GR 249. Stage 33: Mijas - Benalmádena

Summary

The original population nuclei of Mijas and Benalmádena are quite close together, just where the southern profile of the white Sierra de Mijas slopes more gently. Stage 33 cannot use the direct eastwest line that joins them (approximately 6 kilometres) but instead rises into the mountain, traversing the ridge and describing a north-south arch.

The gradients are significant here, but the slopes are made easier by the excellent design of the traditional paths. This, coupled with the reasonable length, make this Stage a highly recommended one to achieve the fundamental objective of the day: getting to know this modest but interesting mountainous coastline of the Costa del Sol, much beloved among the inhabitants of surrounding villages. It is common to pass walkers and cyclists, each on their own selection of paths through an extensive network of tracks and tracks that criss-cross the woodland area.

The paths covered here usually have a good earthen surface and they are not used by motor vehicles. While the tracks have an acceptable and safe conservation level, in certain sections where vehicle access is possible, the sand doesn’t compact, causing gullies and bumps which make walking more difficult.

The best

A mountain range whose peaks are between 900 and 1,150 meters in altitude, separated from the coast by 10 kilometres at most, in a straight line, has to offer excellent views of the coast of Málaga. In addition, the proportion of clear days and blue skies is very high, ensuring the spectacle. This is probably the main asset of this stage, the successive panoramic views over all aspects of the sierra.

The distinguishing features of the Sierra de Mijas are the dolomites that prevail, rocks that are derived from marble, white when fresh-cut but acquiring a beautiful grey exterior due to the weathering process. Erosion also yields red clay but more frequent than this is the bright white coarse-grained sand, forming deposits many centimetres deep. The extreme porosity of the terrain is due to the karstifi cation of the rock’s cracked and fractured surface, so that the storm-water drainage is almost instantaneous, percolating toward the numerous potholes.

Such a dry environment requires the incorporation of specialist vegetation, principally the three species of pine trees to be found during this stage: some Maritime pines, more Aleppo pines but mostly Stone pines. The thickets and undergrowth are dominated by the aromatic plants and thorny scrub, but in certain enclaves there are broadleaf shrubs and even Holm oak copses attempting to come back in favourable areas. One of the most complicated sectors to recover are the aggregate quarries, although small in the district of Mijas, those of Alhaurin de la Torre are extensive, this Stage allows you to visit both settings.

There are a few easily recognized endemic plants along the way, some quite striking and usually adapted to the dolomite mountain sands, while highlights of the fauna are an excellent population of Spanish Ibex, which are easy to see in some areas, the conspicuous Large Psammodromus lizards and the impressive Eagles.

INTENCIÓN

La intención es el trabajo personal que se corresponde con la etapa del cuerpo. Al comienzo de esta etapa y durante su recorrido abordaremos “La Intención”. Significa tomar conciencia o reflexionar sobre la finalidad o función que perseguimos en nuestra mente a la hora de tomar decisiones, para qué vamos a realizar este camino, cuál es nuestro verdadero sentido e intención en cada paso que damos.

La importancia de este proceso reside en comenzar a caminar con el objetivo en nuestra mente, decidir firmemente nuestros proyectos para crear un motor de acción continua que proporcionará actitud e iniciativa. Es un recorrido para caminar con sentido, incorporando la intención firme de realizarlo con la tranquilidad desde el momento presente.
Representa nuestro kilómetro cero o punto de partida, el comienzo de todas las manifestaciones, un lugar tanto físico como emocional, desde donde comenzamos nuestro camino hacia el interior y el viaje por La Gran Senda para poder guiar tu vida hacia donde realmente sientes y quieres.

1. Initiation Stage :

Access Starting point: There are two access roads to Mijas from the coastal motorway AP- 7S, taking the A-368. In addition, there is the above-mentioned road from Coín and Alhaurín el Grande.

Starting point:  The Mijas ring road, actually the A-387 which connects to Coín and Alhaurín el Grande through the Puerto de los Pescadores pass. There is a place for parking, direction Coín, at the end of Calle Mirador street.

Enjoy the walk safely: During the entire walk, therefore you must be prepared. Normally there should be no problems in finding the path during the course of this stage, but you should have clear ideas of where you are if you intend to make detours or use any
of the numerous alternatives to shorten or lengthen the walk. 

In the steepest areas loose stones on the path can cause slipping, but the sections of greater diffi culty for walkers are the areas of deep sand, from the pint where you leave the asphalted track going to the antennas, up to the immediate vicinity of the Tajo del Quejigal.

2. Completion of Stage:

Access to finish point:  There are various access ways into Benalmádena Pueblo fromthe Autovía del Mediterráneo, but the most  used coincides with the old road, the already mentioned A-368.

Finish point:  At the Plaza Castillejos on the Avenida Juan Luís Peralta de Benalmádena, close to where it joins with the Calle Luís Cernuda street which comes down from the sierra.

3. Alternatives :

Possible "escape  routes": Out of all the paths that turn off f the one taken in the main part of the walk, the best for a possible escape is the one which heads south from the Pino del Puerto de las Grajas. The others, going toward the northern slopes, are much longer.

Another point of escape is the asphalted track that leads up to the Cerro del Moro, a small number of cars pass by here. This track, which goes to the telecommunication antennas, leads up to the eastern access to Mijas where it joins with the possible escape described before.

No return point: In this stage it is not too relevant, given the closeness of the start and finish points. It is not advisable to continue when you have finished walking the forest track after the Pino del Puerto de las Grajas. From there the path is very mountainous and more demanding on the walker, but not for long. Once you arrive at the junction between Ruta 6 (blue) with 4 and 3 the best thing to do is to go down because it is more complicated to retrace your steps.

Connections to other footpaths and trails: The towns of Mijas and Benalmádena have each designed their own network of paths, described using colours and you link here with Ruta 6 / blue, which is called Puerto de Málaga in Mijas and Cazadores in Benalmádena. It goes over the watershed and connects several others along the highest point. Thus, the walks described in Stage 32 Ojén-Mijas for the western area, are joined at this stage by three other paths, as well as the walk to the Ermita del Calvario hermitage (also called Virgen de la Peña).

The GR-249 uses in principle the blue walk, but only until it arrives at the track where you leave the path as it continues to climb. But before this point, there are two other options which go off in loops: the white  path or the Cantera del Barrio, going towards the west, and the yellow path or the Cañada de Gertrudis that leads in opposite direction.

In Benalmádena the scheme is repeated at the Cerro del Moro. Firstly, you can leave the asphalted track, on Ruta 5, Mina de la Trinidad, identifi ed by the bright pink colour, leading down, and along the border between Mijas and Benalmádena. Then, also heading south, but coming from the eastern fl ank of the peak, there is the green path, number 4, of the Tajo de la Sabia (with two branches) which you ignore, and the pink Ruta 3 or Quejigal, which coincides with the Great Path of Málaga.

Alternatively, there is a short distance walk, the PR A-171 Mijas- Benalmádena 16.4 kilometres long, which coincides almost point by point with the GR-249. In other parts this very path appears under the name of PR A-171 Mijas-Puerto de las Ovejas, 12.1 km long. Either way, the described path separates between kilometre markers 1.9 / 4.8, where the GR leads runs along a track  the PR goes up to the Puerto de Málaga pass (999m) and then pick up the ridge to the Puerto de la Cantera from where it follows the ridge.