Product Description

"Walking in Andalucia" has become the most trusted traveling companion for anyone wanting to discover the most beautiful walks that southern Spain has to offer. In this completely revised and up-dated edition, every route has been re-walked and re-mapped, and several new routes have been added. Each of the 36 routes starts in one of southern Spain's five stunning national parks, features information on estimated times, distances, and difficulty. Also included are detailed overviews of each park, including lists of the best places to eat and stay, plus practical advice on what to pack and where to buy essential items.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13701 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 279 pages

Time Out
`An excellent guide'

From the Author
For this latest fifth edition of Walking in Andalucía I took
it upon myself to rewalk every single itinerary in the book and it is a far
better guide because of this: as soon as a guide book is written it is, in
a sense, out of date, and just one small change from what is described (eg
a wooden gate being replaced by a metal one) can be confusing. It was a
beautiful journey of REdiscovery and, again, I was amazed to find just how
often I had the footpaths to myself. One of the great joys about walking
here in Spain is that compared, say, to the Lakes or to parts of Snowdonia,
the Pennine Way or the Coast to Coast path, very few people are aware of
just what treasures Andalusia's mountains have in store.

The walks are, in general, easy to follow and a unique feature of the book
is that nearly all of the walks are circuits, meaning that you don't need
to worry about transport back to your car at the end of your rambling.

Most of the feedback that I have had over the years is that the route notes
are clear and concise. And the fact that the book is now in its fifth
edition is testimony to it having become a trusted companion.

But this book is first and foremost a celebration of the sheer beauty of
Andalusia's National Parks, and the ancient footpaths that crisscross their
Sierras or mountain ranges. It parts from the premise that walks belong to
nobody, and that the simple fact of going for a walk is one of the simplest
yet most complete of human experiences. When we walk we tend to leave our
worries behind us and instead encounter Nature in all her myriad forms. It
is a source of constant satisfaction to me that a small guide book, to
just one of the corners of our planet, has brought a great deal of pleasure
to many people.

We should all be walking more!

From the Inside Flap

Walking in Andalucía, now in its fifth reprint, was the first guide in
English to hiking routes in southern Spain and has become the trusted
companion to a growing number of walkers.

The author, Guy Hunter-Watts, has spent the last two decades criss-crossing
its National Parks, alone and with walking groups. This guide is the fruit
of his travels. For this latest edition he has rewalked every route in
order to ensure that all the route descriptions are up-to-date and
accurate. A number of new routes have also been incorporated.

The book describes six walks in six different National Parks, with
additional information on the parks themselves and their villages. Along
with the walking routes, maps and colour photographs, the guide lists the
best places to stay and to eat in each area.

The National Parks decribed each have huge individual character and it is
this extraordinarily varied terrain that makes for such marvellous walking.
The author has included routes of varying difficulty, most of them circular
and many virtually unknown.

If you decide to head for the hills with this guide you can be sure of two
things: you will be walking through areas of great natural beauty, and you
will meet with few other walkers.

Customer Reviews

Walking Andalucia
Overall the book contained interesting information and an insiders knowledge to the area. I used this book on three walks in February, and was quick to realise the book was in need of updating. This was especially true of the 'Walk of the Hidden Valley'. Guy relies heavily on man made objects to guide the walker rather than grid referencing. For example he uses oil drums, dry stone walls and animal pens as land marks. Obviously objects like these fall down and are moved from time to time. This is exactly what happened to me, and another couple looking for a 'wooden enclosure' that had either fallen down or had been moved by a farmer. After we wandered aimlessly for an hour we decided to retrace our steps the way we had come. When discussing this with the receptionist at the hotel where I was staying, I was told the same thing happened to an elderly couple that used the same guide. They got so lost they didn't make it back to the hotel until 1am in the morning. My advice is take a good map and compass with you, and only use this guide as supporting material. And please Guy update your guide, because it is a good read.

This book made my holiday!
I have now use this book in 5 different National Parks in southern Spain and have followed almost 20 of Guy's routes. On all of the walks I have found his notes to be clear and precise but, more important, he has chosen some simply BEAUTIFUL walks.
Amongst the highlights of my own walks was 'The Walk of the Thirsty Bear' In the Cazorla Park, 'The Walk of the Forgotten Hamlet' in Aracena and 'The Walk of the Eagle and the Kingfisher' in the Alcornocales Park. What I love about the book is that Guy has chosen mostly circular walks - you don't need to worry about transport back to the beginning of your walk - and includes his favourite places to eat and to stay in each of the Parks. I found a couple of the walks in Cazorla to be quite challenging but they were classified as 'Difficult' and I was walking in mid June when the weather was unusually hot. I have stayed at a number of the places that he recommends, mostly simple B&Bs, and enjoyed them all.
When the weather is cold and dark in England I instinctively reach for my 'bible' and begin to plan my next walking escapade.
And I should say that what makes this guide doubly special is that Guy rewalks the routes for each subsequent edition(I recently picked up a walking guide that had been unchanged in 7 years!).
I also have found Guy's other book 'Small Hotels & Inns of Andalusia' to be another great travelling companion. It lists his favourite places to STAY in Andalusia and, again, is sensitively written and, best of all, you can trust in his recommendations.

Walking in the Alpujarras
We attempted 2 walks from Guy's book whilst in the Alpujarras and had problems with navigation both times and do agree with another reviewer who remarked on the use of manmade objects as navigation aids. In one instance we couldn't even find the start of the walk as none of the streets showed the name that we were looking for, then after asking a couple of locals for help we discovered that the street name in the book was spelt incorrectly! In another description the full street name has been omitted from the book, causing untold confusion and more frustration. It would also be an enormous help if each of the stages in the walks were linked to the corresponding map ( i.e. with a number ) to enable you to pinpoint exactly where you are on the route itself. Other that that we did find the book useful for practical advice, i.e. accommodation, when to go etc, and since we intend to walk in other parts of Spain will use the book again - wish us luck !