Info
Safety
Grading System
Where are we situated ?
Maps for Spain
How to get there ?
Car Hire
Public Transport
Private Airport Transfers
Responsible Tourism
Clothing and Equipment
Rest Days
Singles Holidays
Single room Supplement
Drinks with Meals
Picnic Lunches
Andalucia Climate
Group Discount
BMC Participation statement
Safety
Above all else, the safety and well being of our valued customers is of paramount importance to us. We want you to return home to your loved ones safe and sound and able to look back at your experience with us with cherished memories of wonderful days in the outdoors.
Most of our itineraries are personally led by Mark Ainsworth. Mark is a fully qualified IML, an International Mountain Leader and a current member of BAIML. which is affiliated to UIMLA.
Mark has been assessed to the highest level in all aspects of leading parties in the hills and mountains. Mark's extensive experience of more than 20 years in the mountains of Britain, Europe and further afield has equipped him to safely leads groups worldwide.
Your holiday or course will, if not led by Mark, be led by a leader with the appropriate experience for the activities to be under taken. All our leaders hold a current First-Aid qualification.
All customers are reminded that outdoor activities carry a degree of risk and your attention is drawn to the BMC participation statement at the end of our Terms and Conditions.
Grading System
The subject of activity grading can be a contentious one, after all what is easy for one person may be demanding to another. For this reason, it is important to read the holiday description and grading along with the 'Activity Grade'.
For our Spanish holidays, all of our itineraries necessarily involve a degree of ascent and descent due to the nature of Las Alpujarras, the 'foothills' of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Even the coastal walking around the Cabo de Gata peninsula is undulating. Of course the itineraries in the Alta Montana -the high Sierra's are more demanding.
Despite the often demanding nature of the terrain, many of our itineraries are undertaken at a leisurely pace and thus the holiday description and grading reflect this.
If in any doubt, just Contact us, we're always happy to chat about our options and answer any questions you may have.
We have a simple Grading system of Easy, Moderate or Strenuous. Individual days will vary of course but the overall grade of a holiday or course will reflect the average of your activities.
Borderline itineraries may be described as: -
Easy/Moderate or Moderate/Strenuous.
It is essential that an appropriate itinerary for all members of your party is chosen. Any customer whose health or lack of fitness may cause either a safety issue or an inappropriate pace for the group may be prevented from taking part in the chosen activities. Please refer to the 'Terms and Conditions' for further information on the Grading System.
The Grades :
Easy :
Generally around 3 to 5 hours of walking per day with no major height gain or loss. Paths overall will be straightforward with little exposure. Pace will be leisurely at all times.
Moderate :
Generally around 4 to 6 hours walking per day with some significant height gain and loss, often in the region of 300m to 600m per day. Some rough terrain will be encountered with some sections of path carrying a modest degree of exposure. Pace will generally be fairly leisurely but a reasonable level of hill-walking fitness is required.
Strenuous :
Some days will be around 6 to 8 hours of walking although this will not apply to every day. Rough mountain terrain will be encountered along with some exposed sections of path. Height gain may be in the region of 1000m on some days with up to 2000m of descent. Pace will be moderate but a degree of stamina and familiarity with rough mountain terrain is essential.
Where are we situated ?
Most of our holidays are based in the Las Alpujarras region of Andalucia in southern Spain.
Las Alpujarras is situated on the south side of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain which is on the south east side of Granada. It is around an hours drive inland from the Mediterranean coast and 1 hour from the city of Granada to the western Alpujarras. The drive from Malaga will take around 2.45 hours.
Map of Andalucia showing the Sierra Nevada range between Granada and Almeria.
Map of Las Alpujarras
The starting point for our holidays on the Cabo de Gata coast in Almeria province is only a short hop from Almeria Airport.
Map of the Cabo de Gata coastline
Google maps is probably the best tool for exploring the area:
Use the following link:
http://maps.google.co.uk/
Enter the starting point of your holiday:-
Lanjarron ¦ Bubion ¦ Capileira ¦ Trevelez ¦ Cabo de Gata
Maps for Spain
Recommended road map
Michelin1/400,000 Andalucia, Costa del Sol
http://www.mapsworldwide.com/sku_7486.htm
Map for Las Alpujarras:
Penibetica Sierra Nevada La Alpujarra, Marquesado
http://www.mapsworldwide.com/sku_20307.htm
Map for Cabo de Gata coast:
IGN 1:50,000 Parque Natural Cabo de Gata-Nijar
http://www.mapsworldwide.com/sku_19335.htm
How to get there ?
We understand that many independent travelers prefer to make their own arrangements for traveling to our holiday bases, maybe using the very inexpensive bus services in Spain or possibly hiring a car and having the additional flexibility that allows during your stay. Private transfers can be arranged independently or we can arrange these on your behalf.
When your booking is confirmed, we will send out directions for reaching the start point of your particular holiday.
Car Hire
Hiring a car can be a surprisingly cost effective means of traveling from and back to your arrival airport, particularly if 3 or 4 passengers share the cost. Please bear in mind that your starting and finishing points for the week may be different in which case car hire may not be the best option. Although a car may not be used a great deal during your week, it can be useful for your rest day and for evening explorations. For your Car Hire needs and further Travel Information see Travel-Quest's Car Hire section
Public Transport
Both Malaga and Granada Airports have shuttle buses to the main bus stations in the cities. There are buses from both cities to the Alpujarras although these are infrequent so please check times before booking flights
For our Spain's quiet coast holiday, there is a shuttle bus service from Almeria airport to the city's main bus station from where buses run to Cabo de Gata, the starting point of our week.
Alsa Bus timetables can be accessed on the following site, select 'Routes & Schedules'
www.alsa.es/portal/site/Alsa?portal.alsa.request.locale=en_GB"
Private Airport Transfers
We can arrange private transfers on request. Please contact us for details.
Private transfers can be expensive, particularly from Malaga (which is a 2.45 hour journey) or if the numbers sharing are low. The more people in your group, the more cost effective it becomes. Transfers from Granada which is a shorter journey are more economical. For our Spain's quiet coast holiday, the journey is relatively short and therefore not too expensive.
Transfer prices, if requested, will be confirmed before your final holiday balance is due (8 weeks before holiday commencement). This allows us to consolidate passenger numbers and obtain the best price available for you.
Prices vary from company to company but as an approximate guide Airport transport prices are currently in the region of:-
| Number of persons: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| For holidays in Las Alpujarras: | ||||
| Granada > Bubion | £110 | £55 | £28 | £19 |
| Granada > Trevelez | £120 | £60 | £30 | £30 |
| Malaga > Bubion | £200 | £100 | £50 | £34 |
| Malaga > Trevelez | £210 | £105 | £53 | £35 |
| For Cabo de Gata holidays: | ||||
| Almeria > Cabo de Gata | £40 | £20 | £10 | £10 |
| Agua Amarga > Almeria | £80 | £40 | £20 | £20 |
Prices shown only as a guide and are per person each way.
Please see the Holiday details for your chosen holiday to check for the nearest Arrival and Departure airports. Airports are specified in order of preference.
Charges for transfers are 'each way' as arrival and departure journeys are often different. This also gives you the flexibility to arrive or depart by different means or at a different time.
Responsible Tourism
We at Sierra Trekking take very seriously the environmental and cultural implications of the travel itineraries we offer. At every opportunity we endeavour to minimize our impact on the environment.
Where possible, we make every effort to make use of local transport and accommodation facilities and we strive to interact in a positive manner with local communities. We engender a minimal impact policy amongst our clientèle and try at all times to make our excursions an enriching experience for both our clients and the communities with which we interact
Clothing and Equipment
No specialized equipment is required for most of our holiday itineraries. Along with confirmation of your booking, we will send you information and advice on appropriate clothing, footwear and equipment for your chosen itinerary.
Rest Days
Many of our itineraries will have a rest day midweek. Sometimes an optional short walk will be offered on the rest day, please check individual holiday descriptions for details.
Where at a base for 2 or more nights then the option of taking rest or leisure days is of course always open to our customers.
If a customer chooses to miss a days activity then it is his or her responsibility to make alternative arrangements for transport to the booked accommodation.
Singles holidays
We very much welcome bookings from Singles groups and we can arrange for any of our Spanish holidays to cater for singles. Whether you are a singles group or individual wishing to book specifically for a singles holiday then please Contact us for further information.
Also, keep an eye on 'Late availability' for any scheduled singles holidays.
Single room Supplement
Single rooms, where available do work out more costly. Sometimes in Spain, single rooms are not available and single occupancy of a double or twin room is charged.
We try to estimate the average single room supplement for a weeks holiday and apply that charge at the time of booking.
Clearly on itineraries where we use Refuge's and Albergues with dormitory accommodation, single rooms are not available. This is reflected in the single room supplement charged for the week.
Drinks with Meals
Many of our itineraries include a welcome dinner on the first evening and a farewell dinner on the final evening. Where this is included, we also provide a complimentary half bottle of house wine or a beer for each person.
Picnic Lunches
In our experience, many people discard half of what is provided in a picnic lunch and add items of their own choice. For this reason, we prefer not to charge for picnic lunches. We normally have time in the mornings to visit the local 'Supermercado' and 'Panaderia' to stock up on provisions and the lovely fresh local bread. It's much more fun and gives us the opportunity to interact more with the local communities
Some of the Hostels and Hotels we use are happy to provide picnic lunches at an extra cost. These should be ordered the previous evening.
Andalucia Climate
Needless to say, the southern Spanish province of Andalucia is renowned for it's sunny climate.
Summer heat can be intense and we tend to avoid the months of July and August as it's simply too hot for most people. Only our high mountain itineraries are extended in to July where the altitude makes things much less oppressive.
Most of our holidays in Las Alpujarras are at altitudes between 1000m and 2000m allowing us to enjoy walking in the spring, early summer and autumn when temperatures are more conducive to walking than down on the Costa's.
Our Cabo de Gata itinerary - Spain's quiet Coast can also be enjoyed through the winter months where mild conditions and some pleasant winter sunshine are the norm
Weather charts for Andalucia
Group Discount
We know what fun it can be going on holiday with a group of good friends. Maybe you're in a Walking club, a company or just a group of like minded friends?
We offer a 10% discount to each and every group member when a group of 8 or more makes a booking on any of our Spanish walking holidays together. We can then guarantee that the chosen option will be exclusive for your group.
We have a number of options where groups can be accommodated in 'Casa Rurales' (Rural houses) or we can accommodate you in Hostels or Hotels in rooms occupying 1 to 4 persons.
Please note our maximum group size is 12 for some itineraries, less for others.
If you have a group size larger than 12 then please contact us to discuss as we can often allocate 2 leaders to your party. We would generally not undertake walks with more than 12 persons and larger groups wound normally be split which has the benefit giving a choice of walks on most days.
Please contact us to discuss your requirements
BMC Participation statement
The BMC recognises that climbing and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions and involvement.
This statement applies equally to hillwalking and all other outdoor activities.
