Local Walk “Las Acequias* de la Alqueria” SL-A 49

Duration 1 hour.   Distance 2 km.  Contours 75m.  Signposted with green and white flashes.

Leave the main buildings or your room or appartment and walk along the drive through the poplars to the exit posts. There you will see on your right a white building – the Bodega – and a signpost in black and white with the inscription Hab / Recepcion. Directly opposite this signpost is a dirt track signposted and marked with a green and white flash. Take this track which crosses over a shallow gully and follow it for about  1 km.

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Notice the green and white flashes on the trees. The terraces on either side of the track contain almond trees . Looking north  towards the Sierra Nevada the white villages seen from left to right respectively are Lobras, Juviles and Alcutar. In the spring there is a profusion of wildflowers including large swathes of cistus  (rock roses) and genista (Spanish broom).

Where the track comes to an abrupt end  we turn sharp right downhill, following a smaller path leading into a wooded (mainly holm oaks) gully. The green and white flash marker can be seen on a tree trunk to our right. Keep descendingfollowing the path with the gully to our left until the path crosses over the gully  (a pile of crossover logs and  big log to hold on to). We continue downhill, now with the gully on our right, until we reach a ruined building. The path follows the right hand edge of the building and descends below it. More green and white flash markers are easily spotted.  After about 50m. you will hear the sound of rushing water and see ahead a clearly defined driveable dirt track.

You now have two options both equidistant:

1.  Along the acequia* wall  (not recommended for anyone unsure of their  balance or with vertigo, toddlers or young children).

Approximately 20 yards above this driveable track turn sharp right, look for green and white marker  and follow the acequia over its little bridge (sometimes it’s quite overgrown) for about 75m. where  a well defined path forms a T junction. Turn right and follow this path uphill, noting the young olive trees planted on terraces either side. You’ll pass a house on the left, then the Alqueria’s own home farm and arrive back where you started at the bodega.

2.  Go down to driveable track and turn right (ignoring the green and white cross denying access), follow it for approximately 75m. (if the track is under water – a stretch of some  20-30m – make a left hand bypass track through woodland which runs parallel to and rejoins  the main track). The river is to your left and on the right you’ll see a small electricity building with a mushroom graffitti. Go through a stand of poplars, ignore log bridge over river on your left and continue ’til you see another electricity building and a pylon. Here you take the path uphill to your right which leads straight back to the Alqueria.

* acequia – irrigation channel, often walled, sometimes elevated.