

2011-05-30T20:57:00.004+02:00

Quite often we see the Spanish Marbled White on our walks and quite recently also on our own finca close to the Barranquilla de Agua. Today we were lucky enough to take a photograph of this Melanargia inés, a species belonging to the family Nymphalidae. It is said to be quite common in southern Spain and Portugal. According to the butterfly-guide.co.uk, the brown ocelli on the underside hindwing of this Spanish Marbled White separates this from other Marbled whites.
Its larvae feed on various grasses and on the text of this butterfly on Waste Magazine it is said that this Medioluto Inés flies in May and June. For our Dutch readers we would like to mention that it is called Moors dambordje.

Related key words: échiquier des almoravides, ninfálidos, nymphalidés,mariposa, vlinders, schmetterling, tagfalter, familie der edelfalter, B&B, alpujarras, sierra nevada

Linaria aeruginea subsp. aeruginea

2011-05-18T22:26:00.000+02:00

Linaria aeruginea subsp. aeruginea is a type of toadflax which grows only on the Iberian Peninsula and can be found mainly in the south east. We have a number of these ´linarias´ on our terrain and they are in flower at the moment. We love it when we can add a new species to the list of flowers of the finca of El Paraje, especially when they are as beautiful as this one.

Related key words: leeuwenbek, vlasleeuwenbek, leinkräuter, plantaginaceae, weegbreefamilie wegerichgewächse

Zerynthia rumina or Spanish Festoon

2011-05-05T13:05:00.001+02:00

The Zerynthia rumina or Spanish Festoon is a butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae. In Spanish this charming butterfly is known as ´Arlequín´. Its flight period is from March to May, but in Andalucía a second breed in autumn is not uncommon. Articles and reports consider this butterfly’s existence in Spain threatened on the basis of global warming theories.
This morning we came across an interesting article on a Spanish Festoon survey in Cala Higuera in Cabo de Gata and Busquístar in the Alpujarra. One of the observations is: "is interesting to note the variation in colour saturation and pattern. The differences are quite wide and don’t match illustrations of gender difference. Perhaps the wings are not fully expanded on the Alpujarra specimen? The sites are 115Km apart and at very different altitudes (40 m Higuera and 900-1000 m Busquistar."
The larval food plant of the Zerynthian rumina are different of Aristolochia species and because of the rarity of larval food, the Spanish Festoon are not common. Aristolochia baetica is an evergreen climber that can be found along the GR-7 footpath between Montenegro and Mecina Bombarón, it is therefor not surprising that one guests photographed this extremely striking species on their walk from Yegen to El Paraje at the beginning of April. From now on we will pay better attention to the Dutchman´s pipe, which perfectly explains the Dutch name of this butterfly, namely ´Spaanse pijpbloemvlinder´.
PS On the 10th of April 2011 we did see a Spanish Festoon on our estate, but were not able to get a good picture.

Related key words: mariposa arlequín, westlicher osterluzeifalter, spanische osterluzeifalter, proserpine, pages, grote 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

Photo impression San Marcos Bérchules 2011

2011-05-02T09:32:00.002+02:00

We were too occupied ourselves to visit the procesion of San Marcos and San Isidro, but our guests Brigitte and Wim did enjoy the local festivities and took some pictures. These photos give an impression of one of the most important days of the village.

Encuentro con Gerald Brenan, Saturday the 30th of April in Yegen

2011-04-27T18:55:00.000+02:00

This coming Saturday the 30th of April an ´Encuentro con Gerald Brenan´ is organized in Yegen. Tribute will be paid to Juliana, the mother of the author´s daughter.

San Marcos and San Isidro program Berchules 2011

2011-04-25T13:55:00.001+02:00

In Bérchules and Alcútar the patron saint of the animals is honoured every year. After a Holy Mass the figure of San Marcos is carried out of the church together with the figure of San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of the farmers. Children in colourful clothes, youngsters in covered wagons, riders and villagers with their animals join the procession that slowly moves to Alcútar. Back in Bérchules ´roscos´ and animals are blessed and the breadrings are then handed out. (see post of 2010 with slideshow)
The San Marcos festivities are celebrated Saturday the 30th of April and Sunday the 1st of May.
This is the program of San Marcos 2011:

A few excellent bird photographs taken by an ornithologist

2011-04-24T14:20:00.001+02:00

The Russian ornithologist Sergei V. Drovetski who stayed at El Paraje recently shared the wildlife photographs he took in the area. It is a great pleasure for us to be able to offer a slideshow of a selection of his bird shots and we feel really grateful for this opportunity. We hope other people will enjoy the photos as much as we do.

Falco Tinnunculus - Common Kestrel - Cernícalo vulgar - Torenvalk
Alectoris rufa - Red-legged Patridge - Perdiz roja - Rode patrijs
Galerida cristata - Crested Lark - Cogujada común - Kuifleeuwerik
Saxicola Torquata - Common Stonechat - Tarabilla común - Roodborsttapuit
Oenanthe oenanthe - Northern Wheatear - Collalba gris - Tapuit
Oenanthe hispanica - Black-eared Wheatear - Collalba rubia - Blonde tapuit
Certhia brachydactyla - Short-toed Treecreeper - Agateador - Boomkruiper
Lanius senator - Woodchat shrike - Alcaudón común - Roodkopklauwier
Serinus serinus - European Serin - Verdecillo - Europese kanarie
Emberiza cia - Rock Bunting - Escribano montesino - Grijze gors
Miliaria calandra - Corn Bunting - Triguero - Grauwe gors

Ophrys tenthredinifera or Sawfly Orchid

2011-04-22T12:41:00.001+02:00

Right along the GR7 footpath between Cádiar and Lobras (close to waypoint 15, see map) we saw this beautiful Sawly Orchid. It is name can be explained by the fact that it is a sawfly that pollinates this orchid. The mimicry is even carried as far as the orchid producing the same scent as the receptive female insect, see text on this Sawfly Orchid on the website Andalucía Life Magazine.

In Spanish this Ophrys tenthredinifera is known as ´flor de avispa´ or ´abejera´.

This orchid grows in the same area as the Ophrys lutea (between waypoints 14 and 15). Last week we saw a particulaly large number of this Yellow Ophrys close to the riverbed, la Rambla de Albayar.

Related key words: abejita, abejorros, flor de abeja, flor de la abeja, lila de monte, orquídea, orquídea avispa, testículos de perro, bee orchid, spiegelorchis, wespen-ragwurz, ophrys guêpe, ophrys tenthrède, ophrys à grandes fleures, familia orquidáceas

Timon lepidus or Ocellated lizard

2011-04-20T14:54:00.000+02:00

One of the special moments of the spring Bird Census last Saturday was watching a pair of Ocellated lizards through Gary´s telescope. Antonio Ramos, guide of the Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada, took a good photograph of these ´lagartos ocelados´ basking in the sun. We read on Wikipedia that this Ocellated lizard is part of the cuisine of Extremadura. "In this region there is a speciality known as lagarto con tomate. This dish is made by frying slices of lizard in olive oil, after which they are stewed with tomatoes and onions on a slow fire in an earthenware pot." This is something that never would have crossed our minds while watching this wall lizard along the GR7 path between Cádiar and Lobras.

Related key words: parelhagedis, perleidechse, lézard ocellé

Report of the IV Censo de Aves or Alpujarra bird count

2011-04-17T21:03:00.012+02:00

Yesterday the 16th of April the IV Censo de Aves took place. The census was led by Antonio Ramos, guide of the Sierra Nevada Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada, and the local wildlife specialist Gary Morrell. Five people, of three different nacionalities, participated. A total of 45 species were counted of which 7 birds were not seen or heard on earlier bird counts: Sparrohawk (Gavilán), Cuckoo (Cuco), Little Owl (Mochuelo común), Pallid Swift (Vencejo común), Nortern Wheatear (Collalba gris) and the Woodchat Shrike (Alcaudón común). The Collalba gris (Oenanthe oenanthe, Tapuit in Dutch) and the Collalba rubia, the Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe hispanica, Blonde tapuit in Dutch) were regarded as the´Birds of the Day´. We saw a male and a female of the Collalba rubia in an abandoned vineyard and we could follow them closely as they were posing on the trunks. The guides agreed that there could very well be a nest somewhere between the vines. We ticked off the bird species that were observed on this census on the ´Listado de aves avistadas en los censos de Alquería de Morayma´ (see related links below).
Apart from counting species, the participants appreciated all aspects of wildlife on a glorious morning in an area of great natural beauty. Four different types of orchids were counted, amongst which the Ophrys lutea or Yellow Ophrys and the Ophrys tenthredinifera. Footprints were found of a Genet and a couple of Ocellated Lizards were observed through Gary´s telescope. Like last time we followed the GR142 to Lobras and returned to the Alquería de Morayma on the GR7. This walk is a route that we offer our guests as well (see map below), but it must be observed that parts of the path along the Rambla Albayar have disappeared. Some people will find it difficult to find their way through this riverbed. You should not mind improvising a little bit following the watercourse northwards until you get to the crossing of the two Long Distance Footpaths. Almost all waymarks of the GR142 have diseappeared on this stretch.

Related articles:
- Report I bird census, II bird census, III bird census

Related links:
- List of birds censuses around Alquería de Morayma (word doc)
- GPS track of the walk
- Slideshow of photos IV Censo de Aves
- Crónica de Carmen: IV Censo de aves de la Alpujarra desde la Alquería de Morayma

Related key words: vogeltelling, orchid, orchidee

Colias alfacariensis or Berger's Clouded Yellow

2011-04-15T14:41:00.003+02:00

A couple of days ago we took this photograph of this Colias alfacariensis or Berger´s Clouded Yellow (we think) close to the wall of our large terrace. They say that the Berger´s Clouded Yellow is very difficult to distinguish from the Pale Clouded yellow (Colias hyale). The only thing we go by is comparing pictures and reading about the differences. The Berger’s Clouded Yellow was identified as a distinct species from the Pale Clouded Yellow in 1945 and is named after the Belgian entomologist, L.A. Berger, who made this discovery. This species is considered one of the rarest migrants to the British Isles. In the Netherlands is has been sighted only nine times in the past century, according on the information on this Zuidelijke Luzernevlinder on Vlindernet.nl. On the Guía de Mariposas of the online Waste magazine only the Colias alfacariensis (´Colias de Berger´ in Spanish) is mentioned, would be interesting to know whether this is because this one is the only one sighted in Andalucía.

Related key words: pieridae, piéridos, witjes, weißlinge, gelblinge, coliadinae, dwaalgast, wanderfalter, zuidelijke luzernevlinder, hufeisenklee-gelbling, südliche heufalter, hufeisenkleeheufalter, federfühler-herbstspanner, fluoré, jumeaux, soufré austral, vlinder, schmetterling, B&B, bérchules, alpujarra, sierra nevada, andalusië, andalusia

Vanessa atalanta or Red Admiral

2011-04-15T08:13:00.002+02:00

This week we discovered a small corner on our finca that seems to be particularly popular with butterflies. Our white arrow route passes this sheltered spot before you start walking northwards. We visited this ´butterfly corner´ a number of times and saw different types of Whites (Pieridae), an abundant number of Old World Swallowtails, Scarce Swallowtails and the Vanessa atalanta. At first we did not see this Red Admiral (´Vulcana´ or ´Numerada´ in Spanish) butterfly of the Nymphalidae family rest for a single moment. Yesterday it was later in the afternoon and finally one of them decided to have a little break for a moment. Like the Vanessa cardui or Painted Lady it is a migratory butterfly that will fly north later on in spring, maybe to our native country where this ´Atalanta´ is one of the most widespread species.

Related links:
- Guia de Mariposas on the online magazine Waste Ideal

Related key words: vanesa, almirante rojo, admiraal, admiraalvlinder, ninfálidos, nymphalidés, familie der edelfalter, vulcain, papilio atalanta, pyrameis ammiralis, vulcano, mariposa migratoria, trekvlinder, vlinders, B&B, alpujarras, sierra nevada

XVI Feria ´Hecho en la Alpujarra´ 2011 in Orgiva

2011-04-14T11:22:00.002+02:00

From the 21st to the 24th of April, the trade fair ´Made in the Alpujarra´ is organized for the sixteenth time in Órgiva. This Feria del Turismo, Artesanía y Alimentación ´Hecho en la Alpujarra´ 2011, is a an exhibitition of tourism, crafts and local products that can be visited on four consecutive days from 11.00 to 22.00 hours.

Related links:
- Facebook event
- Article in the IDEAL newspaper 2-April-2010 on the feria 2010
- Official blog with all participants of the feria Hecho en la Alpujarra 2009
- Web of the town hall Orgiva (ayuntamiento)
- Orgiva on Turgranada tourist board
- Videos on Youtube of the feria 2009

Related key words: eventos, evenementen, evénements, veranstaltungen, comer y beber, eten en drinken, manger et boir, essen und trinken

Bérchules - Trevélez - Bérchules

2011-04-14T09:34:00.003+02:00

The part of the Alpujarras between Bérchules and Trevélez is quite interesting for walkers. The GR7 route connects Juviles and Trevélez and there are a few possibilities to pick up this route from Bérchules and of course from El Paraje. Thanks to the ALSA bus service, it can be done as a linear walk (another option is to organize a taxi transfer).
For keen and fit walkers we offer a special connection with Trevélez (our ´high´ route) that does not bend around the mountains but that goes right over them, passing the Peña de los Papos at 2,535 metres.
If you prefer circular walks, or if you like trail running, you may consider combining the two. This leads to a 32 kilometres walk or run that really is spectacular.
This route connects El Paraje (01) with the pista forestal (06-09) that also can be reached using the access dirt track to the sendero Sulayr Gr240 from the Cruz the Juviles.
(At 04 you can choose a less steep option going west on the dirt track and connecting lower down with the pista forestal. This may be a good option for runners, see map)
From point 09 to 13 a single track leads through the pìne woods, almost up to the ridge. You follow the ridge until 15, take a small track right until 16 after which you cross the barranco. Descend to the pine woods (19) and along those pine woods to a water reservoir (19) of a small farm house. Descend over a meadow another 400 metres to the border of another pine forest (20 chalk crosses on big stones!). A clear track zigzags down and connects with the GR7 (21).
From 21 to 27 the GR7 is well waymarked. At point 24 the Sulayr goes left steeply up, while we continue straight on. Where the single track of the GR7 reaches a dirt track (27) you can go on to Juviles or go left, leaving the GR7 and follow a beatiful shortcut to El Paraje.
This is the GPS track of the route. For guests we have a more detailed description in English, Dutch and Spanish at El Paraje, together with a print of this map.

Related key words: wandelen over de GR7, trekking through the sierra nevada, wandelroute, B&B, hotel in de alpujarras

Orchis papilionacea or Butterfly Orchid

2011-04-13T09:30:00.003+02:00

On the same spots were we saw the Sword-leaved Helleborine last spring, they reappeared again this year, only a few weeks earlier. We saw a Southern Early Purple a lot closer to the house and a month earlier in bloom than last year. Our biggest surprise yesterday was to see a new type of wild orchid on our finca, a magnificent butterfly orchid. There are apparantly many subspecies, but ours is exactly as the Orchis papilionacea or the Orquídea mariposa on the online magazine Waste.

Related key words: flowers, bloemen, anacamptis papilionacea, vlinderorchis, schmetterlings-knabenkraut
orchis papillon, familia orquidáceas, orchid family, familia de las orchidaceae, orchideeënfamilie, familie der orchideen, casa rural el paraje, bérchules, las alpujarras.

Anthocharis euphenoides subsp andalusica or Morocco Orange Tip

2011-04-12T18:52:00.010+02:00

Sunday afternoon while walking down our own dirt track enjoying the last moments of sun, we were lucky to photograph a female ´orange tip´ that we had not seen on our finca before. To find the names of new butterflies we always first consult the online magazine of Waste Ideal. Looking at photographs on this website an flora and fauna in Andalusia, we now think that the one we saw is an Anthocharis euphenoides subsp andalusica, a butterfly in the Pieridae family. Another name is mentioned between brackets: Anthocharis belia euphenoides Staudinger, 1869. The Spanish names given on this website are ´Aurora meridional´ or ´Bandera española´ and the English name ´Moroccan Orange Tip´. It apparantly closely resembles to the Provence Orange Tip (Anthocharis euphenoides). In an article on the Provence (Moroccan) Orange Tip by Matt Rowlings from his website dedicated to European Butterflies, we can read that the Provence Orange Tip has only recently been split from the Moroccan Orange Tip. Of this beautiful species he mentions that it flies from April in one generation and that it mostly is over by the end of May. The Morocco Orange Tip (Anthocharis belia) and the Provence Orange Tip are both said to fly in Spain. We hope to be able to take more pictures soon so that we can learn to distinguish them better.
PS We often see the male Morocco Orange Tip - much smaller and yellow with orange tips - flying around today (the 8th of May) we saw it res for a moment for the first time (see last photograph).

Related links:
- Guia de Mariposas on the online magazine Waste Ideal

Related key words: familia peridos, familie pieridae, witjes, geel oranjetipje, vlinders, alpujarras, sierra nevada, bérchules, trektocht, trekking, wandelvakanties, holiday, urlaub, vacances

Bird Count, IV Censo de Aves de la Alpujarra 16 de abril de 2011

2011-04-11T19:52:00.004+02:00

This coming Saturday the 16th of April at 08.00 hours the second spring bird count will take place starting at the rural hotel Alquería de Morayma in Cádiar. Last year the spring bird census was done on the 18th of April, during which 37 different bird species were counted. It will be the fourth censo, as two other autumn countings were organized. From the map of this announcement the first loop will be done which is a walk of 8,5 kilometres through the beautiful valley of the Río Guadalfeo. Anybody interested is welcome to participate. The ´IV Censo de Aves´ will be led by Antonio Ramos, guide of the National Park Sierra Nevada and by the enthusiastic expert and local wildlife guide, Gary Morrell. For more information you can call us at El Paraje, the Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada or Alquería de Morayma.

Related article:
- Report of the II Censo de aves de la Alpujarra 18th of April 2010

Related key words: censo de pájaros, bird census, vogeltelling

Spring 2011

2011-04-07T17:56:00.009+02:00

It seems as if spring is here to stay now. Yesterday the shade temperatures reached 20 degrees and probably more in the valleys. Last night the wind calmed down and we´re enjoying a splendid day with blue skies. Our pear trees are in full blossom and are visited by different insects like carpenter bees (genus Xylocopa), the gorgeous scarce swallowtail and other magnificent butterflies. It is a great delight to see each day more colours of wild flowers around the house, although it is the yellow Adeno Carpus which is playing a leading role at the moment. We really were looking forward to this as in March we had some nice weather, but also a few days with mist and rain. We even had a day with heavy snowfall at the beginning of this month. The winter was not really cold. The amount of rain was average and useful, but the period of instable weather was maybe longer than we had gotten used to over the years. The report for Bérchules gives sunshine and temperatures above 20 degrees every dag for the coming two weeks. Life is not too bad in southern Spain.

related article:
- Papilio machaon

related links:
- Carpenter bee on Birdwatch Alpujarra

related key words: koningspage, koninginnepage, vlinders, alpujarras, sierra nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, wanderung, B&B, hotel, hostal, hostel, pension, bérchules, trektocht, trekking, wandelvakanties, holiday, urlaub, vacances,

Flora and fauna on the land

2011-04-02T20:59:00.000+02:00

We found over a hundred species of flowers on our land.

Click here or on the thumbnails below to go to the photo album and enjoy the photo´s

bloemen - flora fauna alpujarras - sierra nevada - andalusia - spain - spanje

Butterflies sighted at El Paraje

2011-04-02T20:57:00.000+02:00

The land shows a rich biodiversity which attracks a big variety of butterflies.
We sighted and photographed over 40 different dayflying butterflies on our finca.

Click here or on the thumbnails below to go to the photo album.

vlinders alpujarras - sierra nevada - andalusia - spain

Margaret Drabble at Casa Ana in Ferreirola

2011-03-30T11:10:00.001+02:00

For creative people the Alpujarras can be an inspirational and pleasant setting to work. Therefore Casa Ana in Ferreirola is sometimes used as a base for writing holidays organized by The Literary Consultancy (TLC). At the moment two Literary Adventures Writing Courses are run during which guest writers are invited. Last week visiting speakers were Chris Stewart and Michael Jacobs, an event that we personally enjoyed very much.
This coming Monday the 4th of April Dame Margaret Drabble will give a presentation at 17.30 hours.
Margaret Drabble's work includes seventeen novels amongst which ´The Sea Lady´, ´The Seven Sisters´, ´The Peppered Moth´ and ´The Needle's Eye´, and various works of non-fiction. She has won numerous prizes, including the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and was made a Dame in 2008. She will be reading from a collection of Complete Short Stories, ´A Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman´ that is due to come out in May 2011.
The fee to assist this literary event ´To live as a writer´ is 5 euros. For more information call 958 766 270 / 678 298 497 or email info@casa-ana.com.

Ruta Medieval through the Alpujarras

2011-03-29T16:01:00.008+02:00

The Ruta Medieval is a beautiful linear walk connecting the villages Pórtugos, Atalbéitar, Ferreirola and Busquístar in the Taha valley and Cástaras, Nieles and Juviles. The wooden waymarking posts guide you from west to east.

We have a description and a map of a route of 20,7 kilometres from our small country hotel ´El Paraje´ to Busquístar, following the medieval paths from east to west.

Click on the image to enlarge.

This is the description and the GPS track that includes the stretch from us to Juviles.
The idea is to come back using the Granada - Bérchules bus, click here for schedules of the ALSA bus services), or arrange a taxi transfer.

profile from El Paraje to Busquístar.

Other documentation on this route PR-A299 can be found on the Spanish website of the Mancomunidad de Municipios de la Alpujarra Granadina.

The GPS data of the whole route (including the stretch Busquístar - Pórtugos) can be found there

stage 1 Pórtugos - Busquístar 4,7km, details and profile

stage 2 Busquístar - Portichuelo de Castaras 4,2 km, details and profile
stage 3 Portichuelode Cástaras - Nieles 5,6 km, details and profile
stage 4 Nieles - Juviles 6,5 km, details and profile

A nice two day round trip suggestion might be:

day 1: Pórtugos or Busquístar to Juviles (or El Paraje) following the Ruta Medieval

day 2: Juviles (or El Paraje) to Trevélez and Busquístar (or Pórtugos) following the GR7

The web Recuerdos de Castaras has a comprehensive article about the oficial spanish leaflet on the Ruta Medieval.

Click here to search accommodation per village.

Related keywords: alpujarras, hiking through the sierra nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, wanderung, B&B in Berchules, hotel, hostal, hostel, , trektocht door bérchules, hiking, trekking through Andalusia, standplaats vakantie, wandelvakanties, holiday, urlaub, vacances, GR7 wandelpad

Cistus albidus or Grey-leaved Sunrose

2011-03-28T13:12:00.002+02:00

In the Alpujarras various types of sunroses can be found like the Cistus clusii and the Halimium atriplicifolium, amongst others. The only kind we have so far seen on our own terrain, is the Grey-leaved Sunrose or Cistus Albidus. In general this Grey-leaved Sunrose has rose-purple flowers, but a white form is found as well. The petals have this special look of crinkled paper which is distinctive of most rockroses. Last week we saw masses of this beautiful bush, native to the Mediterranean, while walking the GR7 between Montenegro and Mecina Bombarón. It was nice to see that the first flowers had come out at an altitude of about 900 metres. Our Casa Rural ´El Paraje´ is situated almost 500 metres higher than this and we think that it might still take at least a month before we will be able to see our own sunroses in flower.

Related key words: jara blanca, estepa blanca, jaguarzo blanco, ardivieja, weißliche zistrose, ciste cotonneux, arbrisseau, familia cistáceas, cistaceae, rockrose family, zonneroosjesfamilie, zistrosengewächse, alpujarras, sierra nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, wanderung, B&B, hotel, hostal, hostel, bérchules, trektocht, hiking, trekking, standplaats vakantie, wandelvakanties, holiday, urlaub, vacances

GR142 online topo guide

2011-03-25T10:40:00.009+01:00

We have made a GR142 special with all info we have on the subject. A permanent link to this Gr142 guide post can be found in the righthand column. Writing the special, we came across the GR 142 online topo guide, Senda de la Alpujarras Granadina y Almeriense (ADR Alpujarra - isbn 84-607-3904-X) (without the maps).
We have embedded it so that you can start browsing and reading straight away:

related key words: trekking through the sierra nevada in spain, wandelen, wandelingen, wanderung, B&B, hotel in het dorp bérchules, trektocht, hiking, standplaats vakantie, wandelvakanties in de alpujarras, holiday, urlaub und wandern in Andalusien spanien, vacances, gr142 book

Chris Stewart and Michael Jacobs at Casa Ana in Ferreirola

2011-03-24T14:57:00.006+01:00

This coming Sunday the 27th of March at 17:30 hours Chris Stewart and Michael Jacobs will read from their work at Casa Ana in Ferreirola. Chris Stewart is best known for his book ´Driving over Lemons´ (1999) in which he tells the story of his move to the Alpujarras. ´A Parrot in the Pepper Tree´ (2002) contains more stories from Chris Stewart and his farm El Valero close to Órgiva. In our modest library we have these books in their original version as well as the ones that have been translated into Spanish: ´Entre Limones´ and ´El Loro en el Limonero´ and into Dutch: ´Een optimist in Andalusië´ and ´Een Papegaai in de Peperboom´. In his third book ´The Almond Appreciation Society´ (2006) Chris Stewart introduces his friend and travelling companion Michael Jacobs. This author and art historian has been interested in the hispanic world since childhood and his numerous books include: ´Andalucía´ (1990), ´Between Hopes and Memories: A Spanish Journey´ available in Spanish: ´ Entre esperanzas y recuerdos: un viaje español´ and ´In the Glow of the Phantom Palace: Travels between Granada and Timbuktu´ translated into Spanish: ´De la Alhambra a Tombuctú´. On Sunday Michael Jacobs will read from his book ´The Factory of Light: Life in an Andalucian Village´. This book that centres on Frailes, the Jaenese village where he resides a large part of the year, is also available in Spanish: ´La Fábrica de la Luz: Vida y Milagros en un Pueblo Andaluz´. Chris Stewart will read an extract from an unpublished work about a voyage to Peru. Entrance fee for this literary meeting is 5 euros, call 958 766 270 / 678 298 497 or email info@casa-ana.com for more information.

Related links:
- Chris Stewart in ´Viajeros por Andalucía´ (Programa de Canal Sur)

Aristolochia baetica or Dutchman´s Pipe

2011-03-23T10:44:00.008+01:00

On some of the walks in the lower parts of the Alpujarras it is at the moment possible to enjoy winter and spring flowers. An example of a plant that flowers from autumn to late spring is the Aristolochoia baetica which in English is known as a Dutchman´s Pipe. In our Dutch flora guide it is mentioned that the plants of the Aristolochiaceae family are known as ´pijpbloemen´ because the shape of the flowers resemble an old German pipe. In Spanish a number of its names refer to a type of candle: candilicos (as it is known in the Alpujarra), candilejos, candiles, candilillos, candilitos or farolitos. The Aristolochia baetica is a creeper that clambers into shrubs or trees. It can be found in southern and eastern Spain, southern Portugal and North Africa, usually at low altitudes. We photographed this ´candil´ on a beautiful part of the long distance walking path GR7 close to Montenegro at an altitude of approximately 900 metres. In Montenegro we saw about twenty tall Hyacinth Orchids also called Giant Orchids, we now know why. Near the ´fuente´ of this small hamlet we saw more of these tall pink orchids as well as a number of Yellow Bee Orchids. Next year we will do this walk early March to see these magnificent wild orchids in full blossom.

Related articles:
- Orchis olbiensis or olbia orchis
- Alpujarras villages list: Montenegro is part of the municipality Alpujarra de la Sierra

Related links:
- Plantas de la Alpujarra

Related key words: aristoloquia bética, aristoloquia de andalucía, balsamina, candilillos sin torcida, enredadera, melonera, víbora, zarza, zarzaparrilla, aristoloquiáceas, aristolochiaceae, birthwort family, pijpbloemfamilie, osterluzeigewächse, pfefferartigen, piperales, alpujarras, sierra nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, wanderung, B&B, hotel, berchules, trektocht, hiking, trekking, standplaats vakantie, wandelvakanties, holiday, urlaub, vacances

Gonepteryx rhamni or Common Brimstone

2011-03-19T15:54:00.007+01:00

The Gonepteryx rhamni is most conspicuous during the first warm days of early spring when it is one of the first butterflies on the wing following hibernation. This Common Brimstone is said to be one of the longest lived butterflies, living up to thirteen months, but most of this time is spend in hibernation. Their leafshaped wing is designed to act as camouflage while they rest. This butterfly has a striking yellow upper side, but this is not easy to photograph as they keep their wings closed when they settle. At ´El Paraje´ we saw them this morning feeding on the nectar of the Henbit Deadnettle or Greater Henbit. This Lamium amplexicaule is sometimes regarded as an invase weed but it is apparantly an important nectar plant for this beautiful ´limonera´ and for many other insects like honeybees for example.

Related articles:
- All ´butterflies´related posts on this blog (see column at the right for all labels).

Related key words: citroenvlinder, zitronenfalter, le citron, dagvlinder, tagfalter, luzernevlinder, witjes, schmetterling, familie der weißlinge, pieridae family, familie pieridae, famille des piéridés, alpujarras, sierra nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, wanderung, B&B, hotel, bérchules, trektocht, hiking, trekking, standplaats vakantie, wandelvakanties, holiday, urlaub, vacances

Muscari neglectum or Grape Hyacinth

2011-03-15T17:37:00.005+01:00

With only a few days to go before the March Equinox, there are a number of spring flowers in full bloom, especially lower down in the valley. One of our favourites is the Grape Hyacinth. This Muscari neglectum grows in the wild along the Rambla del Repenil between Cádiar and Jorairátar. The GR-142 Long Distance Footpath passes through this beautiful river bed.

Related aticle:
- Flores de marzo, artículo de Jorge Garzón de la página web al-Natural

Related key words: agüelicos, ajo de perro, azulete, cebolla de lagarto, cebollica de milano, cebollita de milano, chapín de reina, clavos de Dios, espartillo, frailes, gatos, guitarrillos, hierba del querer, hierbas de los amores, jacinto, jacinto racimosa, jacinto racimoso, jacintos, jacinto silvestre, jacintos silvestres, lloricas, macandil, matacandiles, mata del azulete, mayos, moras, moreta, moro, nazareno, nazarenos, nazarones, pajarillos, penitentes, piececillo de nuestro señor, starch grape hyacinth, common grape hyacinth, weinbergs-traubenhyazinthe, muscari racemosum, traubenhyazinthe verkannte, botryanthus, baby's-breath, muscari à grappe, vergeten druifhyacinth, alpujarras, sierra nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, wanderung, B&B, hotel, bérchules, trektocht, hiking, trekking, standplaatsvakantie, wandelvakanties

Weather photos

2011-03-13T15:56:00.013+01:00

We now have an El Paraje facebook page. Follow us on Facebook by liking this page.
You may like to share a special photo of your stay with us, share it with us via facebook or email info@elparaje.com and we will place it in the Guests album.

You can also becomefriends on our personal El Paraje facebook account.
As an introduction we would like to share one of its photo albums about the Alpujarras weather.
You do not have to have an account to view these photos.
Just click her or on the the thumbnails picture below for a public access.

Related key words: het weer, alpujarras, sierra nevada, B&B, weer, wetter, seizoenen, wandelen, standplaatsvakantie

XII Fiesta Vino de Polopos with Subida Bicicleta a Haza del Lino

2011-03-09T11:05:00.005+01:00

Ruta los tres barrios de Trevélez

2011-03-07T17:09:00.010+01:00

In the booklet ´Rutas por Trevélez´ information can be found on a village stroll that takes you through the three neigbourhoods of Trevélez.This route is called ´Los tres Barrios´ as it takes you through the Barrio Bajo, Barrio Medio and Barrio Alto. In the booklet this map can be found with 19 points of interest. These are explained in a text of which we made a copy (Click on this copy from the booklet to read the Spanish text).

Related key words: alpujarras, sierra nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, wanderung, B&B, hotel, bérchules, trektocht, hiking, trekking, standplaatsvakantie, wandelvakanties

Viola odorata or Common violet

2011-03-02T16:40:00.006+01:00

Lower down in the valleys the first spring flowers can be enjoyed. Yesterday we did the small walk of 2 kilometres of the Alquería de Morayma, a rural hotel close to Cádiar. While walking their waymarked Sendero Local ´Las Acequias de la Alquería´ we marvelled at the number of white narcissuses (or narcissi), known as Narcisus cantabriun, close to the patches of holm oak wood. Returning along the acequia or irrigation channel we saw many dark violets, the Viola odorata. Closer to the Alquería we also saw the first Cynoglossum cheirifolium subsp heterocarpum in blossom. To see such a large number of flowering plants on a sunny first of March is quite special.
PS On the third of March we saw this sweet violet also along the Ruta Medieval between Juviles and the cementary of Tímar which must have been if flower mid February.

Related key words: sweet violet, english violet, common violet, garden violet, violeta común, violeta de jardín, maarts viooltje, duftveilchen, märzveilchen, wohlriechendes veilchen, violette odorante, viola odorata violaceae, viooltjesfamilie,veilchengewächse, alpujarras, sierra nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, wanderung, B&B, hotel, bérchules, trektocht, hiking, trekking, standplaatsvakantie

Geocache for children at El Paraje

2011-03-01T12:24:00.007+01:00

Today we organised a small event for the children of friends that are staying with us at ´El Paraje´. We hid a small treasure on our finca and waymarked a point of instructions nearby. With the navigation option of the GPS (Dutch: Geweldig Preciese Speurder of Schatzoeker :)) to the waymark, the children needed to find their way on the finca. They meanwhile learned a bit about wind directions and about pacing a certain distance. The children as well as the adults enjoyed this geocaching event.

Holm oaks of El Paraje are being cleaned

2011-02-25T15:38:00.004+01:00

We are blessed with quite a large variety of trees on our own terrain, but it is the holm oak that is most widely spread. This Quercus ilex or ´encina´ is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region and it can be found up to an altitude of 2,000 metres. In the area the subspecies Rotundifolia can be found, also known as Quercus ilex subsp. Ballota. This holly oak once formed large dense forests in the Alpujarras of which a few patches of ´encinares´ have survived. For the first time since ´El Paraje´ is ours the holm oaks on the finca are being cleaned. Strong individual trees are now getting more light and space to mature. The holm oak grows slowly but can survive for many centuries. One of the oldest holm oaks in Spain, Encina Tres Patas de Mendaza, can be found in Navarra and its estimated age is 1200 years. In the Alpujarra there are also a few magnificent specimen for example the Encina de tres Hermanas (24,25 metres high) and the Encina de la Tía Manuela (11,50 metres high and about 400 years old) both in Torvizcón.

Related links:
- Árboles singulares de Granada parte 1 (pdf of the Junta de Andalucía)
- Árboles singulares de Granada parte 2 (pdf of the Junta de Andalucía)
- Árboles singulares de Granada parte 3 (pdf of the Junta de Andalucía)
- Árboles y arboledas singulares de Andalucía, Waste Magazine of the Ideal
- Venerables Árboles, venerable trees in the Granada province with altitudes and coordinates

Related key words: chaparro, carrasca, steeneik, steeneikenbos, stein-eiche, chêne vert, yeuse, familia fagáceas, napjesdragersfamilie, fagaceae, buchengewächse, famille des fagacées, trees, boom, bomen, alpujarras, sierra nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, wanderung, B&B, hotel, bérchules, trektocht, hiking, trekking, standplaatsvakantie

Senderos Locales Trevélez

2011-02-24T21:52:00.012+01:00

In 2010 a number of local walks of Trevélez were newly waymarked and documented.

These are:

SL-A 78 ´Sendero del Peñabón´ a circular walk of 7.3 km

SL-A 79 ´Sendero del Horcajo´ a linear walk of 8.7 km

SL-A 80 ´Sendero del Puerto de Jérez´ a linear walk of 4 km

SL-A 81 ´Sendero del Chorrillo´ a linear walk of 6.6 km

Maps with (Spanish) description can be found in this PDF on the FEDAMON website

The small booklet ´Rutas por Trevélez´ is now available as well. In this publication information can be found on these four routes, but also on the ruta los tres barrios, Molino Altero, Siete Lagunas, GR-7 y Sulayr (GR-240), Mulhacén por el Chorrillo, Mulhacén por Siete Lagunas and Laguna de Vacares. This booklet can be obtained at the Ayuntamiento (958858501) or the Trevélez tourist information point (650039185).

Today we went up the Mulhacén using the route Sendero del Chorillo to reach the south ridge of the Mulhacén. The waymarking to find the start of the SL-A81, the GR7 to Busquístar and the GR240 to Capileira has been improved. But from 2,200 metres to the Chorillo at 2,730 metres the waymarking is still poor. In the summer finding the track will not be a problem, but now only a few old posts can be seen above the snow. Without a GPS track we would not advise people that are not familiar with the route to go up with snow or limited visibility. Technically the route gave no problems today, but the route is steep and snowshoes or crampones were needed with the present amount of snow.

Going on to the Mulhacén summit over the ridge was a pure joy (apart from losing our wind :) with the fantastic weather we had today. On the photo we look back south to the Mulhacén II (3,361 m).
While walking down from the Chorillo back to Trevélez, the soft melting snow required quite some concentration. To walk from Trevélez (1,500 m) to the Mulhacén (3,482 m) and back, an average hiker should calculate 9 to 10 hours.

Related articles:
- El Paraje now has crampons available
- See all mulhacen related articles

Related links:
-Trevélez decide recuperar los caminos más representativos del Parque de Sierra Nevada, article written by Rafael Vílchez published in the Ideal 15-08-2010

Related key words: alpujarras, sierra nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, wanderung, B&B, hotel, bérchules, trektocht, hiking, trekking, standplaatsvakantie,wandelvakanties

Inauguration Centro de Interpretación Minero in Tímar

2011-02-23T19:05:00.016+01:00

Mining and the consequent transformation of metals form an important part of the history of the Alpujarra. Copper, bronze, iron, lead, zinc and mercury (cinnabar) are examples of the abundant mineral wealth of the area. A mining boom took place from 1910 to 1936. On our walk ´Tímar por los Riscos´ you pass the ruins of two mercury mines. Before reaching Tímar you see what is left of the Minas Rodríguez-Acosta (waypoints 06 and 07 on our map) and next to the cemetery you see the Minas de Retama known es ´La Fábrica de los Italianos´ as it was owned by Italians (waypoint 08 on our map) . Both sites were declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 2007. As mercury mining constitutes an important part of the industrial heritage of the village, the local authorities have strived for the realization of of a mining museum for many years. The first result is a mining interpretation centre in the former school building of Tímar. Thanks to the post ´Centro de Interpretación Minero´ of Rafatours we learned that it will be officially inaugurated this coming Saturday the 26th of February at 12.00 hours. The Centro de Interpretación Minero can be visited by appointment.

Related articles:
- Dutch painter leaves Tímar
- El Patrimonio Histórico de la Alpujarra y Río Nacimiento; a chapter of this book is dedicated to mining in the area

Related links:
- Fábricas y minas de mercurio, a lot of information on the mercury mines of Tímar from the website of Pilar Camas las Heras and Pedro Luis Fuentes Camas
- Propuesta de ´Museo del mercurio de la Alpujarra, a study of a mercury museum as presented in 2005
- Centro Etnográfico y del Mercurio, listo en septiembre, article by Rafael Víllchez pubished in the Ideal 23-10-2010
- El anejo de Tímar dedica un museo a las minas del mercurio, article by Rafael Vílchez published in the Ideal 27-02-2011
- Slide show Inauguración Centro Interpretativo Tímar of Rafatours

Related key words: interpretive centre, kwikmijnen, alpujarras, sierra nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, wanderung, B&B, hotel, bérchules, trektocht, hiking, trekking, standplaatsvakantie

El Paraje now has crampons available

2011-02-21T13:22:00.015+01:00

At the moment the white mountain peaks contrast beautifully with the blue skies. When the weather stabilizes and the sun comes out, the fond mountain walkers will like to climb up to and through the snow. The weather forecast for the 3482 metres high Mulhacen summit: (http://www.meteoexploration.com/mountain/readmpeaks.php?peak=MUH) shows these inviting figures:

The conditions above mean that snow melts and freezes and may leave an icy surface on the tracks. Therefor, as a service to our guests at ´El Paraje´ we now have three sets of crampons available (Climbing Technology, Ice Classic, size 36-46).
Needless to say that from our own experience, we can advise on the routes and supply GPS tracks.
Please consult us in advance about possibilities and prices if you would like us to guide you.
For those who want a wider offer of climbing gear rental and guided mountainering we would like to refer to the specialized services of Spanish Highs in Lanjarón.

Related articles:
- Only in early spring. Going up the Chorillo with guests 2nd April 2010
- Mulhacen winter ascent

Related links:
- Map Trevélez - Mulhacen
- Wind chill effects in the mountains
- Sierra Nevada mountain huts (refugios)
- How to put on crampons video

Related key words: stijgijzers, gidsen, crampones, Alpujarras, wandelen, wandelingen, B&B, hotel, berchules, trektocht, standplaats vakantie

First Granada Sierra Nevada Triatlon 24th July 2011

2011-02-18T13:19:00.004+01:00

The 24th of July 2011 the first Granada - Sierra Nevada 1/2 and 1/4 Triatlon will be organised. Different from most considering the scenery in which it is set.
All details are to be found on http://www.granadasierranevadatriathlon.com/

Por fin

2011-02-10T13:36:00.040+01:00

For many, many years I wanted to complete a second marathon but it never came that far.
Then I thought it would be nice to celebrate my 50th birthday with a marathon. We were not able to celebrate that event last year in Oporto and so the celebration was postponed.
We eventually celebrated my 50th and 15 months birthday with the Seville marathon.
Seville is a great city, the Seville marathon well organised, with an incredible number of cheerful volunteers.
I finished save and sound (and tired). I hit the wall a bit earlier than hoped for, but luckily the (trail running) training in the Sierra Nevada mountains got me through. Real time 4h, 12m 4sec.. Not the 4 hour target but happy nevertheless. Now, two days later, I feel fit and am already planning the next challenges.
A video made by a runner leaving the stadium. As I experienced it.
A photo at km 6, another somewhere in the race, and one at the finish
A finish video exists on http://www.corriendovoy.com/video.php?id=335&video=23487
A personal results overview on http://80.36.6.64/maraton/marca (fill in dorsal 815)

Related articles:
- Training in the Sierra Nevada mountains
- Cadiar 2009 half marathon
- Alpujarras outdoors activities list
- Alpujarras and Sierra Nevada Sports events

Related links:
- A peronal report of a Spanish runner (blog CORRIENDOPORLASBARRANCAS)
- 24th of juli 2011 Granada Sierra Nevada Triatlon
- Sollaurus, Spanish endurance blog

Related key words: maratón, 2011, sevilla, walter michels, hardlopen, trail running, cross country, training, hoogte training, heuvel training, hoogte stage

Rubaiyat of Barranco Oscuro at El Paraje

2011-02-09T17:42:00.043+01:00

Next week it is ten years ago that we moved to the Alpujarra. One of the special experiences of our first year was helping out with the grape harvest at the bodega Barranco Oscuro in Cádiar. We had the privilige to get to know Manolo Valenzuela and his family. When a couple of weeks ago our friends Tim and Jenny of Pure Mountains suggested visiting the organic winery together we happily agreed. The bodega inaugurated a fabulous tasting room last year which we had not seen yet and we looked forward to catching up on new ideas and developments. Revisiting Barranco Oscuro turned out to be a real pleasure and we would like to thank Lorenzo for showing us around. For our guests that are interested in wines we like to mention that we added their Rubaiyat to our wine list. This is a wine which a number of experts consider one of the best Syrah wines from Spain. It is one of the 111 wines that David Seijas, sommelier at El Bulli, included in his book ´111 vinos para el 2011´. Now you have the chance to taste this top red wine at ´Casa Rural El Paraje´. For those who like white wines, we can say that we will continue to have their Blancas Nobles Clásico on our wine list this year.

Related articles:
- Wineries or ´bodegas´ of the Alpujarras
- Bodega Barranco Oscuro, video
- Information on wine from our website www.elparaje.com

Ceramic artist Lars Pranger in Mecina Fondales

2011-02-08T22:07:00.006+01:00

While visiting the Taha valley one of the things that will probably catch your atention are the beautiful blue and white tiles with the names of the streets, paths, springs and monuments. These ceramic tiles that enliven the seven Taha villages were made by Lars Pranger, a Swedish painter who moved to Spain in 1962. About twenty-five years ago he set up home in Mecina Fondales, where he found the inspiration and tranquility to develop his passion for ceramics. His clay artwork can be admired and bought in the Casa de Arte in Pitres or by appointment in his workshop at the bottom of the village. Lars can also be contacted for special orders.

Related articles:
- Alpujarran handcraft or artesanía
- Sendero de La Taha with photo of the Fuente de Fondales for which Lars Pranger made the tiles with the name

Related links:
- Lars Pranger in ´Viajeros por Andalucía´ (interview starts 17 minutes into the programme)

Related key words: cerámica tradicional española

Sendero Local Pedro Antonio de Alarcón in Torvizcón

2011-01-31T15:14:00.005+01:00

This year we had a large number of sunny days with nice temperatures in January, which means that in the lower parts of the Alpujarra the almond trees started to blossom relatively early. To enjoy this spectacle we decided to check the Sendero Local ´Pedro Antonio de Alarcón´. This is a linear walk of 8,3 kilometres that connects Torvizcón with the Venta del Chaparro, close to Haza de Lino. The height difference between the village and the ridge road - the GR 5204 - with its spectacular views is about 700 metres. The route is named after the Spanish author Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, who travelled through the region on mule back in the spring of 1872. In his travel book ´La Alpujarra´, he described the steep climb up from Torvizcón as one of the most demanding stages. As we felt like enjoying the almond blossom in a leisurely way, we got ourselves dropped off at the highest point in order to be able to walk down to Torvizcón. We had downloaded the GPS track from the website of Alpujarra Turística and found out that this is essential to find the route. There are wooden marker posts, but the waymarking is done in one direction only, starting in Torvizcón. There are also a number of cairns, but not enough to find the small paths that are often a bit hidden between the vegetation. Sometimes you need to cross vineyards, almond and fig orchards and when they are recently ploughed you tend to stay on the dirt tracks instead of entering the fields. These are the things that make the route really attractive though. It feels as if you enter into the heart of the Sierra de Contraviesa. In all directions we saw thousands and thousands of almond trees in full blossom and got completely submerged into this show for hours with only peace and quiet around us. The nice thing about walking down is that we could also contemplate the snowcapped Sierra Nevada in front of us all the time.

Related articles:
- Publication ´Senderos Locales de la Alpujarra´
- Centro Temático del Vino Alpujárride in Torvizcón
- Almond blossom routes in February 2009

Related links:
- The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society, an article on this book written by Chris Stewart from his website Online El Valero

Related key words: almendros en flor, amandelbloesem, wandelen, wandelingen, hiking, Alpujarras, B&B, hotel

Mountain biking in the Alpujarras Sierra Nevada

2011-01-23T11:36:00.006+01:00

Michel and Geertje from the Netherlands stayed at our B&B Casa Rural El Paraje early September 2010.
They hired our mountain bikes for one day to explore the valley of the Río de Bérchules. They sent us a few photographs and we though it to would be nice to use this occasion to dedicate an article to the mountain biking possibilities of the Alpujarras and Sierra Nevada.
This photograph was taken close to the origin of the Río Chico which joins with the Río Grande at the Junta de los Ríos from where it is called Río de Bérchules.
There are lots of dirt tracks to use, but as the photo indicates the views need to be earned! Michel and Geertje were fit enough to go all the way to Mecina Bombarón using a small country road to get back to Bérchules and El Paraje.
There are also quite a number of single track possibilities. None of these are waymarked as biking routes.
If mountain biking is your thing, check out Pure Mountains, a company based in Bérchules that offers tailer made mountain bike holidays. In the special post on Outdoors Activities you can find more organizations offering mountain biking holidays in the Alpujarras.

Related articles:
- Alpujarras outdoors activities links list

Related links:
- Mountain biking holidays with Puremountains in Berchules
- online brochure of the transnevada trail

Professional sports and thai yoga massages at El Paraje

2011-01-14T12:27:00.003+01:00

People staying at ´El Paraje´ can now have a relaxing and rejuvenating massage at our casa rural. Bethan Jennings offers professional sports and thai yoga massages at very reasonable rates. Having worked at an osteopathic clinic, she also knows how to alleviate aches and pains of all types of injuries.
On her leaflet you can see what sort of massages are possible and from personal experience we can recommend them all. Bethan can pamper you with a relaxing full body massage or bring tired leg and feet muscles back to life after a day´s walking or cycling. When the weather is good it will be possible to have the massage outside on the balcony or terrace of your room. We are happy to give you more information or arrange an appointment if you already know you want to have a massage while staying with us.

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

The Cork Oak forest of Haza del Lino

2011-01-02T19:47:00.014+01:00

When a guest asks for a suggestion for a nice drive to the coast, we always mention the route that passes Cádiar and then follows the GR 5204 to Haza del Lino, from where you go down to the coast passing the tranquil villages of Polopos or Sorvilán. The vineyards and almond and fig groves of the Sierra de la Contraviesa are incredibly beautiful and the views are breathtaking in all directions. Haza del Lino is a small hamlet that breathes both the air of the coast and of the mountains. The popular Restaurante Haza del Lino is a nice place to have a drink or lunch (closed on Tuesdays). For cyclists it is a pretty tour as well (See road map and route profiles)
We now also have a suggestion for a walk that starts at this crossroads and that goes up the Cerro Salchicha, with an altitude of 1,542 metres the highest peak of the Sierra de la Contraviesa. This walk of 8 kilometres is different from any of the other walks that we offer for various reasons. Firstly because on a clear day you have impressive views of the Mediterranean Sea and secondly because it passes for a large part through a unique Cork Oak forest. The Quercus suber is a type of tree that you can be found in other parts of the Alpujarra, but it is the only Cork Oak forest that is preserved in the eastern part of Andalusia. The trunks of the harvested trees have an attractive rust red colour. When the sun shines on them and you see many of these stripped cork oaks you get the feeling of walking through a fairytail wood. The ´alcornocal´ of Haza del Lino is the highest Cork Oak forest of Spain and possible of the world.
When you do not feel like climbing the 320 metres to get to the top of the Monte Salchicha you can wander around through this Cork Oak forest following the tracks that you see on our map. They are all broad, easy to find and follow tracks. We turned right at waypoint 03, altough the ´classical routes´ go left at this point. We went down the fire breaks between waypoints 07 and 09, which was the least attractive part of the walk. (here our GPS track) If you do not want to descend on the broad, steep fire lanes you can go back to waypoint 06 and continue straight on from there.
Haza del Lino also has a singular chestnut tree (perimeter of more than 9 metres at the base) which can be found along the road to Órgiva, on our map halfway between waypoints 01 and 02 (see detailed description of the Castaño de Haza del Lino).

Related articles:
- Centro Temático del Vino Alpujárride in Torvizcón

Related links:
- Alpujarras road map
- Road cycling with Vamos Cycling in Cádiar

Related key words: alcornoque, kurkeik, kurkeikenbos, Alpujarras, Sierra Nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, trektocht, standplaats vakantie, hiking, trekking, Berchules, B&B, hotel, wanderungen, wandelvakanties

Happy 2011

2010-12-31T18:23:00.001+01:00

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

Winter 2010-2011 cultural programme Alpujarra de la Sierra

2010-12-31T12:06:00.001+01:00

See leaflet full size

related key words: Invierno Cultural Alpujarras, Sierra Nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, trektocht, hiking, trekking, Berchules, B&B, hotel, wanderungen

Centro Temático del Vino Alpujárride in Torvizcón

2010-12-21T13:10:00.003+01:00

Yesterday, the 20th of December, the first stone was laid for ´Alpujárride´ - Centro Temático del Vino that will be built high above Torvizcón on one of the hill tops of the Sierra de la Contraviesa. This centre will contain a winery, an interactive museum and a restaurant. It is an initiative of Ignacio Nestares who mentioned in his speech that five generations of his family have been making wine at fince Juan de Reyes. After his grandfather had died there were a number of years that he did not visit the cortijo, but one day when he went back with his father and he became fascinated with the idea to continue with the tradition of wine making. Visiting other bodegas the idea grew that he not only wanted to reinstate the seven hectares of vineyards and make good quality ecological wines, but that he also wanted to develop a centre that would be attractive for visitors in more respects. The result is this idea of an interactive museum in which all aspects related to the history of wine making in the Sierra de la Contraviesa will be explained making use of the latest technology. People will be invited to participate in the harvest and gastronomic workshops will be organized. The aim is that people who visit ´Alpujárride´ will have a singular, unforgettable experience.
We think that its location is flabbergasting and will already leave a lasting impression on everybody visiting the centre. It is situated on the top of a hill at an altitude of 1,389 metres, four kilometres from Haza del Lino. Looking southwestwards you see Monte Salchicha with an altituted of 1,545 metres the highest mountain of the Sierra de la Contraviesa. North- and eastwards you can contemplate the majestic Sierra Nevada and southwards the enchanting Mediterranean Sea. The local linear walk Ruta Pedro de Alarcón that starts in Torvizcón passes right at its doorsteps. Arriving at a place like this after having climbed seven hundred metres through vineyards, almond, fig and olive groves will be unique. We are looking forward to it. The first phase is expected to be completed in June 2011. In the meantime we would like to wish Ignacio and his family all the best with their project.

Official start of the Alpujárride proyect with Ignacio Nestares (to the left), David Moreno the mayor of Torvizcón and José López Gallardo as Diputado de Turismo de Granada laying the first stone.

Above the GR-5204 at about km-4 you can already see the white containers on the construction site. Alpujárride will have a unique location to attract visitors to the Contraviesa part of the Alpujarras.

Related articles:
- Wineries of the Alpujarras
- Museums and private collections in the Alpujarras

Related links:
- Discurso Ignacio Nestares
- Nota de prensa

Related key words:
Museo interactivo, interactief museum, interactive museum, enoturismo, wine tourism, wijn toerisme

Coast to Coast Charity Walk from April 27th to May 17th 2011

2010-12-19T19:24:00.003+01:00

One of the guide books in which our accommodation is mentioned is Walking in Andalucía by Gunter Hunter-Watts, a walking guide that covers the Alpujarra, Los Alcornocales, Aracena, La Axarquía, Cazorla and Grazalema. Over the last few years, the writer criss-crossed the mountains of southern Spain for another reason. The fruit of many years of research is a new guide book: The Andalucían Coast to Coast Walk - From the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean by way of Inland Spain.

In general we write posts on things related to the Alpujarra and Sierra Nevada, which is not the case of this walk from Maro (close to Nerja) to Bolonia (close to Tarifa). The reason why we do like to mention Guy´s new book is his initiative for a fundraising for children in Nepal. Yesterday we received an e-mail of the author with the announcement of a Coast to Coast Charity Walk that will take place from April 27th to May 17th 2011. Guy intends to do all 21 days of the walk and there are already a few people that signed up for the whole walk of 430 kilometres. Guy invites people to join him on the walk or to support the initiative by making a donation. More information can be found on the announcement of the charity walk and a sponsorship form and Coast to Coast on facebook.

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

Murtas, viewpoint of the Contraviesa

2010-12-16T23:07:00.003+01:00

Not all our guests can or like to make long walks. We therefor want to give a suggestion of a tour by car through the Contraviesa. This is a mountain range we look at from ´El Paraje´ and where most of our wines are made. From Bérchules you drive down to Cádiar from where you climb up the Contraviesa. On the top you turn left towards Murtas. While you drive on this quiet country road you have an excellent panorama of many Alpujarran villages and the summits of the Sierra Nevada to the left and the Mediterranean Sea to the right. After having passed bar-restaurant and winery Cuatro Vientos you arrive at a crossroads Venta del Chaleco with a sign of the Cerrajón the Murtas, the second highest top of the Contraviesa. Passing a cheese factory it is possible to drive up almost to the very top at 1,507 metres; you need to walk about fifteen minutes (see our map).
People that would like to stretch their legs for a little bit longer, could consider the short local walk ´La Solana´ (see our post Sendero Local La Solana in Murtas). To get to the starting point of this circular waymarked walk of four kilometres, you pass through Murtas and continue until you see a sign ´centro the población´. To your left you see a wooden bench (if it is still there) and a marker post of the Sendero Local. The changing scenery during this short stroll, of the Sierra Nevada, the Sierra de Gador, the Mediterranean Sea and the Cerrajón de Murtas is really unique. On the way back you pass through Murtas which has a bar at the back of the church that serves good food.
Continuing the tour, we pass Mecina Tedel and Cojáyar. These two villages are connected by a waymarked Sendero Local, a local walk with a considerable height difference. (see details of this linear walk on the web of the Mancomunidad de los municipios de la Alpujarra Granadina) The next village that we pass is Jorairátar. This a picturesque village with a pleasant bar, La Maruja, right at the entrance. It has a very interesting museum, but this can only be visited on appointment. To get back to ´El Paraje´ from Jorairátar, we follow the A-4348 back to Cádiar. This Contraviesa tour of 66 kilometres is highly recommended in February and March when the almond trees are blossoming (see our post Almond blossom in February).
This tour is also a suggestion for people who like road biking.

P.S.The small white dot at the far right of the photo is our casa rural El Paraje.

Related links: map of the Alpujarras.

Local walk PR-A 70 Pueblos del Poqueira

2010-12-13T17:02:00.009+01:00

We know of our own guests that many people that decide to spend a few days in the Alpujarra like to visit the Barranco de Poqueira. Quite often people are interested in combining a stroll through the picturesque villages of this beautiful valley with a short walk. We were therefor happy to learn about a ´newly´ signposted Pequeño Recorrido developed by the Parque Natural de Sierra Nevada connecting Pampaneira, Bubión and Capileira. More information on this Sendero Pueblos del Poqueira PR-A 70 can be found on the website of the Junta de Andalucía. On the map of this walk it is not made clear whether you can cross to the other side of the valley at point 6. Before arriving at Capileira (point 6 on the map) there is a sign indicating ´Puente El Molino´. It turned out to be surprisingly easy as well as beautiful to follow the indications and cross the bridge. At the other side there is a sign of the PR-A 70 indicating the way back to Pampaneira. Having two circular walks everybody can decide how to combine visiting the Poqueira villages with some hiking. The ´low loop´ is about 6 kilometres and the first part coincides with the GR-7. Both routes follow the old ´Camino a Bubión´. At the Plaza Libertad in Pampaneira a GR-7 waymark can be found. Going up Calle Estación, you pass an old wash house and climb up Calle Principe or Calle Real to get to the starting point. On the street map or ´plano´ of Pampaneira the starting point of the ´Camino a Bubión´ can be found. On the street map of Bubión we indicated where the PR-A 70 enters and leaves the village. The ´high loop´ that passes through Capileira is about four kilometres, but it is also possible to return to point 6 on the map in order to shorten the walk. On the street map of Capileira it is indicated with number 4 where you enter the village and number 3 is where the local walk leaves the village (coincides with the GR-240 or Sulayr).

Warning:
The PR-A 70 is quite well waymarked with signs indicating the distances to the villages and wooden posts with yellow-and-white waymarks. Where needed we placed a few extra cairns.
Nevertheless, about 200 metres of the path that steeply descends to the river before getting back to Pampaneira are seriously damaged (See our own map between 13 and 14!)!
While doing any of the walks that use the Pampaneira river crossing, like the Sendero Local La Atalaya, you need to be aware that you need to cover this difficult steep stretch with lose slates. Without clear visibility, good hiking boots and mountain walking experience this part is not to be recommended.
Take into account that the waymarking (again!) has only been done in one direction! You can get lost walking back if you did not look back every now and then. (No problem with our GPS track data of course)
We have not done the ´high loop´ yet, but we heard at the Punto de Información de Pampaneira that this walk can be done without encountering any difficulties.

Sendero Monterrey Laujar de Andarax

2010-12-09T22:48:00.018+01:00

Laujar de Andarax is a village in the Almería province that we planned to visit for a long time and today we finally came around to do it. Thanks to the new Almería-Lanjarón road the travelling time is now only forty-five minutes and the weather forecast for today mentioned twenty-four degrees, sunny and no wind. A perfect day to check out one of the walking routes starting from this village that is quite well-known for its wines. The Sendero Hidroeléctrica is famous, but we heard at the Centro de Visitantes that it is not maintained as there are some steep stretches that are not considered safe enough. We decided to do the shortest of the two ´official´ short local walks (signposted with yellow-and-white waymarks) of which we received copies at this visitor´s centre, namely the Sendero Monterrey (pdf folleto 3,86 mb) a circular walk of nine kilometres. The first three kilometres you follow a beautiful small path through a dense pine forest. Although you do not climb much more than three hundred metres, the views are fantastic once you come in a more open lanscape with grape vines growing at 1,200 metres. The return route is for a great part on a wide dirt track with fantastic views. We could not cross the Río Andarax easily, but we think this was exceptional. The holes of the bridge were blocked, so that the water ran over it in stead of underneath. Besides, the river was probably very swollen because of the amount of rainfall last week in combination with the melting snow. The snow that covered the Almirez (2,519 metres) and the Pico del Buitre (2,465 metres) a week ago has all been gone by now. A few hundred metres after having crossed the river with some difficulties the path has disappeared - probably as a result of the heavy rains last winter - and it looks as if you might need to cross the river again. This is not the case though, you need to stick to the left bank of the river for 200 metres although there is no clear path any more. The rest of the track and the two bridges that you need to cross are no problem. We are impressed by the beauty of this valley and will definetely go back to check other routes in the area.

Our ´regulars´ know that we add new walks like this to our file with descriptions. For new readers it might be nice to know that we make our own maps, callibrate them and put our GPS data and waypoints on top of them. (click here for our GPS data of this walk). At waypoint 9 we investigated the situation of the damaged dirt track to find out that sticking to the left bank of the river does the trick. We did not edit (delete) this part of our GPS data.

Related keywords: Alpujarras, wandelen, wandelingen, trektocht, berchules, B&B, hotel

Fiestas de la Matanza 2010

2010-12-03T10:22:00.001+01:00

Tomorrow Mecina Bombarón organizes a Fiesta de la Matanza with an exposition, a tasting of pork delicatessen, and all sorts of other activities (see program).

On Sunday the 5th of December there are two other villages that celebrate ´slaughter festivities´ with ´degustaciones´, namely Turón (see program) and Órgiva (see program).

Related links:
- Article from the Ideal by Rafael Vílchez: Ugíjar, Turón, El Padul, Yegen y Mecina Bombarón organizan ferias y fiestas para el puente

Snowfall in the high sierra

2010-11-29T10:21:00.001+01:00

Last Friday a period of nice autumn weather came to an end. It was overcast during the day and slowly changed to misty and wet. Saturday it rained incessantly and the forecast shows more precipitations this coming week. Luckily we had a bit of a break yesterday with blue skies and some sunshine. From our terrace we enjoyed a snow-covered Almirez after the clouds had floated away. This mountain that we can see in the distance is with an altitude of 2,519 metres, the second highest peak of the Almería province. In the valley of Trevélez we saw quite a lot of snow on the mountains while going out for a few training hours. We think that the snow level has come down to about 2,400 metres. On the other side of the Sierra Nevada the ski centre was officially opened on Saturday. In the newspaper article ´Sierra Nevada abre la temporada´ we can read that the snow thickness varies between 10 and 40 centimetres but that more snowfall is to be expected in the ´high´ sierra this coming week. People that plan to visit the area during the ´Puente de diciembre´ coming weekend will hopefully be able to enjoy some wonderful winter landscapes.

Bronze symbols of Sierra Nevada of José María Moreno Rodrigo

2010-11-28T16:45:00.003+01:00

For two more days the exhibition ´Luces de Sulayr, Cinco Siglos en la Imagen de Sierra Nevada´ can be visited in the Centro de Arte of Almería. Altough the exhibition is quite small compared to the one which was held in Granada last year, it is still interesting. We especially enjoyed the bronze sculptures of insects, birds and mammals of José María Moreno Rodrigo. His sculputures of fauna of the Sierra Nevada were earlier this year exhibited in the Parque de la Ciencias de Andalucía en Granada. On the website of the Casa Taller Miguel Moreno a list of artistic reproductions can be found, amongst which the twenty-four sculptures that form his project ´Esculturas Símbolo de Sierra Nevada´. The Alpine Accentor is an example of a true symbol, as it is a bird that inhabits the high mountains. On the summits of the Mulhacén and Veleta it can often be observed. It has become quite familiar with the presence of people and does not act shyly at all. Something we experienced ourselves and that is also mentioned on the Spanish text of Prunella collaris or Acentor alpino on Wikipedia.

Related links:
-Catálogo de la exhibición Luces de Sulayr (pdf 19,94 mb)

Related articles:
-Luces de Sulayr, images of Sierra Nevada

Fonda-Museo de Gerald Brenan in Yegen inaugurated

2010-11-09T17:36:00.014+01:00

Before Gerald Brenan moved into his house in Yegen in 1920, he stayed in the village inn known as Pensión ´Manuel Juliana´. This boarding house on the main road (Carretera 16) continued to offer lodgings until the mid-eighties. Brenan stayed in this posada again in 1974 with Alfredo Amestoy Eguiguren who made the documentary of Brenan called ´Agua pasada´. They spent a few weeks in Yegen about which Alfredo Amestoy wrote: "Dormíamos en la misma habitación, en la posada de Yegen, un dormitorio sin cristales en la ventana, sin retrete. Yo me encargaba de llevarle y traerle el orinal al ya anciano Brenan que rezaba al acostarse." The 23rd of June 2009, the town hall of Alpujarra de la Sierra bought this former posada with the idea to turn it into a Casa Museo dedicated to the hispanist that universalized the village of Yegen through his book ´South from Granada´. Internationally Brenan is best known for his publication ´The Spanish Labyrinth´: An Account of the Social and Political Background of the Spanish Civil War, first published in 1943.
Thirteen students of the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Granada made suggestions for a ´Casa-lugar para un Nuevo Brenan´. Two weeks ago the Fonda-Museo de Gerald Brenan opened its doors with an ´encuentro universitario´ during which the students were invited to explain their proposals and models for an Espacio Brenan. The result of their projects are exhibited in the new Casa Museo which can be visited from Monday to Friday from 16.00 to 18.00 hours. Apart from the exhibition nothing can be seen yet that has any relation with the famous hispanist. But looking through one of the old windows of one of the ´dormitorios´, you can do nothing else but wonder if it was the room in which the young traveller stayed, read and mused about his life and future... Many visitors will stil need to bow their heads before entering a room as the doorposts are original, thus very low. The shutters of the windows are of wood, without glass just as the journalist Alfredo Amestoy wrote in his article for El Mundo. The cane ceilings are still there and the stables cleaned, but luckily untouched. This makes the building just right for a Fonda-Museo. With the purchase, the stripping, plastering and opening important steps have been taken. We hope that through the years the local authorities find the means and collaboration to fill the new Fonda Museo in Yegen with books, reproductions of photographs and show films and documentaries like ´Mirada de Brenan´ and ´Agua Pasada´ of Alfredo Amestoy.

Related articles:
- El municipio compra hoy la fonda donde se hospedó el hispanista Gerald Brenan, article from Granada Hoy written by R. Fernández.
- Yegen convierte en museo la antigua fonda donde se hospedó Brenan, article from the Ideal written by Rafael Vílchez.
- Don Geraldo, Uno de los Nuestros, article from El Mundo in memory of Gerald Brenan written by Alfredo Amestoy.

Related links:
- Sendero Local ´Gerald Brenan´, Yegen
- Ruta literaria por el sendero de Gerald Brenan

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

Jornada de la Seta Mecina Bombarón 2010

2010-11-01T20:05:00.005+01:00

Yesterday the III Jornada de la Seta en Mecina Bombarón was organized. A group of about thirty people gathered to go up the pines to pick mushrooms. Around two o´clock the participants came back to the village with baskets and boxes with many different types of fungi, curious to hear from José Herrera which types they had collected. This expert mycologist told the names and curiosities, but regarded the ´níscalo´ or the Lactarius deliciosus as the only edible one. He agreed that a few others could be eaten, but did not have the desirable taste or aroma. The absence of poisonous effects is apparantly not the only aspect to put a mushroom on the list of ´setas comestibles´ of this micólogo experto. The couple that stayed with us and that took part in the different activities was given a beautiful violet mushroom by other participants and had told them it was a delicacy. José Herrera explained that it was a Lepista nuda. After looking for more information on the Internet, we found out that it is sometimes called Clitocybe nuda, in English known as Wood blewit. In the salón cultural the níscalos were prepared and stirfried for the participants that wanted to try their own mushrooms. Apart from this, Luis of cafe bar La Huerta in Mecina Alfahar had prepared delicious ´mico tapas´ with níscalos for a tasting. This ´degustación´ was well organized by the town hall of Alpujarra de la Sierra for which we want to congratulate all the people that contributed to make this Jornada de la Seta such a successful event.

Related links:
-Article in Granada Hoy: La Alpujarra pone el arte de la micología al alcance de todos
-Programme Otoño Cultural 2010 of Alpujarra de la Sierra

Morning temperatures the 24th of October 2010

2010-10-24T11:17:00.002+02:00

We had one cloudy day with some drizzle yesterday. For the rest these weeks are offering beautiful autumn weather. This morning we did a little experiment looking how the sun and shade temperatures evolve during breakfast time.

sunrise at 08.45, shade temperature 10 degrees Celsius
09.00 hours shade 11 sun 20 degrees Celsius
09.15 hours shade 12 sun 25 degrees Celsius
09.30 hours shade 14 sun 30 degrees Celsius
10.00 hours shade 15 sun 35 degrees Celsius

The official local maximum temperature today is 18 degrees Celsius (shade). People who have not been in the southern Spanish mountains before, might find the shade temperatures unspanishly cold and the sun temperatures too warm. The combination of cool air temperature with warm sun radiation however is very nice and makes beautiful walking conditions. The higher the altitude the higher the differences become.
Our Bed and Breakfast El Paraje´ is situated at 1,400 metres altitude. We offer walks higher up as well as walks in the lower valleys, which makes it possible to adapt to the weather situation and personal preferences.
One of our conclusions therefore is that the sun and the wind determine the weather experience more than the official shade temperatures. Luckily the sun comes out very often in Andalusia. In the mountains the radiating sun might fool you however. When the actual air shade temperature is 14 degrees Celsius you can easily catch a cold walking barefooted.

Yesterday 23rd of October at 10.45 hours

This morning 24th of October at 09.04 hours

Related articles:
- See all weather related links on our links page

Por tierras de moriscos 20 and 21 November 2010

2010-10-21T18:48:00.001+02:00

PromoCETS 2010 is one of the promotional activities that forms part of the Plan de Acción 2009-2013 of the Carta Europea de Turismo Sostenible. During these two days, Sierra Nevada National and Natural Park will be highlighted as a destination for sustainable tourism. Different activities are organized in Bérchules, Cádiar, Mecina Bombarón and Válor, tierras de moriscos. The brochure can be downloaded (4,49 MB).
For more information call 958.026318 or e-mail: maria.villa.ext @ juntadeandalucia.es

Breakfast on the 13th of October 2010 at El Paraje

2010-10-13T10:18:00.009+02:00

The recent weeks we have had days with autumn weather. We had some heavy rainfall Saturday afternoon. From guests that came from Granada on Sunday we heard that they had seen snow at that side of the Sierra. We saw an article ´Llegó la nieve´ on the blog of the Sulayr with a beautiful photograph with the first snow of the autumn 2010 in Sierra Nevada. The rest of the weekend turned out better than we had expected, with only a few showers during the night. The last few days the sun has come out part of the day and that makes this period excellent for walking and other outdoor activities. It is only in the afternnons that the clouds start to creep in. Without the sun it quickly becomes chilly and so we decided to start up the fireplace, and yesterday we also turned on the underfloor heating.
The weather forecast symbols and figures are correct, with shade temperatures of 13 degrees Celsius in the morning. Nevertheless having breakfast outside on the terrace at 09.00 hours in the morning is nice with the radiating rising sun at 1,400 metres altitude.
(Note: Sunshine adds easily 10 to 20 degrees to the official (shade) temperatures at our altitude. And of course clouds coming in on a sunny day (often afternoon) have the reverse effect.)

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

Report of the third Alpujarran bird census

2010-10-11T17:01:00.011+02:00

Sunday the 3rd of October the third bird census of the Alpujarra was organized by Carmen of Alquería de Morayma, a rural hotel in Cádiar. A total of 32 different species were counted and ticked off on the list that was made by Miranda and Trevor, a British couple that has been bird watching in this area for over twenty years. Apart from adding the Dutch and scientific names to the bird checklist, we have ticked off the species sighted or heard on the past three bird counts.

Carmen published a report of this day on the website of Alquería de Morayma. This is a translation of her account of the International Bird Day celebrated on the 3rd of October in Cádiar:
"This day was celebrated by Alquería de Morayma with a beautiful walk in the valley of the river Guadalfeo. The eleven participants with different nationalities, were guided by Gary, a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable naturalist and Antonio J. Ramos, guide of the Natural Park Sierra Nevada. Anita of Casa Rural El Paraje and Carmen of the Alquería also participated.
The morning started clear and pinkish but turned windy. The day was blessed by birds of prey. The first birds that were sighted was a pair of Golden Eagles while setting off.
While walking on the ridge of the Loma de Cayón through vineyards, almond and fig orchards a number of Stonechats and other passerine birds were spotted. Under the bridge of the river Guadalfeo, an igloo-shaped nest of the Red-rumped Swallow was observed. Antonio commented that this bird started colonising Andalusia not too long ago. He added that the White-rumped Swift, another bird that has expanded into southern Spain, appropriates the nests of the Golondrina daúrica, while these two species share a territory in a curious way. Further on the Red-rumped Swallow was observed. The route continued through the Rambla de Albayar covered with gorse, rosemary and tamarisk. There was still water running through this river bed, thanks to the abundant rain fall this past winter (1217 litres/m2 measured by the meteorological station in Cádiar). As the Peregrine Falcon was sighted it got the title of ´Bird of the Day´, but it did not keep this for long. While watching a family of fat partridges running and flying up, two Goshawks appeared from behind some cliffs and took over the title. At this time of the year, this raptor comes down from the pine woods in search of food. To strenghten its first place, this pair of raptors stayed around for some time and gave a fantastic flight show. More information on the bird census can be found on the blogs of Sendero Sulayr and Casa Rural El Paraje."

Related article: Peregrine Falcon holds the title of the animal kingdom's fastest flier article on Nacional Geographic

Related key words: vogels, alpujarras, sierra nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, trektocht, standplaats vakantie, hiking, trekking, Berchules, B&B, hotel, wanderungen

Mosto at El Paraje

2010-10-05T18:51:00.006+02:00

Many years ago wine used to be made at El Paraje. The last thirty years farmers that rented the finca cultivated potatoes, beans and cereals, but the tradition of wine making was lost. We bought the finca in 2001. It still had the threshing circle in front of the cortijo, a bread oven and also a wine press and barrels. We turned the old threshing circle (or ´era´) into a terrace and we put the wine press underneath the tinao. Some vines survived over the years and our brother-in-law Fred Driesse took up the challenge of harvesting the grapes. The old wine press can no longer be used, so we thought of an alternative way to press the grapes. Our intention was not to make wine, but serve the unfermented juice. The oranges come from the other end of the world at this time of the year, so we prefer the serve the ´mosto de la casa´ with breakfast instead of the fresh orange juice that we normally have. This morning our guests had the scoop of fresh ´mosto´ while having breakfast outside on the terrace. We think we will be able to serve home made grape juice for at least a month.

Related articles:
- Wineries or ´bodegas´ in the Alpujarras
- Guia de vinos de Granada 2009
- Information on wines from our website www.elparaje.com

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

Pelophylax perezi or Perez's frog

2010-10-04T22:44:00.002+02:00

Perez's Frog is a type of frog that is very abundant in Spain, as evidenced by its Spanish name ´rana común´ or ´common frog´. It is a frog of the genus Pelophylax of the family Ranidae or true frogs. Apart from Spain it is found in southern France and Portugal. Altough it is sometimes referred to as the Iberian green frog (´rana verde´ ín Spanish or ´Iberische groene kikker´ in Dutch) it can also be gray or brown. We liked the one we saw in the small stream running through the Rambla de Albayar for its beautiful green colour.

Related key words:

Iberian water frog, iberische meerkikker, iberischer wasserfrosch, grenouille de pèrez, ranidae family, ránidos, echte kikkers, anura

Walking connection between El Paraje and Juviles

2010-09-27T10:30:00.005+02:00

There used to be an old path known as ´Camino de Juviles a Bérchules´, ´Camino de los Molinos´ o ´Camino de los Riscos´. For many years a few of our routes from Juviles to ´El Paraje´ followed part of it, but the last bit was cross country up to the road. We did not use the track that goes down the Cruz de Juviles (or Cruz de Bérchules) because there were bee hives, it was fenced off and it was very overgrown. Last winter we cleared part of the overgrown track, made a passage along the fence of the almond orchard, and indicated this route with a few cairns. Jeremy Rabjohns of Walk Alpujarra was helpful to waymark it with red painted dots and arrows. Yesterday we checked the connection for our file of walking routes and were pleased to see that it was actually used by some hikers. In general you hardly ever meet other walkers on any of the routes. They did not use our short cut that stays outside the private terrain, but continued on the broad track. We checked this option and came to the conclusion that it is quite overgrown but possible. The fact that this area has become a bit wild also has a positive side. We nearly always see lots of birds and butterflies here, depending on the moment of the day, the season and the weather of course. This ´new´ route from our guesthouse El Paraje to Juviles ´Al Juviles por el Camino de los Riscos´ is a four kilometres walk to visit the pretty village which has a couple of bars and a public swimming pool in the summer. It can also be used to go up ´El Fuerte´, to continue the GR-7 to Tímar or Trevélez, or to follow the Ruta Medieval to Nieles. Click here for the map of the walking connection.

Related keywords: Alpujarras, trektocht door de Sierra Nevada, wandelen in Andalusie, wandelingen, standplaats vakantie, hiking in Andalusia, trekking, B&B hotel in Berchules, wanderungen, wandelvakanties in de Alpujarras

Vanessa cardui or Painted Lady

2010-09-26T08:34:00.009+02:00

The Vanessa cardui or Painted Lady of the family Nymphalidae is one of the most widespread butterflies. Although the Vanesa de los cardos can be found on almost every continent, except Antarctica and South America, we were still very pleased to sight one on our own terrain a few weeks ago. Today we saw a few on the track of the almond orchards of Los Riscos. Apart from this ´Cosmopolitan´, as it is sometimes called in North America, we saw many other types of butterflies flying around on this sunny autumn day. The Vanessa cardui, like most other butterflies we sighted, were especially attracted by the stink aster which is still in flower. The Painted Lady is resident only in warmer areas. It migrates in spring, and sometimes again in autumn. It is able to travel large distances as it is known to migrate from North Africa to for example Great Britain or the Netherlands. The migration of birds has so far been monitored better than the migration of butterflies. In various articles different starting points are mentioned; the Atlas Mountains in Morroco, Tunesia and the Mediterranean in general.
PS On the 5th of May 2011 we saw a large number of Painted Ladies on the finca.

Related links:
- Website Butterfly Conservation: Millions of Painted Lady butterflies are now arriving in Britain, after an amazing 1000 mile migration from North Africa.

Related key words: migratory butterfly, mariposa migratoria, trekvlinder, distelvlinder, schoenlapper, aurelia, vanesse du chardon, vanesse des chardons, belle dame, distelfalter, edelfalter, ninfálidos, nymphalidés, Alpujarras, Sierra Nevada, wandelen, wandelingen, trektocht, standplaats vakantie, hiking, trekking, Berchules, B&B, hotel, wanderungen

Autumn 2010 sunrise at El Paraje

2010-09-25T08:54:00.001+02:00

The 25th of September 2010, sunrise at our guesthouse El Paraje in Berchules.

Feria de Octubre Cádiar 2010

2010-09-23T13:10:00.005+02:00

The Feria y Fiestas de Cádiar will this year be held from the 7th to the 11th of October. This annual fair is organized by ´La Asociación Cultural Fuente del Vino´ in coordination with the municipality of Cádiar. This association was set up three years ago and aims to recover and preserve the traditions that form a fundamental part of the cultural identity of Cádiar. Officialy the Feria y Fiestas were to honour the patron saint Santo Cristo de la Salud. Nowadays the fair is better known as the Fiesta del Vino since a wine fountain was inaugurated in 1967. Last year the ´Feria y Festias de Octubre´ were declared ´Fiesta de Interés Turístico´. The programme can be found on the website of the Consejería de Turismo of the Junta de Andalucía.

Related links: - Publication of the Feria y Fiestas de Otoño on the website of tourist board of Andalucía
- Article from the Ideal written by Rafael Vílchez
Cádiar abre su Fuente del Vino con la declaración de Interés Turístico

III Censo de aves de la Alpujarra desde la Alquería de Morayma

2010-09-22T12:06:00.007+02:00

On Sunday the 3rd of October 2010 the third Alpujarran bird census will be held, which starts at 08.00 hours at the Alquería de Morayma. A circular route of nine kilometres will be done. On the first two bird counts the GR-7 was followed towards Lobras and back to the Alquería. This time the idea is to follow the GR-142 and do the two loops as seen on the map. On the first autumn bird count, which was held the 3rd of October 2009, 33 different species were counted. A list of these birds can be found on our post Día mundial de las aves celebrated in the Alpujarra. More information on the III Censo de aves de la Alpujarr desde la Alqueria de Morayma can be found on the website of this hotel/appartment complex near Cádiar.