Itinerary
From the higher Vélez-Málaga, you can go down the old livestock path, called Vereda del Camino Bajo of Algarrobo, to its fishing port, and then to the village of Algarrobo along the Mediterranean coast. Following the beaches of villages Mezquitilla, Lagos and El Merche, you will arrive at the outstanding Lighthouse of Torrox and then upstream to the village with the same name. Below this point, you will see the tops of the Tejeda Mountains.
Summary
Vélez Málaga and Torrox both lie in river valleys separated by three others that run southwards off quite steep hills. It would not be possible to walk from one valley to the other directly as it would mean over lengthening the journey by having to go in to and out of the river valleys crossing the walk. The design of the road attempts to solve the problem by talking you down closer to the coast and then back up. This same solution was applied to the GR-249 to organise the third stage. First the walk takes you down southwards to Puerto de la Caleta, through the Camino Viejo de Algarrobo and Río Seco, and then you walk for 10 km direction east-southwest following the coastline to the tip of Torrox and finally ascend to the village of your destination crossing another river and heading north.
The elevation is not too pronounced and concentrated especially around the beginning, with a slight slope to reach the settlement of Torrox, while the length of the stage is quite comfortable and lets you fully enjoy the walk. There are a couple of sections that use dry streambeds, there are many dirt tracks, some footpaths and the rest of the walk leads along beach promenades, Paseos Marítimos, of different sorts.
The best
In Stage three we can witness the old Málaga province joining hands with the Málaga province of the 21st century. The first one is represented by watchtowers and Roman and Phoenician archeological sites. The latter is focused on two types of industry, both derived from the excellent climate of Axarquía: tourism and agriculture.
The tourist area is concentrated around the coast and, surprisingly, you can recognise construction models which have been already given up in the Costa del Sol, corresponding with the style of the mid-20th century and co-existing with recent residential areas which have been built according to very different parameters. There are fi shing communities which maintain their roots; their houses lined up overlooking the horizon over the sea, their products which bring back the past both to locals and visitors. This could probably be one of the most attractive aspects for the visitors in Stage 3.
The other industry generated as a result of the benign weather conditions, is the agriculture based on growing sub-tropical fruit trees. These are mainly grown in valleys, taking advantage of the shelter and the most indispensable resource: water. You will be able to see highly advanced technology applied recently to the exploitation spread out on the Axarquían hill. On the other hand you will also notice the ancient terraces and walls which have been adapted to the present use and now harbour some of the new types of product destined for modern markets.
All in all, with this fusion of different possible components, Stage 3 offers a variety of landscapes which are worth mentioning; between urban and rural, with various sections of agriculture mentioned above, all of these landscapes are deeply interwoven into the very unique natural environment Stage 3 lets you explore.
