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The Call of Cerro del Caballo
An ancient track built for horses, the Camino de la Sierra, leads to the summit of Cerro del Caballo – one of the highest mountains in southern Spain Continue reading →
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Alquife: A Small Piece of Cumbria
On the northern slopes of Spain's Sierra Nevada mountains is a mining community with strong links to the Lake District Continue reading →
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Walking Over Acorns (Lujar: The Third Attempt)
McEff has a third and half-hearted attempt at Lujar – a mountain n Spain. Allegedly. Continue reading →
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Flag Day on Mulhacen – The Roof of Spain
In his final expedition to Spain's Sierra Nevada, McEff climbs Mulhacen – the highest mountain in the country Continue reading →
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Sierra Nevada: Some Helpful Notes
STANDING on the summit of Montardo a couple of years ago and gazing south to a horizon of snow-capped rocky ridges and unknown valleys, it occurred to me that the highest mountain in Spain must lie in...
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Madeira: Stairways to Heaven
McEff discovers the mountains of Madeira. It's more than a piece of cake . . . Continue reading →
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Among Mules, Mountains and the People of the Sierra
A walk in the mountains of Andalucia in search of forgotten history . . . Continue reading →
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Giving a Fig About Walking up Gorges
Walking on water . . . just for a change Continue reading →
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Lucero – Where Old Hatreds Linger
LUCERO is a prominent pyramid of baked rock that looks ten times more a mountain than nearly everything twice, three times and four times its size. The approaches from the south are long and incredibly...
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And Finally, Lujar . . . Finally
McEff climbs Sierra de Lujar. It's his fourth attempt . . . Continue reading →
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In the Realms of Glory on Cerro del Trevenque
CERRO del Trevenque is a dwarf among giants. It does not feature largely in the history of mountaineering. It probably doesn’t even warrant a footnote. But it is a mountain gem that shines like a...
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Climbing Cielo – as Swallows Come Back to Capistrano
A hot and dusty walk in the mountains of Andalucia . . . Continue reading →
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Walking up the Camino and Down Again
NOVEMBER in the Sierra Nevada. This camino runs from the rio Guadalfeo to Orgiva. It’s a back lane from a river to the centre of a small town. It is steep and long. Cars can be a problem. Goats can …...
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The Sierra Nevada: Two Peaks, Two Countries
SPAIN gets under your skin and fingernails. It dries your eyes and your mouth. You can feel it in your hair and on your brow when your boots kick the dust of its white mountain tracks. You smell its...
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Paths, Goats – and Huenes to Pico de la Carne
THE joy of paths. There are indistinct paths that fade and confound; paths choked with nettles and brambles; malevolent paths that lead through mud and bogland; and paths that twist in the wrong...
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Plodding over Pinnel – In the Rio Guadalfeo
THE Rio Guadalfeo flows from the Sierra Nevada mountains through steep-sided valleys to the Mediterranean at Salobreña. I’ve gazed down upon its course from the winding mountain road to Orgiva many...
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Untold Stories of High Haciendas
THE mountains are full of places where people lived, raised families and died. Their children and their children’s children have moved on. All that remains are stones and walls and the imagined echoes...
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Coniston Old Man – Backwards and Forwards
WHEN I was a teenager I made a pledge to climb Coniston Old Man at least once every year because it was the first mountain I climbed and it was special. I also grew up within sight of its familiar …...
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What Does Adventure Mean to You?
DO you work in a factory, an office, a shop, or drive a company van? Are you a member of parliament, unemployed, a doctor, a refuse collector, a teacher or the chief executive officer of a...
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A Big Adventure
SO I’m off to live in Spain. Just thought I’d slip that into the conversation. I’ve been thinking for some time that I need a new challenge – a big challenge. And although I won’t be embarking on a...
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