Walk 5 - Istan to Juanar

A wonderful walk of 14k. 7/800m of ascent. 6 hours. Hard. Prickle Factor Low.

From the village car park go uphill towards the new large Hotel. There are signboards with several routes on display. The maps are (nearly) accurate but the descriptions of the routes are none too helpful talking about places not shown on the maps. There are routes to La Concha and Picacho - see Walk 7 - not shown on the map, as well as to Juanar.

Just above the hotel is a concrete drinking water store with a tap (note very well!) with the aforesaid signs above it and just left on the highest dirt track a sign to Ojen. This quickly finishes at a small waterless dam and the path now follows the river bed of the Rio Molinos for nearly four kilometres. To say it is magnificent is putting it mildly.

It is impossible to get lost in it - where the clear signs take you out of the river bed for a short way this will be easier but there is no reason not to keep to the bed. From time to time use of hands will be necessary but nowhere could this be called "scrambling". The only route finding problem is near the top where a large sandy flattish area is reached. The track formerly went through this with signposts and, to start with, this is the bigger track. However you should keep straight on where there is (I assume) a new track which should quickly become the established one making the whole route easy. It contours the hillside directly to the col ahead on the right. At the Juanar end it is clearly signed and is nearly as large as the old one.

Sadly, because I knew the route was through the "plain" which is being developed (into an olive grove?) we lost a lot of time going this way on a now non-existent path. (Part of Route 1). I should have looked more carefully for either signs or cairns which are abundent.

You now reach the Col and the zig-zags down to the dirt track to the old Refuge. You might want to turn round at this point. If you have started from Istan, as I have here, and intend visiting Juanar there is little to be gained by going on - unless you intend to do the round trip described after Walk 7.

The distance and height given on the map are not necessarily correct. 8.3k (one way) seems rather too long even taking into account the numerous zig-zags and the height gain (loss) of 320m is ridiculous (it is the height of Istan and the walk goes up to 1,036m). If doing the walk from Juanar you will certainly not do it in double the 2hrs 30 mins given - even 6 may be on the short side.