El Acebuchal

(*) We will drive 17,094 meters and walk the remaining 11,334 meters.

The route begins as is our custom in the Plaza Almijara. It consists of three different parts (depending on the time to walk and the desire or fatigue).

The first and the last one can be done by car to lighten its prolongation in time and make up the round trip of the second part of the route, which we have called El Acebuchal.

Portichuelo

After the exit we head towards Portichuelo and take the road to Torrox. At the height of the Cruz de Zarja, if we are walking, we take the old path of the Camino de Zarja that will take us to Pulido, at the very beginning of the lane of the Fábrica de la Luz, next to the heliport. If we go by car we continue along the road until we reach the same point.

Patamalara

After crossing the Patamalara River and a few meters before the Fábrica de la Luz, take this path until you reach the intersection with the path that borders Cerro Verde and passes through Acebuchal and ends up joining the path of the sierra to the west of Cerro del Fuerte.

About five hundred meters from this intersection following the path described above, upon reaching the clay soil we make a stop to leave the vehicle well parked (if we have come in it) so as not to disturb other users because at this point begins the second part of our route. In this first section we have covered approximately 8 kilometers.

La mata del Reol

If we have come by car we can also park it next to the old Fábrica de la Luz where there is more space so that the road would lengthen a little more than a kilometer.

After getting ready, we take the path shown in the photograph that runs through the mountain called by the locals "La mata del Reol" between abundant rosemary and rockrose and dotted with gorse. If we make the climb in late April, May or early June (depending on the weather) we can enjoy an explosion of color and aroma that floods the entire path splashed with the lilac color of the slender irises that abound throughout it. Even on the path itself we find flowers and plants that we will have to dodge to avoid damaging them.

As we ascend, in the obligatory highs to take oxygen, towards the coast we observe the farmland, vineyards and olive groves with abundant country houses and Torrox in the background; to the west the hills of the Juliana; to the north the immense depth of the mountains inviting you to dream in it.

Collado

After forty-five minutes, following the path and with the obligatory care not to leave it (in some sections, to the left, the slope is steep) we arrive at a small pass. Here it is necessary to stop on the way. A path that tells us about the great fire that devastated the whole mountain years ago and from which it is slowly recovering; a path that invites us to take care of the mountain treasure we are enjoying.

From this small watchtower where a solitary pine lords its slender figure, we observe in front the hill of El Fuerte, below, next to the stream, some constructions of El Acebuchal. Behind us the Julianas continue observing our walk.

Collado de Panduro

To the right is an almost lost path that descends to El Acebuchal, but we continue to the left bordering the hill. The path flattens out and descends slightly to the next hill where it begins a gentle ascent to the Collado de Panduro. As we climb, to our right, the Fort is left behind to give way to the Cisne, Pichirri, Panizo and other elevations that we will get to know.

Once we reach the pass, we again have a view of the valley formed by the Barranco de Moreno ravine, occupied by the Lomas del Daire that majestically ascend to the foot of Cerro Lucero.

Collado de Páez Blanca

This point is the highest point of our route that from now on will descend while bordering Cerro Verde until reaching Páez Blanca.

About a hundred meters from the pass, the narrow path ends and becomes a wide road (an old lane used for the removal of wood from the fires). To stop for a moment and observe the landscape is a delight for the eyes.

The path from Páez Blanca descends to the Cerro de los Hornos, crosses the Barranco Moreno and ascends to join the path that descends from the Casa de la Mina to the Fábrica de la Luz. This path is a possibility to shorten the route.

Following the path, we find two small springs that serve as a watering place for goats, wild boars and other inhabitants of the mountains.

If we do the path in summer we must remember the recommendations we made at the beginning regarding the places that have water.

Soon we arrive at the pass of Páez Blanca (720 m), where numerous roads converge and the tracks of Cómpeta, to our left, the one of Frigiliana, to our right, and the one coming from Venta Panaderos, in front.

We will take the lane that descends to the south, the one from Frigiliana. As we descend, to the east, the Higuerón valley and the mountains that form it appear inviting us to a feast of life and color.

Venta Cebollero

After several bends to the left and right, always descending, at the confluence of two ravines we find the ruins of Venta Cebollero, which shows signs of a timid attempt at reconstruction.

To the left of the ravine we leave a path that leads to a beekeeping farm; we cross it and continue along the lane, now ascending and after a curve, to the left we find other ruins and to the right a path that descends to the Barranco de El Acebuchal.

We take this road and plunge into the ravine along its course, almost always dry, for just over a kilometer.

Here, as it is logical, the vegetation fills everything, pines, oleanders, rushes, rosemary...

Acebuchal

Innumerable plants and flowers mark our way to the village of El Acebuchal that, suddenly, among pines, we find ourselves soon.

Arrived at the lane that crosses the ravine, (it is the same that we took at the beginning of our route) we follow it to the right. Under the lane we find the village of El Acebuchal, which is in the process of reconstruction. If we walk through its central street we will step on a cobblestone maintained for centuries and that filled the streets of Competa when cement was an unknown.

Following the course of the lane, always immersed in the mountains, enjoying excellent views, we will arrive at the starting point of our route on foot. In total we will have spent approximately 3 hours, depending on the pace and the stops made.

The return is the last part of our route and consists of retracing the first.