Walking in Andalucia: The Best Walks in Southern Spain's Natural Parks (Santana Guides)

I found Guy Hunter-Watts book of the best walks in Andalucia indispensable. Guy's local knowledge of the area and use of both man-made and natural navigation aids makes the routes easy to follow. Additional tips such as where to find a good meal and a bed after a long walk are a valuable addition!

This book made my holiday! (4/4 people found this helpful)

I have now use this book in 5 different National Parks in southern Spain and have followed almost 20 of Guy's routes. On all of the walks I have found his notes to be clear and precise but, more important, he has chosen some simply BEAUTIFUL walks.
Amongst the highlights of my own walks was 'The Walk of the Thirsty Bear' In the Cazorla Park, 'The Walk of the Forgotten Hamlet' in Aracena and 'The Walk of the Eagle and the Kingfisher' in the Alcornocales Park. What I love about the book is that Guy has chosen mostly circular walks - you don't need to worry about transport back to the beginning of your walk - and includes his favourite places to eat and to stay in each of the Parks. I found a couple of the walks in Cazorla to be quite challenging but they were classified as 'Difficult' and I was walking in mid June when the weather was unusually hot. I have stayed at a number of the places that he recommends, mostly simple B&Bs, and enjoyed them all.
When the weather is cold and dark in England I instinctively reach for my 'bible' and begin to plan my next walking escapade.
And I should say that what makes this guide doubly special is that Guy rewalks the routes for each subsequent edition(I recently picked up a walking guide that had been unchanged in 7 years!).
I also have found Guy's other book 'Small Hotels & Inns of Andalusia' to be another great travelling companion. It lists his favourite places to STAY in Andalusia and, again, is sensitively written and, best of all, you can trust in his recommendations.

You can't get lost! (3/3 people found this helpful)

We had the most delightful holiday ever in Andalucia last year. We stayed at a bed and breakfast owned by Guy Hunter-Watts and were made to feel very much at home. To top it all we were given a walk from this book every day to take us up into the surrounding hills and mountains. We never got lost, his writing was fun to read, informative and best of all very easy to follow, even up in the clouds at the top of the mountain we could follow his directions, we lost a hat, but not ourselves! I would recommend the book and the bed and breakfast to anyone who loves walking in the mountains. A must have!!

Walking in the Alpujarras (8/8 people found this helpful)

We attempted 2 walks from Guy's book whilst in the Alpujarras and had problems with navigation both times and do agree with another reviewer who remarked on the use of manmade objects as navigation aids. In one instance we couldn't even find the start of the walk as none of the streets showed the name that we were looking for, then after asking a couple of locals for help we discovered that the street name in the book was spelt incorrectly! In another description the full street name has been omitted from the book, causing untold confusion and more frustration. It would also be an enormous help if each of the stages in the walks were linked to the corresponding map ( i.e. with a number ) to enable you to pinpoint exactly where you are on the route itself. Other that that we did find the book useful for practical advice, i.e. accommodation, when to go etc, and since we intend to walk in other parts of Spain will use the book again - wish us luck !

Walking Andalucia (53/53 people found this helpful)

Overall the book contained interesting information and an insiders knowledge to the area. I used this book on three walks in February, and was quick to realise the book was in need of updating. This was especially true of the 'Walk of the Hidden Valley'. Guy relies heavily on man made objects to guide the walker rather than grid referencing. For example he uses oil drums, dry stone walls and animal pens as land marks. Obviously objects like these fall down and are moved from time to time. This is exactly what happened to me, and another couple looking for a 'wooden enclosure' that had either fallen down or had been moved by a farmer. After we wandered aimlessly for an hour we decided to retrace our steps the way we had come. When discussing this with the receptionist at the hotel where I was staying, I was told the same thing happened to an elderly couple that used the same guide. They got so lost they didn't make it back to the hotel until 1am in the morning. My advice is take a good map and compass with you, and only use this guide as supporting material. And please Guy update your guide, because it is a good read.

Walking in Andalucia: The Best Walks in Southern Spain's Natural Parks (Santana Guides)

Guy Hunter-Watts

Reader Reviews:

Lots of good detail (1/1 people found this helpful)

This book made my holiday! (4/4 people found this helpful)

You can't get lost! (3/3 people found this helpful)

Walking in the Alpujarras (8/8 people found this helpful)

Walking Andalucia (53/53 people found this helpful)

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