This natural park in the hills
behind La Herradura is a project originated and managed by
the local municipal government to create a wildlife area and
tourist venue. Being the highest accessible point in the
area, it offers stunning views and good hiking opportunities,
making it an attractive destination for visitors on a day's
outing from the coast.
Perched high in the Sierra
Almijara, Peña Escrita offers a completely different
environment to the tourist centres of the coast. Its
spectacular mountain scenery, perfumed with the heady scent
of herbs and wild flowers, is being stocked with deer and the
Spanish mountain goat, as well as other animals natural to
the area. On entering the park, visitors can stop and see a
number of holding pens for the animals which, for some
strange reason, also include a number of ostriches.
Walking routes of varying length
and difficulty have been marked for visitors to follow and
there's a small riding stables for those who would prefer to
ride around the area. A restaurant bar provides sustenance
and refreshments, and is especially busy on weekends. Being
at a reasonable altitude, don't forget that it can be
extremely hot in summer and unexpectedly cold out of season,
so be prepared.
You can reach Peña
Escrita from either Almuñécar or La Herradura. There are
various routes, some quite straightforward and others that
would be suicidal in anything but the sturdiest vehicle, so
we shall only mention the two most important (and
simplest).
From Almuñécar, take the old
road to Granada along the
Tropical Valley and, after about 3 km, turn left up a
smaller side road that's signed towards Peña Escrita. This
is on a bend and quite easy to miss. It takes you over a
small hill and into the Rio Seco valley. After a few
kilometres you'll have an opportunity to cross the river or
continue on the same side of the valley. Crossing the river
will take you high up onto a ridge which eventually arrives
at Peña Escrita. This is the best way to get to the park
and the road is asphalt for most of the distance.
If you keep to the east of the
valley, the road rises slowly through twisted canyons while
the fruit orchards give way to unirrigated land. (The
asphalt also gives way to a dirt track so now you're on
your own.) You can turn right up into the hills that head
back towards the Rio Verde valley but there's no easy route
to make a round journey back to the coast. By continuing up
the main valley into the Rio Seco Alto, however, you can
eventually cross to the west and continue on to Peña
Escrita.
From La Herradura, the best
route is along the Cuesta del Marchante, a long ridge that
heads inland from behind Cerro Gordo. You can get to it
from the main N340 road about 500 m after crossing the Rio
Jate, heading west. This route follows the Rio Jate valley
but from high above, eventually arriving at Rescate and
then Peña Escrita. The route is surfaced as far as Rescate.
Apart from the wonderful views
and clean air, there's one curious attraction that needs to
be mentioned. Following the route a couple of kilometres to
the north of Rescate, you'll see to the left a strange
buttressed structure attached to a small farmhouse. This is
called the Cortijo de la Bóveda and the ancient
stone construction is thought to have been a Christian
chapel built in the 7th century during the Visigothic era.
At this point, travellers could rest and pray before
starting the tough inland journey over the hills. Little
more is known about the building which is likely to be
declared a local monument and restored.
To get to Almunecar from Nerja on the N340
takes about 25 minutes and to la Herradura about 15/20
minutes
How much does it
cost?
Entrance is free (2006). The restaurant is reasonably priced
and if you do fancy staying over night in one of the log
cabins they are also well priced.
We have a large party - any other
ideas?
If you have a large party of 6 people or more why not combine
a Jeep Safari tour and get to see the mountain ranges and
traditional culture and combine lunch at Pena Escrita.
Click here
for more information on our
Jeep Safari Tours and to make an enquiry. (If you like
the idea of incorporating a visit to Pena Escrita please
mention it to us in the "Additional comments")
