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GR 249. Stage 35: Alhaurín de la Torre - Málaga

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GR 249. Stage 35: Alhaurín de la Torre - Málaga
Trail Type Lineal
Full length in metres 12900 m.
Estimated Time 2:35 h.
Net Head in Metres -20 m.
Cumulative Elevation Gain 10 m.
Cumulative Elevation Loss 30 m.
Perfil del sendero "GRAN SENDA DE MALAGA. ETAPA ALHAURÍN DE LA TORRE - MÁLAGA" Imagen de Perfil del sendero "GRAN SENDA DE MALAGA. ETAPA ALHAURÍN DE LA TORRE - MÁLAGA"
Difficulty Assessment according to MIDE
1

Medium

1

Itinerary

1

Movement

2

Stretch

General information

Itinerary

This part of the route goes along a gentle slope, and around Malaga’s airport. A long part of the stage follows the Guadalhorce River, inhabited by diverse species of water birds, until it arrives at the beginning of this whole route at Misericordia beach.

 

Summary
Description
How to Access
Spots along the trail

  • Summary

    Stage 35 concludes the total itinerary of the Gran Senda de Málaga. It connects the town of Allhaurín de la Torre with Málaga Sur. An arduous task, if you take into account the fact that you have to cross a metropolitan area with housing estates, bedroom communities, industrial estates, an airport, extensive farmland and, of course, the estuary of the most important river of the province.

    The theoretical north-west to south-east line which the walker has been following so far, now goes through various modifications to be able to adapt the walk to various “obstacles” and at the same time let the walker discover each of these obstacles; without a doubt, they form part of the 21st century Málaga´s identity.

    Stage 35 is virtually flat, with a slight climb at the beginning, and lacks any difficulty, other than having to cover 13 kilometres of tracks. These tracks are mainly in good condition. However, they can be a bit muddy in rainy season, especially in the vicinity of the Guadalhorce.

    The best

    If there is an area of overwhelming urban dynamism, it would definitely be the area of Málaga and its surroundings infl uenced by the capital. At times it is guilty of improvisation, at times, probably more so, trying to adapt to the daily influx of population. The design of its infrastructures and housing estates seems chaotic as a result, especially to the eyes of a first-time visitor.

    However, the fundamental task of stage 35 is to help the visitor understand how the location of the capital city of Málaga province influenced the situation. Málaga is situated in a cone-shaped sedimentary area which the river Guadalhorce (and Guadalmedina to a lesser extent) have been feeding deposits throughout the millennia, between the Sierra de Mijas and los Montes de Málaga. For a walk which is so close to the capital city, the natural and the agricultural are both present to a surprising degree along the whole walk.

    This is precisely the main advantage of stage 35 to bear in mind. As the GR gets closer to Málaga, it leaves behind population centres directly linked to tending the fertile fluvial terraces and crops of citrus trees, artichokes, melons and other vegetables and fruit; this is a curious landscape which international flights passing overhead every day. As if trying to postpone the GR´s arrival in the urban area, the long ribbon of the Guadalhorce follows the path for quite a long stretch but at a prudent distance, given the unbridled nature of this natural drainage basin which serves almost the entire province.

    One of the best options for the walk could be setting off to discover how this major watercourse enters the Mediterranean, creating a true oasis of biodiversity between Torremolinos and Málaga. This site was declared Paraje Natural Desembocadura del Guadalhorce in 1989, preserving this magnificent coastal site to allow birdlife a stop during their transcontinental migratory passage and a place to breed.

  • Las Huertas del Guadalhorce

    The GR leaves from la Avenida Gran Canaria del Peñón de Zapata, an area of pretty gardens which shortly enters a dirt track leading through farmland. The history of these settlements, the Peñón (or Peñón de Zapata) and the Zapata, situated nearby, is closely connected to the fertility of the flood plains of the Guadalhorce. Crossing the Canal Secundario de la Margen Derecha marks the passage to the productive terraces covered with citrus trees and seasonal fruit and vegetables.

    The tracks which are now being used correspond to the designed right angled-grid plan of the roads and the huertas (vegetable gardens and orchards). As a result, whilst you are walking along the irrigation channels you make several turns while maintaining your direction north-east.

    As you cross the channel for the second time you end up on a slightly more elevated track from where you have a good view of irrigated fields, mostly of herbaceous plants. The first large obstacle you encounter is the Autovía del Mediterráneo A-7 motorway; pass underneath its slender double bridge. Some distance later, arrive at a major intersection of tracks where you need to follow the one direction Zapata to see the Acueducto and Puente del Rey (km 3.9). Many of its arches are taken up by houses sheltered underneath.

    A little detour takes you to a bridge over the recently channelled and regulated stream Arroyo de Ramírez Bienquerido. Little by little keep on approaching the coast eastwards, passing underneath another very low bridge.

     

    El Río Guadalhorce and the Aeropuerto Internacional de Málaga

    The airport´s take-off and landing runways follow the direction of the river. The GR-249 leads along both the airport and the river for many long kilometres, a landscape of cosmopolitan Málaga and natural Málaga, both of which you can discover thanks to the Gran Senda. The river bed tends to be quite close and always to your left. It is crossed by a section of pipeline and then the train line at the level of the Industrial Estate Polígono Industrial del Guadalhorce. The airport runways and utility buildings used both for transit of passengers and goods are separated from the GR by tall fences and service roads until you arrive at another road, the MA-21.In order to overcome this new obstacle the path takes you underneath the road, very close to the river, making a loop which serves to take you to the other side of the motorway where you can use the pedestrian hard shoulder.

    It is worth stopping at the bridge as this is the place where the Río Guadalhorce (km 9.5) branches into two, with reed beds on both river banks, also some tamarisks and a few dispersed white poplars. This is a busy area: bicycles and people are passing to the other side of the Paraje Natural and enjoy a personalised outing on the outskirts of the large city.

    A short section of a dirt track takes youunderneath the MA-20 in the vicinity of Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena, where you walk along the pavement of Calle Pacífico up to the roundabout Rotonda de Sacaba, where you turn northwards and off the pavement (km 11.5) and walk along the beach. One of the greyish chimneys belonging to the area of la Térmica, brings back with its presence and its very name the industrial times of the Málaga coast and also welcomes the walker to the Paseo de Antonio Banderas, where Kilometre Zero of the Great Málaga Path is located. The Gran Senda de Málaga has managed to guide the visitor during its 35 stages through the authentic Málaga province, which has been built by all of the “malagueños” throughout the millennia in a privileged natural environment.

  • 1. Initiation Stage :

    Access Starting point:  Utovía del Mediterráneo (A-7S) ring road from Málaga passes by very close to Churriana, where
    there is an exit to Alhaurín (A-404), turn off immediately and take the Carretera de Churriana, A-7052. It passes right through the starting point in the district of Alhaurin called El Peñón. The A-7052 also constitutes another recommended direct connection with Carretera de Cártama (A-357).

    Starting point:  In the area called Peñón de Zapata, in Alhaurín de la Torre, at the beginning of Calle del Quinto.

    Enjoy the walk safely: There are very few stretches of road and what´s more you can walk on the hard shoulder and pavements adapted for walking. However, these are high-speed roads with plenty of traffi c which means you can´t be too careful. There is
    some traffi c on the dirt tracks; fi rst it is farm vehicles and then traffi c related to the industrial estates and the airport. Normally, country roads which are often used by vehicles are also wide enough so that you can walk safely. During the design process of this stage the rising water levels of the Río Guadalhorce were taken into account as they can seasonally flood normally passable areas.Should this happen, you should not cross the potentially problematic point which is the pass underneath MA-21 road.

    In order to continue safely you must cross the road using one of the road bridges (sign-posted as “cambio de sentido”) which you will find direction south-west. There is no source of drinking water anywhere along this stage

    2. Completion of Stage:

    Access to finish point:   In order to avoid crossing all of Málaga you need to walk around its southernmost tip. The exits, sign-posted as Palacio de Deportes Martín Carpena, are a good landmark or, as well, Paseo Marítimo Antonio Banderas in the area of La Térmica. This is the area where the MA-20 and MA-21 roads lead to, following the old surface of the N-340.

    Finish point:  Kilometre Zero of the Gran Senda de Málaga in el Paseo Marítimo Antonio Banderas, in front of Diputación Provincial de Málaga.

    3. Alternatives :

    Possible "escape  routes": At the beginning of this stage the best escape plan is retracing your steps. Obviously, in the metropolitan area of Málaga it should be quite easy to find alternatives, however there are two obstacles blocking your way: the International Airport and the very Río Guadalhorce, especially when the water level is high. It is recommended to follow the walk until you fi nd a road taking you to an industrial estate or a motorway which are abundant around the GR..

    No return point: Having passed the airport (km 7) it is more reasonable to continue ahead rather than trying to go back.
     

    Connections to other footpaths and trails: Are related to agriculture of the Guadalhorce valley. If the traditional paths used to exist, they have disappeared in the vortex of the big city. Anyway, the Guadalhorce has always acted as a frontier and an obstacle during a large portion of the year. At km 3.1 there is an intersection with Camino de los Chopos, which crosses the river very close to the Puente del Rey bridge. 

    When the river water levels rose, there used to be no way of getting to the right bank of the river from Málaga to the fertile gardens and grain fields. This was always a big problem in winter to the point of having caused food shortages. This was so serious that a grand project was started during the fi rst quarter of the 18th century in order to remedy the infrastructure and water supply problems at the same time; however the constriction work of the Acueducto y Puente del Rey was never completed. This stage allows you to get close to this unfi nished construction, which is compelling but not at its best where the path corsses it.

     On the other hand, the Paraje Natural Desembocadura del Guadalhorce actually is an island between the two branches of the river which split off just as the GR crosses the river. There is public pedestrian access which is best approached from the Urbanización Guadalmar, west of the protected Natural Area, Paraje Natural. The environmental section of the regional government, Junta de Andalucía, has prepared a series of five observatories of the fauna in the lagoons and beaches in the fluvial triangle. They are connected by two footpaths called Senderos de Uso Público, Río Viejo (in the north) and Laguna Grande (in the south). Both are correctly sign-posted and they end at the beach.

     

  • Spots along the trail

    From the starting position

    No. Waypoint Ref. UTM / height Partial Route Distance
    1 Calle del Quinto en el Peñón de Zapata 30S

    x=36.6830099051905
    y=-4.53694878666897

    		 0 m
    2 Paseo por encima del Canal de la Margen Derecha del Guadalhorce 30S

    x=36.688241606254
    y=-4.53387430663133

    		 750 m
    3 Paso por debajo de la Autovía del Mediterráneo 30S

    x=36.6932453927849
    y=-4.5246723193145

    		 1570 m
    4 Puente y Acueducto del Rey 30S

    x=36.6908688772263
    y=-4.51878280601181

    		 730 m
    5 Desembocadura del Arroyo Ramírez Bienquerido 30S

    x=36.692591942843
    y=-4.50803789326017

    		 2300 m
    6 Aeropuerto Internacional de Málaga 30S

    x=36.6861593406815
    y=-4.48987070179169

    		 1800 m
    7 Puente de la Autovía MA-21 sobre el Guadalhorce 30S

    x=36.6785774729567
    y=-4.47329611800433

    		 1800 m
    8 Paso inferior de la Autovía MA-20 en el Martín Carpena 30S

    x=36.6799534909817
    y=-4.46331744792542

    		 1350 m
    9 Chimenea y Espigón de la Térmica 30S

    x=36.6828640971093
    y=-4.44642847649038

    		 1750 m
    10 Kilómetro Cero en el Paseo Marítimo Antonio Banderas. 30S

    x=36.6892737060973
    y=-4.44266471474941

    		 200 m
Accessibility

  • Marks the level of accessibility of certain object, place or service no matter what technical, cognitive or physical handicap people who want to use them have.

    Level of Accessibility Description Code
    No access No access
    Convertible It is a trail that can be at least transformed into practicable after some minor and not expensive adjustments have been done without changing its basic structure.
    Practicable A trail is practicable if, without any adjustments, it allows visitors with certain handicap to use it with no-one's help permanently or temporarily.
    Accesible A trail is considered to be accessible if its dimension and funcional properties allow visitors with certain handicap to use it without difficulty or anyone's help.  
    Universally Accessible A trail is considered to be universally accessible if its dimension and funcional properties allow all visitors, no matter the handicap they have, to use it without difficulty or anyone's help.

    PERFIL ETAPA 35: Perfil de altitud e identificación por tramos.

    Perfil de Accesibilidad. GR-249 Etapa 35 Alhaurín de la Torre - Málaga

    ETAPA 35 completa:

    Etapa 35 GR 249 Alhaurín de la Torre - Málaga

    Stretches

    Tramo Nº 01 Calle Lanzarote – Camino del Guadalhorce: tramo Convertible para PMR

    Descargar

    Tramo Nº 02 Camino del Guadalhorce -Canal Sur: tramo Convertible para PMR

    Descargar

    Tramo Nº 03 Canal Sur – Puente Autovía: tramo No Accesible para PMR

    Descargar

    Tramo Nº 04 Puente Autovía – Rotonda Martín Carpena: tramo Convertible para PMR

    Descargar

    Tramo Nº 05 Rotonda Martín Carpena – Paseo Marítimo Antonio Banderas (Calle Pacífico): tramo Accesible para PMR

    Descargar

Characteristics
Ways to tour
Cartography
Towns

  • Characteristics

    Type of Section Length % of total
    Longitud Total 12900
    Asphalt or Cement Sections of the Path 1300 12 %
    Track or Forest Track Sections 11200 87 %
    Footpath Sections 400 1 %

  • Ways to tour

    Regarding the kind of transport which can be used along different stages of the path, these are divided in those that can be crossed on foot, on a mountain bike, or on a horse. Nevertheless, there is to know that you can walk along the entire stage when this class of routes is indicated, but if you decide to travel on a mountain bike or horse, there is to check that there are no temporary restrictions or town regulations that do not allow their use at some parts of a stage, and then choose alternative way. We also underline that riding a mountain bike on some stages may include travelling by uneven or steep road surface, which requires some or a lot of effort.
    • On foot
    • On a bicycle
    • On a horse

  • Cartography

    Use the sheets 1052-IV (Cártama) for the beginning of the stage and 1053-III for the end. Additionally it is a good idea to have the 1066-II (Alhaurín el Grande) and the very tip of 1067-I (Torremolinos).

  • Towns

    Alhaurín de la Torre

    Málaga

Images
Videos
Documents

Establishments along the Great Málaga Path

HOTEL * APARTAMENTOS MIGUEL SÁNCHEZ

c/ Santa Mónica 60 (Urb. Santa Clara) 29130 Alhaurín de la Torre

APARTAMENTOS TURÍSTICOS SANTA CLARA

c/ Seguidillas, s/n (Urb. Fuensanguínea) 29130 Alhaurín de la Torre

See more

Environmental Information

Rivers and Waters

  • Rivers and Waters

    El Acueducto del Rey

    The GR-249 takes the visitor to the Acueducto and the Puente del Rey, dated back to 1726, a project which has never been completed but whose grand span is suggested by the arches and cutwaters made of limestone ashlars. Málaga, situated between the rivers Guadalmedina and Guadalhorce, has always had problems with water supply because of seasonal nature of the first river and turbid saline waters of the other. When Sierra de Mijas was being divided, the part of the mountains which was assigned to Malaga city had a major water spring. When the spring was selected to supply water to the city it earned the name Fuente del Rey (King´s Spring). The aqueduct has never materialised due to the death of the architect who was the project developer and because of political and economic problems. The city focused its attention somewhere else and concentrated its efforts on the Acueducto de San Telmo, another hydraulic construction work of undeniable interest.

    The Puente del Rey had another equally or even more important purpose for the province capital which was connecting the big city with the area of Alhaurín which has always served as a granary for Málaga. The construction has been known as Los Arcos de Zapata but the second, most important function, earned it the name of Puente del Rey (King´s Bridge).

    As far as the Fuente del Rey natural spring this is situated behind the old quarters of Guardia Civil de Churriana, in an enclosed area. Currently it is not used but forms part of the past (which could have gone differently) and it is a superb historical element infallibly connected to the unfi nished aqueduct.

    El Canal de la margen derecha

    El Valle del Guadalhorce enjoys an enviable climate and a fertile soil thanks to the seasonal flooding of the terraced fields. Next to climate and soil, the agriculture triangle is made complete by water. The Guadalhorce is a river which carries a substantial volume of water and so seasonal irrigation channele, the “asequías, or the improvised re-directed channels were of no use. Not until the 70´s of the last century the so called Plan Guadalhorce was carried out, the river was regulated by the two reservoirs, Embalses del Chorro, and two large channels were constructed.

    The one which is of interest here is the Canal de la Margen Derecha. It runs in a pipe in some sections, and in some it is excavated in the ground with added concrete walls; this great acequia runs along the  final part of the valley reaching Alhaurín de la Torre. Channelled waters, logically, are at first destined  consumption and only then for agriculture, especially when droughts occur seasonally. The worst affected areas are upstream furthest away from the water source. These are the areas which the GR helps you discover, practically the last stretch before the coast. This is the reason why there are small water stations on each plot of land from where water is pumped from the Guadalhorce aquifer, eliminating this way the necessity for the tricky business of so-called surface (or flood) irrigation.

    You will cross the Canal Secundario de la Margen Derecha at the very start, close to El Peñón de Zapata, even before you reach the first kilometre of the walk. Further up at km 1.6, it appears again, with its many sluice gates, and then it disappears underground. The channel reaches as far as Churriana.

    El Río Guadalhorce

    El Río Guadalhorce has kept the Gran Senda de Málaga company from its headwaters close to Stage 12 Villanueva del Rosario-Archidona and then from the stage 19 to 22 where it reaches the area of reservoirs. Now, as if symbolically, they both reach their end.

    The big river has been undergoing modifications of  its course and its appearance since for ever, due to its double facet as a creator but also a destroyer of life. The collective memory of Málaga inhabitants is full of images of the periodical flooding of the city outskirts. Perhaps this is more of a case of having chosen the wrong location for settling, rather than the result of “nature´s fury”. Whilst nearby and upstream the river maintains the spectacular riparian thickets of tall trees, this is not the case along its final stretch where the absence of trees is striking. The Tamarisk and the White poplar have lasted the longest struggling against the housing estates, retaining quite dense little forests. Other plants which are much more resistant to the current itself and can withstand the pressure of the main riverbed, form carpets which create refuge for the numerous species of fauna: reed beds, clumps of bulrushes and rushes.

    The river normally remains somewhat far from the path but there are many occasions where, if you like, you can rich the lower terraces of the terrain and then the river bank. The fish population and aquatic fauna are quite healthy despite of the turbulent waters which are also this river´s characteristic feature. Moreover, the river´s closeness to the sea encourages more biodiversity with the arrival of species tolerant of saline waters.

    El Paraje Natural Desembocadura del Guadalhorce

    La Red de Espacios Naturales Protegidos (Network op Protected Areas) of Andalucía was enriched by adding this small site of 67 hectares which harbours a outstanding ecosystem, a small delta, like an island within and island, which encompasses a series of lagoons and isolated river bends. In reality the area is more influenced by humans than one might imagine as the lagoons are actually old gravel pits where sands and gravels used to be extracted. This does not seem to bother the large number of visiting water fowl which sometimes establish permanently in the lagoons.The beach, completely free of human activities, is no less interesting. 

    About 1.5 km long, it stretches between the two branches of the mouth of the river. Such isolation as it is achieved here is doubly important for the breeding coastal species of birds, especially given the continuous interference the birds suffer during that natural process along the major part of the coast.

Animal Life

  • Animal Life

    Birds

    The area around Peñon de Zapata is strongly marked by agriculture, by the proximity to the Río Guadalhorce and to the airport. From the very beginning of Stage 35 you will be walking past orchards, vegetable plots and farmland with crops that become an oasis for birds during migration periods. Here, the irrigation canals and ditches play an important role for wildlife during dry periods. Soon, you will encounter the Guadalhorce river, where in addition to numerous water birds you will have a chance to see other birds that frequent the area in search of water and food. Shortly after crossing the Guadalhorce river, the walk takes you to Malaga city where typical urban species are predominant.

     

    Highlighted Species

    This stage crosses the area of the province of Malaga with the most number of bird records, the lower stretch of the river Guadalhorce. In the beginning you can see species linked to populated areas, Eurasian Collared Dove, Pallid Swift, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Common and Spotless Starling and House Sparrow, and as soon you enter cultivated areas with irrigation channels and trees, you can observe various species of herons and egrets (Grey Heron, Little Egret and Cattle Egret), Turtle Dove, Bee-eater, Hoopoe, and passerines typical of this type of environment (Crested Lark, White and Grey Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Stonechat, European Robin Common Nightingale, Bluethroat, Common Blackbird, Song Thrush, Cetti´s Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Blackcap, Sardinian Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Spotted Flycatcher, Great Tit, Woodchat Shrike, Golden Oriole, Jackdaw, Common Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Serin, Eurasian Siskin and Corn Bunting). This is an environment where the birds gather during migration, although crops have been encroaching on their territory in a gradual but unstoppable manner. In the fields of alfalfa some of the rare species have been recorded such as Aquatic Warbler and Savi's Warbler. If you make this trip late in the evening or very early in the morning, preferably in summer, you will have a chance to find Little Owl, Barn Owl and Red-necked Nightjar. As soon as you start walking along the Río Guadalhorce you may be able to spot Great Cormorant, Night Heron, Grey Heron, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Mallard, Common Pochard, Common Buzzard, Osprey, Common Kestrel, Red-legged Partridge, Quail, Coot, Moorhen, Stone-curlew, Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Yellow-legged, Lesser-black Backed and Black-headed Gulls, Collared Dove, Monk Parakeet, Kingfisher and Red-rumped Swallow, besides other species.

    At the site called Paraje Natural de la Desembocadura del río Guadalhorce, the mouth of the river, you can view up close the Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, the previously named gulls, the Booted Eagle, Common Kestrel and Jackdaw.

    As you cross the bridge over the Río Guadalhorce, the bird diversity decreases, since now you are entering the city itself. However, the bird species which are present here can reach very good numbers.  Crested lark, Zitting Cisticola, finches (Goldfinch, Greenfinch y Serin), can bee seen around here mostly thanks to the existence of open fallow land. Most common species however include Yellow-legged, Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed Gull, Eurasian Collared Dove, Rock Dove, Common and Pallid Swift, Monk Parakeet, Spotless and Common Starling plus House Sparrow. It is a good idea to have a look at the tops of the tall chimneys which mark the end of Stage 35, and the end of The Great Malaga Path, since they serve as habitual perches for the Peregrine Falcon.