Trekking the GR-141

Book excerpt: The GR-141, La Gran Senda de Ronda, is an averagely challenging circular hiking trail of 110 kilometres divided into six stages, beginning and ending in the beautiful mountain town of Ronda in southern Spain. The trail can comfortably be walked from village to village so there's no need to carry camping gear. GR is short for Gran Recorrido or 'long distance footpath'. The GR-141 was created and waymarked just 10 years ago is still relatively unknown, unlike the Camino de Santiago further north. So this is the time to hike the trail!The trail passes through some of the most spectacular mountain terrain in Andalucía following a mixture of footpaths and remote forestry tracks. Highlights include visiting Ronda, one of Europe's most spectacular towns, riverside walking beside the beautiful Genal and Guadiaro rivers and the stunning gorge of Colmenar where you can observe a vulture colony at close quarters. The trail threads its way through the chestnut forests of the Genal valley and the ancient cork oak forests of the Parque Natural de Los Alcornocales. This is one of the few GR trails that can be comfortably covered in a week's holiday and the walk's start and end point at Ronda is easily reached by road and by rail from all major airports in southern Spain. Each of the six legs can be comfortably tackled in a day of walking whilst the two longer, more challenging initial stages can be divided if you prefer to cover less distance. The route follows a mixture of footpaths, farm tracks and drovers' routes with just a few short sections of tarmac road. The Gran Senda is waymarked with signboards at the beginning of each stage that detail the distance and estimated timings along with an overview map. Guy Hunter-Watts is Andalucía's best known writer of walking guides. His other books include Walking in Andalucía, Coastal Walks in Andalucía, Trekking the GR7, The Andalucían Coast to Coast Walk and The Mountains of Ronda and Grazalema. The book includes descriptions of each village through which the trail passes with the author's recommendations for the best places to stay. All the villages through which the trail passes have their own charm and are delightfully unspoiled. GPX tracks of all stages are available FOC from the author.