12 January 2015 – Gata Soldates

Bright and sunny morning as we met in the centre of Gata for this weeks Soldates walk.   Warmer than last week and difficult to know what to wear.   It’s always cool at the start, but we were well aware that we would soon warm up climbing Soldates

It takes about an hour to reach the foot of the hill, where we always have our banana stop and try not to think about the climb to come.

Apparently it only takes 15 to 20 minutes to climb, but it seems a lot longer than that.  The more you climb the steeper it gets.   The usual chatter is soon replaced by silence except for the heavy breathing.   Worse of all there is a false summit.   

Everyone takes it at their own pace.   We have done it quite a few times, and we seem to adopt the right sequence for each to be able to stick to their own pace without slowing anyone else down.   As we approach the top the group is spread out, but not more than one or two minutes between the first and last.

Jackie, Jan and Pat are amongst the first to reach the top, and settle down to recover and enjoy the view.

The views to the coast and the surrounding mountains are pretty impressive.   However it is often windy and chilly at the summit and we tend not to linger here too long.

We wait just long enough for everyone to recover, and to take the traditional group photo with the trig point to prove we have all made it.   We do this walk at least once each year, and it might be interesting to compare the group photo each year .

Having climbed all the way to the summit, we immediately start downhill again.   The path is not as steep, but the surface much worse.   Lots of loose rocks and pebbles ensure that everyone spends more time looking at their feet than the lovely views.

About half way back to Gata here is a wide flat area with fine views, a good place for a final water stop.

There are lovely views of Montgo and the surrounding area, and in particular the route we will follow back to Gata.

Not sure what Mike and Peter are talking about, but it seems quite serious

Pat is showing Jan where her house is, quite close to Montgo

As always we stopped for a drink in Gata, and it was warm enough to sit outside.  But the highlight was this Christmas tree made of plastic water bottles.   

19 January 2015

Next Monday will be Cocoll.   Meet in Benichembla at 10am.

Walk cancelled due to poor weather.   Hope to walk to Cocoll next week instead