RUTA 3 LARGA. PITRES CIRCULAR

Today you have a choice of two picturesque circular routes from your accommodation in Pitres. The first is a shorter option which will take you to three pretty villages: Fondales, Mecina and Ferreirola with its photogenic fountain and old washhouse in the church square. Along the way you will pass orchards and giant cacti and under the shade of the trees a unique fizzy water fountain.

The second is a longer option taking you across the river to ascend the other side of the valley. Your hard work is rewarded with spectacular views of the high mountain peaks and pretty villages of the Sierra Nevada; making for a perfect picnic stop.

On both routes: you will pass some fountains and places to find something to eat (in Mecina a bar and a restaurant) or to buy supplies, but remember Spanish lunchtime is around 14:00 and the shops close during lunchtime.

Short Circular Route from Pitres (aprox 7,5 km, 3 hours, 365 m ascends)

Profile for the shorter circular hike:

Long Circular Route from Pitres (aprox 14 km, 5-6 hours, 960m ascends)

Profile for the longer circular hike from Pitres:

Pitres to Ferreirola approx. 45-60 min

Leave the hotel taking the main road to the left, but after 50m you leave the road and continue towards the right (sign: GR7 Atalbeitar 1.5 km).

Pass the ‘Refugio’ and ignore the turn off right and a few meters later the footpath on the left signed on a stone as ‘Camino de Aguagria’. Instead turn right downhill and cross an irrigation canal (wp1) and turn right.

Continue downhill to cross Bermejo River and then uphill at the other side. Ignore a turn off to the left signed as GR7 red-white, to arrive to the tarmac road (wp 2).

Continue on the tarmac road towards the right descending, ignoring the turn off to Ferreirola.

Continue ahead all the way on the tarmac road to the village, ignoring a dirt track on the left and another one to ‘Viñuela’ on the right.

Just at the entrance of Atalbeitar (sign GR7 ‘Pitres, 1.5KM’), you turn off to the right to follow the signed way ‘Ruta Medieval’ (yellow- white marks) (wp 3).

Just after leaving the village the path forks. Go right and continue on the waymarked path that will lead you to Ferreirola, just next to the old washing place (wp 4).

Here you decide to do the short cut to Fondales or to continue to do the longer walk.

For the short cut: Ferreirola toFondales approx. 30 min

Turn right here and immediately left downhill before the church.

Keep right at the junction at the bottom, and then take the level street passing the last houses and a water tank on the left. Here you find to the left a path with a wooden sign of the GR142 descending (Mecina Fondales 1.5 km).

The path drops away south west from the village.

Follow the zigzag descending, ignore a left turn, and cross a small, usually dry barranco by a bridge. The path drops again across some rocks. Ignore a minor right turn here.

The path continues clearly into the Barranco Bermejo and crosses it by a concrete bridge. Later the path begins to pass alongside a concrete acequia (irrigation canal) as it approaches a magnificent chestnut tree.

At the chestnut tree, continue, slightly descending on the main path (ignoring a minor branch).

At the T-junction turn right on the most used option.

Just on the outskirts of the village of Fondales the path crosses another barranco by a small bridge close to Fuente Agrilla, and continues straight on to pass under the tinao of the first house, Casa del Pozo (tinao = a covered way formed when part of the house is built across a street to increase space and keep this part of the street cool in summer and dry when it is raining).

Continue now following the Fondales to Mecinilla description (from wp 12 on your map).

Longer walk: Ferreirola to the river
From wp4 turn left following the yellow and white and red and white waymarks and keep straight on at the cross-streets through 'Calle el Rosario', which will lead you to the right after the 'Consultorio' and then turn left at the T-junction.

You will pass under another 'tinao' (see description above) and see a GR-142 sign post pointing to 'Busquístar (50 min)', 'Era del Trance' and a sign of the 'Ruta Medieval’ (PRA- 299)'.

Follow the signs and a few minutes later you will come to a sparkling fountain the 'Fuente Gaseosa' (the water contains a lot of iron, but it is good drinking water) (wp 5) and a bridge over the 'Barranco del Castañar'. Ignore the left ascending path immediately after the bridge (marked with red and white waymark) and turn right onto a broad path.

A little further (approx 150m) you pass a magnificent 'era' (threshing floor) 'La era del Trance' (wp6), which is a good place for a break. Continue to 'Fuente Paula' and some meters later to the sign pointing left to 'Salto de Paula' and straight on to 'Mirador de La Guarda'.

Go straight on ascending to the natural view point of La Guarda, where you will see another sign post of the medieval route.

Ignore the left ascending path and follow the red and white GR7 waymarked route straight on.

Attention:After approx 100m you come along the rock where the marked path goes left uphill you continue straight on (where you see a red- and-white cross painted). From now on you will not continue the marked GR route (wp 7).

Head downhill to the river and to an old ruined mill.

From the Trevélez River up to the Cortijos de Panjuila

After crossing the river, you start ascending on a very old stone path, called 'Carihuela de Panjuila', used for centuries by merchants, goats and sheep to cross to the other side. The path soon forks, stay left.

In approx 1 km you will climb zigzagging about 200m of height difference. This effort is rewarded with a magnificent view over the valley and the small white villages.

The narrow path becomes a dirt road after 700m from the river (wp 8) and leads up 500m between the almond trees to the houses ("cortijos") of Panjuila.

Track to the GR142

When you reach the cottages of the 'Cortijos Panjuila', turn sharp right on to a wider dirt road (or 4wheeldrive track) (wp 9) marked with white and yellow waymarks.

Ignore a left track after 100m.

Follow this dirt road for 3.85 km westwards, first slightly uphill with almond and oak trees, later downhill into a pine forest. You can enjoy the beautiful views of the white villages across the river: Busquístar, Pórtugos, Atalbeitar, Pitres, Ferreirola and Mecina-Fondales.

After approx 55-60 minutes you arrive at a junction marked as 'GR142'. Turn sharp right towards Mecina-Fondales here (on the sign you will see 3h20, but this should be 1h50) (wp 10).

To Fondales

After about 10 minutes, the path becomes narrower and it zigzags downwards.

As the sigzags come to an end the path is much easier to walk, and you continue on the pleasant path upstream until you finally arrive at the river (after approx 2.5 km and about 45-50 minutes from wp 10).

Cross the river by the old stone medieval bridge with a ruin of a mill. The locals call this bridge 'Puente Romano'. (Just after the bridge the path to the right brings you to a spot where you can rest and cool your feet in the water!).

The route continues to the left following the 'GR142' signs, up to the beautiful village of Fondales.

After a last steep climb you reach the fountain and the 'lavadero' (washing place) (wp11) and the first houses. At Y-junction take the right turn and next keep right again for sign 'Sendero Local Pitres- Ferreirola', and also a sign for the 'GR142 to Ferreirola' (30 minutes) with green and white waymarks.

Fondales to Mecinilla

Turn straight up through the village to arrive at the fountain (fuente), decorated with love poems!

Leave the fountain to pass the bus shelter and take the first path to the right (wp12) signed as PR yellow-white. It cuts a loop in the road and meets it again.

The path crosses the road and continues as a path at the other side of the road, (signed 'Camino de Mecinilla'), now steeply upwards.

It makes a sharp bend left and enters the village of Mecinilla.

Turn right at the first junction of streets (Calle Laurel) and follow on to the next junction where you will find another fountain Fuente de Mecinilla.

Turn right here and this street can be followed to where it joins a car access road.

From Mecinilla to Pitres

Follow the tarmac road passing the church.

Note: After the hotel at the cross, if you want to have a vegetarian meal you can take to the right, towards Ferreirola where you find l’Atelier.

But for the route back to Pitres you continue straight at the junction, passing by the washing place on the left where you can see 'Camino a Pitres' on the wall (wp13).

Turn right uphill and pass the bar 'Bar Aljibe' or 'Barranquillo' (offers a daily menu) (street Torresillo).

After house Nr. 10 turn left and walk the steps (street Calle El Castillo) until the 'era' threshing floor. From here follow the 'Camino a Pitres'.

The last 100m to Pitres, you have to climb the stairs to the first houses of the village.

Once you come to the tarmac road (wp14) continue on the road towards the right, back to the hotel.