Other areas - Tolox

Best described as an interesting exploration my sole visit here was disappointing in that we’d hoped to get into the high hills (the highest point (Torrecilla – 1919m) is here but we couldn’t find the start point! That’s for another time and is partly the reason why I’ve written this guide. For visitors without local knowledge finding where to walk in southern Spain is a nightmare in itself.

Our walk took us 5 hours, perhaps 12k or so and 300m. Its got a very high prickle factor! Don’t go before March as this is a ski area. I’m afraid I can give no names for the hills because although I’ve now got a map I can’t locate them on it!

The obvious road through Tolox, rather than the incredibly narrow roads into its centre, lead to signs up into the Natural Park and, eventually, the football pitch and Hotel (parking). Cars could go further up the good, well graded, dirt track but I’m not sure this would be to much advantage.

From the hotel go up the dirt track and where it bends take the path straight on to an obviously popular viewpoint on the right. Reaching the top of this and looking back you can see a track up the hillside opposite. You just know those gorse bushes will scratch you to death but that’s the way to go!?!

Just follow the biggest track keeping on the crest and, eventually, you will reach the top to find it is a huge rounded ski run. Take this right. Our intention was to try to get to the highest of the three rounded hills ahead on the right offering the (presumably) even better views of Torrecilla, and the way is fairly obvious. Follow the ski run to a right turn through woods and eventually several junctions.

We took the largest track (straight on) and this proved to be wrong. Possibly the slightly smaller one going left would lead upwards in due course. Clearly the top can be reached from anywhere by going through gorse but that’s for another day!

Return the way you came (a sign just beyond where you turned right is misleading and doesn’t help!). At a cairn on the right a stony track avoids the last two humps and goes more or less directly back to the main dirt track which you can see below you on the right – there are cairns at crucial places, and eventually you can see the hotel below left. Reaching the dirt track follow it left to your car.

There is obviously a lot more walking here and from other nearby towns but I discovered the simplest way to reach Torrecilla is from the Ronda Road to its west. Poor weather in 2008 meant that our planned attempt on it had to be postponed.