Day 5 - The Tahá

Friday 17th May

The Walk

The coach arrived at 9 am to take us to Busquistar, one of the group of villages that comprise La Tahá. From there we walked down to a bridge over the Trevélez river, and took a steep track up the other side that, according to José-Miguel, had been used by a Christian army who had come to put down a Moorish rebellion in the 16th century.

Eventually at the top we paused beside a road junction, then cut across the fields opposite, not following a path, but walking through meadows of wild flowers. After about a mile we joined a track heading down into Cástaras where we were to have lunch at a bar.

Before reaching the village, we paused at an era, a stone-built threshing circle, now somewhat overgrown and obviously not in use.

Once in the bar, we were greeted by a very substantial meal of tortilla with potatoes cooked in olive oil, sausage, cheese, salad, bread, etc. Remembering the 3 hours walk still to go, most of us had to refrain from doing it justice. This obviously worried the owner, who seemed to think we would soon fade away.

Once more on the move we filled our water bottles at a village fountain and climbed upwards via a field path to reach the road. Our way then followed the road for about 2 miles - definitely the hottest part of the walk, with the heat shimmering off the tarmac.

Leaving the road at a signpost for Busquistar, we started to descend steeply down a zig-zag path towards the Trevélez river tumbling far below, with spectacular views down the gorge.

The bridge itself was only 20 metres or so above the torrent, and some of the party climbed down to the river itself.

There remained only a climb back into Busquistar. The leaders at this point (Robert and Pat) witnessed a spectacular altercation between a booted eagle and a kestrel, which the rest of us unfortunately missed.

Back in Busquistar square, some of us ducked into the small bar by the Church, for a very welcome ice-cold beer. Inside, two small Spanish children were glued to the TV set, watching the inevitable all-pervasive American cartoons dubbed into squeaky Spanish.

In the Church, a cleaning party of local ladies was in full swing. By the look of the magnificent flower displays, they were preparing for a wedding.

While waiting for the remainder of the party to appear, I was "accosted" by an friendly elderly local who proceeded to talk at me in local idiom. A Spanish degree taken nearly 40 years before had not equipped me for this situation. Luckily, he needed very little prompting, and he did not appear to mind that most of my replies must have been "off-topic" as I strove to follow his flow. Eventually I managed to explain that I had lost about 12 colleagues, and managed to make my escape.

At 6 pm our coach appeared. Another good walk achieved

In the evening the group ate in the YberoFusion restaurant in Capileira, after which we said our goodbyes to Victoria who had arranged a taxi for 5 am(!) in order to catch a flight to Madrid and Rome. We helpfully assured her that there was quite a good chance it would turn up - indeed there was a strong rumour that it was to be driven by José's 10-year old brother.

Personal Highlights

"The lunch, served in a friendly bar in the small village of Cástaras" - John

"Peter W, fast asleep in the bar doorway after lunch" - John

"A skirmish between a booted eagle and a kestrel, seen during the ascent to Busquistar" - Robert and Pat

"Enduring a long conversation with an elderly local in Busquistar, in which I understood about one word in six" - John

Photos

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Text Copyright © 2002 John Braga
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