Ruta Medieval through the Alpujarras

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

Jornadas culturales de Cástaras y Nieles 2010

During the 13th, 14th and 15th of August, the VI Jornadas Culturales of Cástaras and Nieles will take place. This year the VI Cuaderno cultural will be presented: Imágenes para el recuerdo (Images to remember the past). Old photographs will be displayed that will bring back memories of Cástaras and Nieles. José Antonio Martín Almendros and Angel Bañuelos Arroyo will give a speech on the Minas de El Conjuro. From Nieles a walk is organized to the fuente Solís, following the camino del Cerro that passes the alberca del Cerro. On Saturday evening there will be traditional alpujarran music, a ´concierto de pulso y púa´, by Los Primos de Nieles. The programa de Jornadas culturales de Cástaras y Nieles 2010 can be found on the website of Nieles. On this same website a number of Imágenes para el recuerdo can be found and also the collection of Cuadernos that have been published so far. The programme can also be found on the website of the Asociación Cultural de Cástaras y Nieles.




Related article:
- slide show of the history of cadiar

Related links:
- Recuerdos de Cástaras, website of Jorge García García
- Asociación Cultural de Cástaras y Nieles

San Blas celebrated in Nieles

The patron saint San Blas, Saint Blaise in English, is honoured in two Alpujarran villages. In Cádiar there was a mass and procesion on the feast day itself, the third of February. In Nieles the villagers celebrated San Blas yesterday. There was a holy mass in the morning, a get-together in the afternoon and the image of the saint was taken out of the church at six o´clock. The sun was just setting and it was a quite moving to hear the band playing and to see the procession slowly moving through the narrow village streets with the last rays of sun iluminating the image. After the procession people lined up to buy their ´listones´. These are silk ribbons, which are used for the blessing of throats as San Blas is traditionally believed to intercede in cases of throat illnesses. Information on other fiestas in Nieles and all kinds of things related to this small village can be found on the informative website of Ángel Bañuelos. Quite recently he added new texts about ´el agua´, the history of Nieles and its church. His five ´cuadernos´ on different historical-cultural aspects can now be downloaded from his website as well.

Jornadas Culturales de Cástaras y Nieles 2009

For the fifth consecutive year, the Asociación Cultural de Cástaras y Nieles organizes cultural days. This is the programme of the Jornadas Culturales de Cástaras y Nieles for Friday the 31st of July and Saturday the 1st of Auguts. The cultural association of these villages is one of the most active ones in the Alpujarra. The website of the Asociación Cultural de Cástaras y Nieles is well-documented and worth a visit.

IV Jornadas Culturales de Cástaras y Nieles

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