It was a hot one today! About 30º, and a warm wind was blowing. There was a shady forest section in the final third which was appreciated!
Summary of the Stage 12 route (taken from the GSM Topoguide with slight edits):
The villages at the start and end of the Stage are at the same height, and so the ascent and descent are practically equal during the route. The highest points are the Cerro de la Cruz (810 metres) and the ridge with the firebreak at 830 metres running between La Saucedilla and La Hoz de Marín. Conversely, the lowest lying terrain is found along the River Guadalhorce and the smaller watercourses of La Hoz de Marín or El Ciervo. There are varied landscapes along this Stage; agricultural in the first third, then livestock farming in the Grasslands (Dehesas) in the second and purely forestry in the final third.
The narrow valley or La Hoz of the Marin stream is a forested area of some 600 hectares, declared an Outstanding Natural Area with the relevant protection by the Diputación de Málaga. The aerial view of La Hoz (which means sickle) explains its name, a semi circular scar with a 250-metre drop between top and bottom. This area has the only native forest of Aleppo pine in Málaga province too.
Post-hike: We recommend Bar-Restaurante El Barrio in Archidona for cool beers and tasty tapas – their patatas fritas con alioli are delicious too! It’s a 5 min walk from the end of the Stage (or a 1 min drive with plenty of parking outside)
The stats: a tad over 17km even though I recorded 17.66km (my GPS went a little haywire in places), about 350m elevation in just under 6 hours.
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Thanks to Ashley Shadow for the music in this video.
