Cycling

Cycling in cortijos
Cycling in cortijos

Mountain bikes can be used anywhere in the National Park boundaries and they can be hired locally. However we have several old bikes that you may use at your own risk and there is no charge for our bikes.

The best cycling route from the cortijos is walking with your bike up to the camino forestal (Forest road). To do this you can either go directly up beyond the pool or follow the red arrows on the path from behind Almond – through the gate.  Either way will take you up to the camino forestal. Once you have reached this if you go left you can go to other mountain trails including the road towards Mulhacen peaks or continue along this road to Capileira.  If you turn right on the camino forestal this will take you towards Trevelez.

Route 1 – Cortijos to Trevelez and back

A nice route is to ride along the tarmac road to Trevelez, turn left to the upper part and follow the Camino Forestal which will bring you to above our cortijos. To identify you are above the cortijos, you will see the old semi ruined cortijos to the left of the road. You can then walk back with the bike to the cortijos. Alternatively you can do it the other way round and walk your bike up to the camino forestal and turn right towards Trevelez and then return on the tarmac road to the cortijo. This journey will take you about 2-3 hours

Route 2 – From cortijos to Camino Forestal and Capileira (Time 2 hrs)

Either from the Cortijos take your bike up to the camino forestal and then turn left to Capileira or take the tarmac road to Trevelez. Just before the village take the road to the left. On the left you see a forest track which you take and, after a tough 400m ascent, leads to the highest point. Once across the Barranco de la Bina the track starts the descent towards Capileira. After having crossed several gullies you reach theLoma de los Cotos and shortly after you could take the dirt track off to the left which descends pleasantly to Portugos. Or you could continue along the same forest track up to the Area Recreativa Rio Bermejo. Once past this you descend the Loma de Las Tonadas, skirt round the Picon del Monte (1781m) and join up with the asphalt track from Capileira to El Veleta. Follow this track down to arrive within a few minutes in Capileira.

Route 3 -From the Hermita del Padre Eterno to Canar via Puente Palo (Time 5 hrs)

The hermitage is situated between km 61 and 62 of the GR-421 road to Capileira. It is 8 km from Puente Palo to the hermitage. Begin the ascent opposite the hermitage up the forest track. This leads up along the eastern slope of the Barranco del Rio Chico to the Casa Forestal de Prado Grande (1340m). At this point the asphalt ends and the route becomes a track. Keep cycling up across a firebreak in the Labores Del Rincon (1578m) and the headwaters of the Barranco del Certero until reaching another firebreak before crossing the Rio Chico. You cross this firebreak again on the other slope before reaching the recreation zone of Puente Palo (an oak forest, formerly much larger). Keep going until coming across the track leading up from Canar. Take this track for an interesting descent, having passed Cerro Man and theLlano del Manzano.

 

Bikes :

If you have not got your own push bikes, then try either Brian in Capileira tel 689152521 who hires out mountain bikes or a company called Ciclo Montana who organise cycling holidays but also do afternoon or half day trips – please see our links page for more information or phone Mark/Marko or Jackie on 627424001 (They speak English and Spanish)

If you want to hire motorbikes please visit the following website – bikes for hire can be picked up either in Granada or Motril:

 Email:  mark@bmwmotohire.com