Taha de Pitres walks

The walk is well signposted
The walk is well signposted

The following 5 walks are based around the villages known as the Taha de Pitres.  They are all lower than Pitres and consequently a few degrees warmer.  They are small traditional white washed hamlets and villages and very picturesque.  They provide beautiful narrow tracks and pathways for relatively easy walking, although some of it is steep.  The easiest way to reach them by car is to turn left coming out of Pitres heading towards Orgiva down a zig zag road which is clearly signposted to Mecina Fondales.

 

Mecinilla-Ferreirola-Fondales-Mecinilla (Approx 1 hour)

Signpost to Ferreirola with approximate walking time
Signpost to Ferreirola with approximate walking time

(a)  Start off in Mecinilla and take the track signposted towards Mecina and Fondales.  Walk through the village keeping to the left until you find a sign to Ferreirola and follow that track. When you enter the village turn right and then left and walk up into the main square where you will find the washhouse.  Ferreirola has a natural spring of fizzy water which has a sharp taste to it due to the high iron content.  Take a left past the church which takes you out of the village.  Carry on through Mecina, turn left past the church and this will bring you back to Mecinilla and your starting point.

(b)  Mecinilla-Mecina-Pitres.  (Approx 1 hour)

Signs to the Roman bridge and Medieval walking route
Signs to the Roman bridge and Medieval walking route

Start by the El Aljibe bar in Mecinilla.  Take the road towards Mecina and the right hand turn to Ferreirola.  Keep going past the graveyard and turn left by a football pitch.  Stay on this road for approx 2 km until it forks.  Take the left hand fork which climbs up approx 500 m until you see a track on the right with a yellow and white signpost.  Go along this track which drops down until it crosses the river and climbs again the other side.  It follows an irrigation channel for approx 60 m, then take a left past a refugio and up onto the main Pitres road. (GR421)

 

 

( c ) Mecinilla-Fondales-Ferreirola-Busquistar (Approx 1-1.5 hours)

The beautifully restored Era Del Trance
The beautifully restored Era Del Trance

Take the Fondales road out of Mecinilla.  This will meet the Mecina Fondales road where you take a right and then left to carry on to Fondales.  Walk through the village keeping to your left until you see a sign to Ferreirola.  Follow this sign.  On entering

Ferreirola take a right and then left and carry on through the village into the square where the washhouse and fountain are.  Turn right and carry on out of the village until you see a sign to Busquistar.  Take this path which is well signed until it starts to climb.  Here you must keep climbing and not follow the route signed to the river.  The path bends to the left where you will see Busquistar in the distance.  Carry on to the main plaza where there is a bar with good tapas.

 

( d ) Mecinilla loop (Approx 5 hours)

Out of Mecinilla take the Fondales track until it crosses the Mecina Fondales road and take a right and then left to carry on the same track for another 150m until you reach the village.  Carry on through the village until you see a sign to the river which you follow down through some woodland until you come to a footbridge over the gorge.  Cross this and follow the track right climbing the mountain side.  You will pass an old cattle station where the track forms a T junction.  Take the left and carry on for approx 6 km.  At the end of this track you will find a farm and the track goes to the left through a meadow before reaching lots of zigzags.  From here on the track is very steep with loose rocks and sharp bends.  Carry on down and cross the river.  This is a nice place to rest awhile.  Take the left hand track which will join the Ferreirola-Busquistar track.  Follow this until you reach Ferreirola where you can go back to Mecinilla or Fondales.

 

( e ) Mecina Fondales-Pitres-Portugos-Busquistar (Approx 4 hours)

Start by the El Aljibe bar and take the road out of the village into Mecina turning left up the mountain side.  Here you have 2 options:  follow the road up until it meets the main road (GR421) (approx 3 km) where you turn right for Pitres, or take the goat track 400m up which is signposted with small red squares and turn right at the top towards Pitres.  From Pitres you can follow the road on to Portugos and Busquistar.  About 1 km before you reach Busquistar there is a dirt track on your right which is sign posted with yellow and white.  Go along this steep track which drops down the mountain side for 1000m.  It will eventually be crossed by the Busquistar-Ferreirola track – take the right and carry on for 3 km where it climbs down through woodland until it brings you to Ferreirola.