10 October 2016 – Tossel del Moro

We set out from Gata under an overcast sky.  The weather forecast has been pretty dismal all week, but we were determined to do this walk if possible.   Last year one of our Gata walks had suffered from rain most of the time.   We were hoping for better this week.

Despite the threat of rain it was still quite hot and humid so we were grateful for an easy start through the town and along the riverside walk.

It did not take long to leave the town behind, and once over the dry river the steady climb would begin.

We do two walks from Gata, this one and Soldates.   The hill in the background where we had our banana stop is Soldates.   It is a very steep climb, much worse than it seems in the photo.

Tossel del Moro is a much less steep climb, though still quite a challenge

I pushed ahead to take some photographs of the others climbing, and then had to catch my breath to ensure the camera did not shake

We completed the climb as a group, unlike Soldates where we are usually well strung out by the time we reach the top  

The sky cleared a little, and the sun came out, as we reached the top

The views are just as good as Soldates, and the cloudy skies made them even more dramatic than usual 

It is often either too hot or too cold to stop for long on the top, but today it was really pleasant and we lingered longer than normal

The worse part of the walk is the start of the descent.   The tracks are rocky with loose stones, particularly when there has been a long dry spell.  It must have rained recently, because it was much better than we had remembered it.

The track soon levels out and becomes a gentle downhill ramble to out picnic lunch

There are two options for our lunch break.   The first at the finca, which is very open and without shade.  Today it was too hot, so we opted for the font.   However by the time we sat down the sun has disappeared and it felt cool enough for Sylvia to get drape her jacket over her shoulders.

17 October 2016

Next week will be Tormos to Campell.    Meet at the swimming pool car park in Tormos at 10am