23/4/10 Dave, Kathy, Derek and Evelyn. What do all good Deeside Runners do if they are stranded in Spain by volcanic ash? They bag a challenge point of course. We had 4 days to wait for a flight from Malaga, so spent two of them at Ronda and went to the Sierra de Grazalema for a day. This is a natural park just 50 miles or so from Malaga, but as different to the coast as you could imagine. For a start Grazalema is supposed to be Spain's wettest town, and certainly the hills were misty when we set off. It was also almost empty, since all the foreign tourists either couldn't get there, or were fighting each other in Madrid to get on buses and trains to France. We took a more relaxed approach. The hills are limestone, very steep, rocky and in the spring covered in wild flowers. There are innumerable rare birds including 3 species of eagle and two of vultures. All in all it is a fantastic place. There is a circular walk from Grazalema that goes up two hills, of which Serancon is the highest at 1564m. Sadly the other does not quite qualify as a separate prominent peak. The walk takes about 5 hours at a leisurely pace, and is mostly on a good path though this disappears near the top and it is worth having a map and compass, at least if it is misty. If you are spending any time in or near Malaga, do it.
