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The countryside in much of Andalucía is breathtaking and, one of the best ways to appreciate the diversity and beauty of the natural scenery here, is via foot. However, unlike other parts of Europe, (in particularly the UK), it is som etimes hard to determine exactly where it is safe to just park your car and trek off into the rustic unknown. There are few designated footpaths, aside from within the national and natural parks and it can be a disquieting experience, to say the least, to find yourself suddenly surrounded by a field of bulls or wandering though an area which has apparently been designated for hunting purposes.
To avoid this, try contacting the local tourist office in the area you are hoping to explore. They may be able to provide you with a guide to local walks or, recommend a local publication containing surrounding trails. However most tourist office leaflets look exciting but lack enough detail to follow a trail confidently. The same applies to roadside sign boards and maps.
We recommend the books by Matt Butler, Jeremy Rabjohns and Guy Hunter Watts.
Suggested Walks
Suggested Walks by Guy Hunter-Watts offers us a selection of his favourite walks in Andalucia. They are taken from his book "Walking in Andalucia - The best walks in Spains natural parks". The following walks will take about 3 hours each, slightly longer if you take your time.
GR7
The GR7 is the footpath through Andalucia, which forms part of the European Route No. 4. The route is made up of itineraries, which are designed to avoid crossing or using tarmac roads or any roads used by traffic, wherever possible. The GR7 starts in Tarifa in on the furthest southwest tip of Spain, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic. The route stretches across the provinces of Cadiz, Malaga, Granada, íAlmara, Cordoba and Ojan, covering approximately 1,250 kilometers of sign-posted footpaths.
Vias Verdes
Spain's vias verdes, green routes, are one of the lesser known attractions of its interior. Like Britain in the 1960s, Spain drastically reduced its regional railway routes during the twentieth century, and is now renovating them as hiking, cycling and horse-riding tracks. Possibly the most beautiful in Andalucia is the route between Puerto Serrano, west of Algodonales on the Ronda-Sevilla road, and the former bandit haven Olvera.
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