The Sierra Blanco

After what has been a lovely long stay at Cabopino, we are now on the move again. We said our goodbyes to the friends we made and drove back to Guaro to ‘our Alison’s’, for a couple of days wild camping again and to say our farewells to her and Steve and little Jacque. But not before a day out walking up a mountain which Steve has arranged with a couple of his mates, Jesper (The Viking) and Uncle James. I love walking round mountains so I was really looking forward to it.

Breakfast in the sun, wild camping in Guaro

Schooling in the great outdoors

Now when I’ve walked up mountains in the past, it has been with people who have researched the area, checked on weather conditions, had a compass and map on hand as well as things like energy drinks and high protein bars.

These guys had a crate of beer!........... This was going to be an interesting day.

After stopping off to get supplies (biscuits, water and BLT’s) we head off to the mountain. Once there we have a beer and make a start. Then we stop for a ‘special break’, then we start again, and stop for a special break again, and start off again, and it goes on like this until we reach the peak. This was a very entertaining way of seeing a mountain range, and a very amusing exercise in human behavior. Steve, Jesper and James have known each other for years, so were very comfortable in each other’s company and had a good few stories to share, as well as their own little language that involved saying “Hurdy-Gurdy” after every three sentences, or if there had been a particular quiet spell. They are very friendly guys and went out of their way to make me feel part of the group and I can honestly say I had a great day, and I really appreciate Steve arranging the trip out and inviting me along.

Jespa the Viking, Steve and Uncle James, time for a beer!

It was a baking hot day and the scenery was stunning. When we reached the peak we could see over Marbella all the way to Puerto Banus; it was breathtaking. After a few celebratory beers we headed off a bit further to explore, then made our way back to the car park. At this point, Steve, Jesper and Uncle James were all in a very peaceful, if not comical, head space.

 It would take a miracle to reach the top!

In many of the walks I have been on, it seems there is a lot of talking on the way up a mountain, but on the way down, it seems a time for quiet reflection after the achievement. This was no different, especially after all the ‘special breaks’ we had. Every so often we would walk by particular plants that gave off the most amazing scents, I could even smell the ferns and the pines. 

The very warm Sierra Blanco mountain range, i could have stayed up here for days. 

The heat of the day seemed to magnify all the individual scents, as well as give off shimmering heatwaves in every direction we looked in. The whole area was covered in small blue and purple flowers and a yellow kind of prickly bush which I think is called broom? I remember seeing this a lot as a kid in the village woods where I grew up, strange how powerful this was, seeing it again made me feel younger. At the times we stopped for a special break, the mountain was deadly quiet, I found this, mixed with the heat and the smells, to be very intoxicating………or could this be the drink I wonder?

The path to the peak

The day was great and the company better; I felt we could have brought tents, made a camp fire and kept going into the following day. The sun was just going down as we got back to the car park, and it was nice to fall into a comfortable seat and relax whilst a taxi drove us home. Just one more stop before we got back, we pulled over in a very typical ‘pueblo blanco’ and had a beer and tapas outside in the evening sun.

As miracles go, we actually made it, with plenty of time to spare.

Hurdy Gurdy!