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Post by onlyMark on Jun 4, 2022 16:29:51 GMT
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Post by onlyMark on Jun 4, 2022 16:33:23 GMT
htmb - yes, pre-booked every night but each hotel was able to be cancelled without penalty up to the night or a couple of nights before in case I changed my mind. There was only one hostal that I had to pre-pay for and that was near the beginning of the walk.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jun 4, 2022 16:35:29 GMT
Those paths get quite narrow from time to time, but I must assume that they are calculated so that both strollers and wheelchairs can squeeze through.
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Post by casimira on Jun 4, 2022 16:46:44 GMT
I'm still having a wonderful vicarious experience following your adventure.
This last set of pictures with clear blue skies and the shots of the sea are gorgeous. I can almost feel the breeze from here.
Thanks again for sharing this with us Mark.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 4, 2022 18:27:16 GMT
Thanks for the very complete answers to questions, Mark. Also, an apology since one of my questions proved I was not a close reader -- reprehensible after you'd been so scrupulous about adding captions. Those pictures of Torremolinos just crushed me and proved why I've been reluctant to revisit it now. Benidorm is where my girlhood friend from Madrid lives, so I have seen videos she's shown from there. My perception had been overly groomed & exploited, not plain ugly, so more on that. To be honest, I had wondered why she settled there, but I imagine it had something to do with her husband's profession (artist). Yes, I know what a carvery is & can well imagine that you needed a meaty meal after all that walking. Also, re: food -- totally get that thing of having an economical sandwich or whatever rather than being held to ransom because the area thinks it's worth it. Very surprised at the paucity of marker posts along the way. The pictures in reply #30 pretty much sum up how I imagined the path to be, from the gravel road to that concrete conduit, to the paved parts right along the road. I have a question about the walking areas between towns, though: You state your route with details such as Between Fuengirola ... La Cala de Mijas, I think about 9 or 10 km ...From Cala de Mijas to Marbella is over 20kmMy question is what is between those & other towns? I imagine the whole coast to be built up now, but realistically there must be open patches. And some of those towns are quite spread out along the water. What would a walker do if he decided his planned route was more than he wanted or could make in a given day? Would there be alternative stopping points? You seem to indicate there are, in reply #30. At any rate, another extremely enjoyable & beautifully photographed report from you. Thanks for taking us along!
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Post by onlyMark on Jun 4, 2022 18:28:02 GMT
K2, I came across quite a few electric disability scooters. Only one or two caused me to climb up the side.
Casi, it was often a welcome breeze as well.
We simulposted Bixa, give me a minute.
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Post by bjd on Jun 4, 2022 19:01:54 GMT
This is all very interesting even though I don't think I would do that walk. In my youth, a friend and I hitchhiked from Algeciras to Barcelona and my memories of the beaches are essentially what you show: dark sand, not very nice beaches. Of course, it wasn't all built up then and my memories are vague. We just wanted to get north to Barcelona so didn't actually stop much anywhere.
Are those round stone towers former watchtowers or windmills?
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Post by onlyMark on Jun 4, 2022 19:28:08 GMT
My question is what is between those & other towns? I imagine the whole coast to be built up now, but realistically there must be open patches. And some of those towns are quite spread out along the water. What would a walker do if he decided his planned route was more than he wanted or could make in a given day? Would there be alternative stopping points? You seem to indicate there are, in reply #30. There are quite a few open patches for sure but only for a couple of hundred metres or so generally and where there may be some small scrub/dune land. There are a lot of properties that come right down to the beach and have a wall or fence cutting of where you can walk unless you drop down on to the beach itself to circumvent them. It is hard going though and I did try this a few times but if I could see there was going to be a series of them I'd tend to slip back away from the shore line and find a convenient road or side street heading in the right direction. As you can see from some of the photos it was actually the main coastal road that was the nearest alternative route. The coast is very built up but not by high rises, more often than not it is private residences. You can see from these quick screenshots that the first two have houses close to the beach. Tha third one is where there is an area of scrub/dune land that can be cut through, but usually you soon find it to be habitations again. One of the reasons I undertook this walk was the flexibility (plus it's more or less flat). It's not like you start on a path and you have to then get to the end of it. From Nerja to Malaga along the main road is more than one bus route. Between Malaga and Fuengirola there is a local train service plus buses. Fuengirola then further there are busses. There are many stopping points and many places to stay. There are areas where you would have to carry on or retrace your steps to find whatever accommodation suits you, but if you are not fussy, there are many hostals and smaller non-resort type hotel dotted around. But you do not need to rely on those to be convenient for the end of the day that you want, and if you want to cut down your day or extend it, very little problem as you go back onto the main road, which is never far away, and there are numerous bus stops (the train stations are obviously further apart) going your way (forwards or backwards) served mostly by a company called Avanza plus another one usually for the longer distances called Alsa. You can get information from the town bus stations if not online as to timetables and the stops certain buses make - because it'd be a bit of a bugger if you get on one and the next stop is Algeciras. The whole route has an inbuilt facility that allows for those who can't be bothered to walk any further or fancy stepping out a few more km's. There are a few patches with no so much choice of where to stay, I did adjust the length of the walks at times during planning, but I really only found one place with little choice.
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Post by onlyMark on Jun 4, 2022 19:32:50 GMT
bjd, they'll be watch towers or castle/strong point towers.
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Post by mickthecactus on Jun 5, 2022 8:28:11 GMT
Crikey Mark, walking along the A7 is pretty terrifying. We walk along it from Olivias about half a mile to a favourite beach restaurant and it’s very uncomfortable.
Olivias has a chequered history. My daughter got engaged there some years ago but of recent times it has been the haunt of a lot of the Costa del Crime inhabitants including the odious Tommy Robinson. It burnt down a couple of years ago in dubious circumstances. It really doesn’t suit La Cala at all.
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Post by onlyMark on Jun 5, 2022 9:20:00 GMT
Ah, nice to know a little of the colourful local history. I always tried to face the oncoming traffic. Just in case sort of thing.
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