It was a long walk on Tarmac today about 16km and then about 14km more through Parque Natural Sierra Norte which was mostly acorn oak and cork oak. The azure winged magpies are still following me and curiously always on the right hand side. Not far from a lake in the forest there was a herd of deer (About 60 animals) and I was surprised how much my passing disturbed them. The upcoming climb had been visible from the other side of the plain. It is mentioned as strenuous in the guide info but ultimately preferable to the tarmac. It only took 20 mins of hard slog to get to the top and a wonderful Mirador/Viewpoint which afforded views back over the whole days route. Surprisingly there was no road, Spanish people normally like to drive to viewpoints but I could see waste bins and so less than 50m further on the village of Almaden de la Plata was visible through the trees down the slope. A very nice hostal here let's see if it helps the snoring!Friday, November 6, 2009
Castilblanco - Almaden de la Plata
It was a long walk on Tarmac today about 16km and then about 14km more through Parque Natural Sierra Norte which was mostly acorn oak and cork oak. The azure winged magpies are still following me and curiously always on the right hand side. Not far from a lake in the forest there was a herd of deer (About 60 animals) and I was surprised how much my passing disturbed them. The upcoming climb had been visible from the other side of the plain. It is mentioned as strenuous in the guide info but ultimately preferable to the tarmac. It only took 20 mins of hard slog to get to the top and a wonderful Mirador/Viewpoint which afforded views back over the whole days route. Surprisingly there was no road, Spanish people normally like to drive to viewpoints but I could see waste bins and so less than 50m further on the village of Almaden de la Plata was visible through the trees down the slope. A very nice hostal here let's see if it helps the snoring!