Time Out
Product Description
From the Author
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a sense, out of date, and just one small change from what is described (eg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.
From the Back Cover
Walking in Andalucía
Recommended by the Observer, The Sunday Times & the Footprint and Rough
Guides to Spain.
`An excellent guide' Time Out
There are few places in Europe with such spectacular and diverse mountain
terrain as Andalucía. And wrapped into the fabric of this extraordinary
region are no fewer than 21 National Parks. This guide introduces you to
the very best of them, to their most interesting villages, and to their
most beautiful walks.
* 36 walking routes - all starting in beautiful villages - in the
National Parks of Grazalema, La Alpujarra, Cazorla, Los Alcornocales,
Aracena and La Axarquía.
* Easy-to-follow, detailed route notes with times, distances and
gradings.
* Full colour maps and photos for each walk as well as map references
* Full and half-day walks
* What to pack and when to walk
* Listings for the best places to stay and eat in each Park
* Free Internet updates about changes to the walks
