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Deserts one day, high mountain snowshoeing the next. Today we have been above Capileira on our snowshoes. The snowshoeing is incredible at the moment, even though we had threatening storm clouds around it didn't start snowing until we had reached the cars on our return.
Short 1min 10 sec video
#Hiking #snowshoe #snowshoeing #Walking #Mountains #Spain #video #outdoors
Some images from yesterdays hike in the badlands of Tabernas, Almeria. A cold day but this made the skies crystal clear of either the heat haze or the Saharan dust that normally plague this area
#Hiking #Spain #Walking #Mountains #Spain #Photography #Landscape #LandscapePhotography #Outdoors
The Tabernas Desert Badlands today. Stunning scenery and nice 18C temps for hiking. I love it here!
Image from today's hike that make me think of lyrics ...
I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in vain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand
Sweet desert rose
Each of her veils, a secret promise
This desert flower
No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this
Sweet desert rose
This memory of Eden haunts us all
This desert flower
This rare perfume, is the sweet intoxication of the fall
(Sting)
Looking forward to the next couple of days hiking. Two very contrasting days too. Tomorrow I'm heading for the arid desert badlands of Tabernas, Almeria. On Tuesday it's high mountain snowshoeing in the Sierra Nevada. Packing is a bit of a nightmare 😀 Can't wait!
I can't quite believe how little this BRS 3000T backpacking stove weighs. Just 26 grams (0.9 ounces)! Generally excellent reviews too although not for simmering. If you just want boiling water it's seems pretty good. For only 20€ this is incredible value. Will be giving it some outdoor tests soon.
#Hiking #Backpacking #Walking #outdoors #gear #ultralight #ultralightweight
Yippeee! It's my "heartattackaversary". 6 years today. Who'd have thought time would pass by so quick. Very thankful for still being able to climb and enjoy the hills
Mulhacén 3482m this morning from the western side of the Barranco del Poqueira. Looking up the valley towards the Refugio Poqueira, the town on the right is Capileira.
#Mountains #Spain #Photography #Landscape #LandscapePhotography #Outdoors #Andalucia
The stormy weather here in Andalucia continues. And isn't it just magnificent!
#Mountains #Spain #Photography #Landscape #LandscapePhotography #Outdoors #Andalucia #skies #clouds
A close call. We've had a lot of rainfall this past week. Whilst in a local restaurant this lunchtime a tree fell down over my old car and hit the cars opposite. No damage very luckily! 🤞
The clearest day for some time allowed for a glimpse of the Cerro de Caballo 3009m today. Lots of fresh snow, high avalanche risk and gale force winds mean the mountains remain out of bounds. More bad weather incoming too. Will be superb when it settles down and we can go up there
#Hiking #Backpacking #SierraNevada #Walking #Mountains #Spain #Photography #Landscape #LandscapePhotography
Enjoying reading "The Hand of Fatima" by Ildefonso Falcones. Follows life of Hernando, a young man of mixed heritage. Mother a Muslim, father a Christian priest. Born after the Morisco rebellion in the Alpujarras mountains, Hernando grows up caught between two worlds, facing discrimination & violence from both sides. The Moriscos (Muslims forced to convert to Christianity) are oppressed by the Christian rulers. Hernando becomes a symbol of the struggle for identity & survival.
I do use online/offline mapping systems all the time on my GPS, phone and other tech related gadgets. But, I have to say, there is nothing quite like getting a paper map arriving in the post.
I'm like a kid with a new toy and excited to see what lies within. I can dream of adventures to come better with a paper map than with online mapping systems.
Now to seriously plan our 7-10 day backpacking trip in the Pyrenees
#Hiking #Backpacking #Walking #Mountains #Spain #Outdoors #mapping #maps
Another poor, cloudy day in the high mountains so we headed south to the sunny slopes of Cerro Toro and Cerro Gordo, just north of Motril. Here we found solitude and some good hiking through forest tracks with some nice peaks to provide interest. Warm sunshine, t-shirts and shorts. Spring is in the air!
Granada Province constantly providing new hiking opportunities once again!
Bad news... Spain’s rewilding of Iberian lynx at risk after lobbying by hunters and farmers
Regional governments bow to pressure from agricultural industry, often amplified by far-right Vox party
Testing my sub €20 Lixada Solar Panel 7.8w. Charging up a Nitecore NB10000 quite quickly. Its a bit flimsy but at only 127 grams for the panel this is maybe to be expected. Hoping to use it on a multi day trek in the Pyrenees late spring.
Health and safety. I sometimes cringe when my Spanish neighbor and good friend comes round to help as he has no comprehension of danger. He thinks nothing of standing on a thin olive branch atop a dodgy ladder which I am vainly attempting to keep stable 🤣🤣
Macpac Men's Nitro Fleece Pullover & the OMM Core Hoody
Tested these garments for the past 6 months. Now, I don't leave home without one or the other in my pack.
Similar style of material. Macpac uses Polartec® Alpha® Direct & OMM PrimaLoft® ACTIVE. Both ultra-light insulating fabrics made for breathable warmth & pack-ability.
Weigh similar amounts too, 148g (large). I tend to utilize mainly as mid layer under an outer wind-shirt or as pull-on at rest stops.
The trail to the mountain!
Walking yesterday along the GR7 long distance path from Juviles to the town of Trevélez in the Sierra Nevada. Although the summits are out of view the mountain ahead is that of Mulhacén, highest mountain in mainland Spain 3482m
#Hiking #Walking #Mountains #Spain #Photography #Landscape #LandscapePhotography #Outdoors #Andalucia
I'm a technology tinkerer. Not great at it, certainly not an expert, but I enjoy it. Time now to separate my #technology adventures from my mountain/real life ones. The two don't really go together.
To that end I'm delighted to have set up a small #GoToSocial instance for tech posts and related advances towards more dead ends 😀 !
All my tech ramblings from now on are at @dunc
New lithium batteries for our solar installation. Thanks to my mate Pepe for putting it all together. Need a few more solar panels now!
There are many ways the pilgrims made the journey to Santiago de Compostela. The most well known one is through northern Spain. However there are more. The Camino Mozarabe at 1450km is the longest. This runs from Almeria in the SE to Santiago in the NW of Spain.
Yesterday we did a short 15km section between the village of Dudar to Granada, ending up at the Alhambra Palace.
Expansive views to the Sierra de Huetor, Granada & of course the Sierra Nevada.
How Spain’s radically different approach to migration helped its economy soar
As immigration has increased, GDP has surged and unemployment has fallen to lowest level since 2008
As an immigrant since 2002 I have always been made to feel very welcome here. Thank you Spain.
My new boots have arrived & I'm like a little kid with a new toy!
I wanted a lightweight boot for late spring, early summer multi day treks. Had to be stiff enough to take a C1 crampon as I didn't want to rely on micro-spikes over the terrain I intend to travel (High Pyrenees & Dolomites)
Came across these "La Sportiva Trango Trk GTX's". Very lightweight, only 115 grams/boot more than my summer approach shoes with a semi stiff sole
A superb view of the main Sierra Nevada mountain range from the Sierra de Huetor to the north.
#Hiking #Walking #Mountains #Spain #Photography #Landscape #LandscapePhotography #Outdoors #Andalucia
I've never had an Instagram account. Ever. So imagine my surprise when someone who has, sent me this link from the BBC iPlayer account. It's me! Taking Alan Carr on a via ferrata 😀
Maybe I should open an account? Nah, I like it here!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DF-qbvLoJCp/?igsh=MWlrYzA5dTUzcG8wYw==
More "enshittification". This time from Amazon. Amazon is pulling a Google, killing off popular services. Evidently, I have until 25th February to download my 708 books that I have purchased from them. After the 25th you can no longer download YOUR books for backup or transfer via USB
Good job I did this 2 years ago eh? Buy the books from elsewhere.
https://goodereader.com/blog/kindle/amazon-is-not-to-be-trusted-anymore-with-their-kindle-e-reader
So, last May, the BBC contacted us and asked us if we would be interested in leading UK "celebrity" Alan Carr on a Via Ferrata route outside of the town of Moclin. Of course, we said yes, although to be honest after 23 years outside the UK, I wasn't quite sure who indeed, Alan Carr was!
This short article describes our experiences working with Alan Carr and the BBC during the filming of "Amanda and Alan's Spanish job" (Episode 3) ... https://spanishhighs.com/articles/alan-carr-via-ferrata-spanish-job/
Whilst in the UK I took the opportunity to attend the Cicerone Press "Authors Day".
For those who don't know, Cicerone produce a series of the best #outdoor #guidebooks to be found anywhere. Worldwide.
It was good to chat with fellow authors but there was a series of very interesting talks about demographic changes to the userbase, the new #PCT guide, what makes a good guidebook photo and also the future direction of the company regarding digitalization.
Quick trip back to UK saw me in the lovely Kentmere Valley on a bitterly cold and blustery day with extensive hill mists. Instead of the intended Kentmere Horseshoe we wisely opted for the lowly Yoke and Sallows instead. Kept below the cloud line. It was enough, a good day with my two daughters
#Hiking #Walking #Mountains #UK #Photography #Landscape #LandscapePhotography #lakedistrict
The clouds had come in as we headed back down to the cars from Morrón Hornillo. Suddenly the mists cleared and a strange horizontal window opened up below the vast expanse of grey skies
#Hiking #Walking #Mountains #Spain #Photography #Landscape #LandscapePhotography #Outdoors #Andalucia
As Internet enshittification marches on, here are some of the worst offenders
A 90 minute early morning drive saw us sipping coffee in a small cafe bar in Fondón. The mountains we had come to climb were clagged in, the approach difficult under fresh snow. An impromptu vote had us heading for the blue skies and sunshine of the Sierra Nevada to the north, another 45 minute journey. Needless to say, we had a great day out hiking above the Puerto de la Ragua. Moral of the story is .. it's ok to change plans. Be flexible!
Today we've been breaking trail through fresh powder!
I love this time of year, a time for fireside planning of forthcoming adventures, whilst I am in good health and reasonably fit. Main trips this year hoping to be to the Pyrenees in June (backpacking 100km+, 3000 "Ibones" Lakes), Dolomites in July (Via Ferrata, Pale di San Martino) and all of November in El Chalten, Patagonia (peaks, passes and glaciers).
The Moon and Venus above my town of Lanjarón near Granada yesterday evening.
Not the best of shots as no time to set up tripod so had to be hand held unfortunately.
Today, for the first time I have had to complete a certificate (witnessed) for the DWP in the UK stating and proving that I am indeed alive and breathing 😂
Cerro Torre, 1959: One of Mountaineering’s Most Disputed Ascents
https://explorersweb.com/cerro-torre-1959-one-of-mountaineerings-most-disputed-ascents/
Oh dear, what a shame, never mind 😃 What goes around, comes around eh?
"David Sacks claims there’s ‘substantial evidence’ that DeepSeek used OpenAI’s models to train its own"
Even on the bad days it can still pay to "get out there" hiking. You never know!
Very high winds over the higher mountains today so we headed down to the Guajares Valley and hiked a circular route between Guájar-Fondón and Guajar-Faraguit, taking in the Yacimiento de Castillejo. An approaching rain storm had us hurtling downhill to escape to a nice warm bar with good beer and tapas 😄.
#Hiking #Walking #Mountains #Spain #Photography #Landscape #LandscapePhotography #Outdoors #Andalucia
Good morning!
Somewhere Over the Rainbow ... lies the village of Guajar Alto. We had just ascended from Guajar-Fondon to it's impressive Castillo when the rain stopped and the sun arrived
#Hiking #Walking #Mountains #Spain #Photography #Landscape #LandscapePhotography #Outdoors #Andalucia #rainbow
A word of warning ... on yesterdays walk in the Sierra de los Guajares range we came across hundreds of Pine Processionary Caterpillars. Seems the warm weather had them dropping down from their cocoon nests in pine trees/shrubs. Avoid the area if you are with dogs or if you are caught unawares, keep your dogs on a lead.
Poor weather up high yesterday so we headed south to the Sierra de los Guajares range where we found warm sunshine and light winds. Starting from above the town of MolvÃzar we climbed steeply up to the ridge line and the Mirador del Minchar where we got stunning glimpses of fresh snows on the Sierra Nevada above 2800m.
#Hiking #Walking #Mountains #Spain #Photography #Landscape #LandscapePhotography #Outdoors #Andalucia
Enshittification isn't caused by venture capital
"Many of us have left the big social media platforms; far more of us wish we could leave them; and even those of us who've escaped from Facebook/Insta and Twitter still spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to get the people we care about off of them, too."
A good read from @pluralistic
Bit of a dull day today so we headed down to the lowers reaches of the Rio Gualalfeo on its way south to the Mediterranean at Motril.
Reticulum: Unstoppable Networks for The People
Enjoyed this talk from lead developer, Mark Qvist about the interesting #Reticulum Network, which I have been testing recently on phones/Lora radios.
With the recent cold snap we felt a bit chilly in the house and are another year older ourselves. Decided to upgrade our pellet stove. Of course, things never go to plan in rural situations. As soon as it was installed we started having electrical problems with our solar system. Turns out not only do we need new batteries but the new stove had been intermittently shorting the system. A week later and I'm still sat in my lounge in a down jacket 🤣🤣
Can't say too much at present but during the early summer my friend, Felipe and I took part in the BBC series "Amanda and Alan's Spanish Job". This TV series will be screened weekly from 24th January. It features UK celebrities, Amanda Holden and Alan Carr, restoring an old property in the town of Moclin, just north of Granada.
More details will be released about our part in this series in due course.
The return journey involved the spectacular traverse path north of Picacho Alto 1776m to the Collado de Abantos followed by zig zag descent westwards down to meet the forest road that returned us to our cars.
Didn't see anybody on this route of 14km with 1030m of ascent and descent. Recommended.
(3/3)
