Hiking – Walking along the city walls – Gibralfaro Castle in its forest park 📷 Málaga – Spain

A first glimpse of a woodland park can give us an idea of what it will be like to explore it in its entirety, but once you step inside, there are so many possibilities that you realise a quick stroll won’t be enough to enjoy every step and every moment. With every step, you discover a new path to explore, and those possibilities are the most wonderful thing about exploring the city and every corner of it, and even more so when it comes to nature.

The first time I learnt of this woodland park, I never imagined it would be so vast, with such an extensive network of paths and trails. On that occasion, I walked the Sendero Mundo Nuevo and, from there, I saw many junctions leading off to other paths; of these, I only took one, which led me to a very beautiful viewpoint. It’s a path that runs from Gibralfaro Castle, high up on the hill, down to the foot of Alcazaba Castle.

But as I walked down it, which I’ve done on several occasions, I spotted many signs pointing to more and more paths, many of them winding through the trees, not straight and even somewhat shadowy, which I’ve promised myself I’ll explore. But recently I spotted one of those paths that looked easy; it’s clearly signposted, it isn’t a tarmac path, but it’s easily accessible, and the most interesting thing is that it’s the path that runs along the top of the castle walls.

Whilst at the castle, I had the chance to see it from above, from the towers, and not long ago I went back to explore it. It is called the ‘Walking the Wall’ trail, and as its name suggests, throughout the entire route you can look to your left and see the walls, ramparts and towers of Gibralfaro Castle, which has been listed as a site of cultural interest, categorised as a monument, specifically a historic and artistic monument, since 1931.

As is customary in the city, in all the woodland parks there are information boards at the start of the trail, with huge signs detailing what you’ll see and the local flora and fauna. It’s true that, whilst walking this trail, I’ve noticed there are many other smaller trails that lack information, but I’d still like to explore them, something I’ll do later on.

According to the information I mentioned, the predominant vegetation consists of pines, Aleppo pines planted as part of a reforestation scheme carried out in 1940 to protect the city from the erosion caused by the heavy rains. Before that, there were many carob and olive trees, some of which still remain. Among the ground level plants and shrubs are asparagus plants, acanthus, oleanders and bolinas.

The guide also mentions the wildlife, such as the red squirrel, which I did manage to spot, the blackbird, which is everywhere, the harlequin butterfly, which I didn’t manage to spot on this occasion, and the common chameleon, which, as I’ve mentioned on many other occasions, I’d love to see, but it’s very difficult to spot.

The path wasn’t difficult to follow and is about 700 metres long. According to the sign, it would take me just thirty minutes to reach the end, but it took me longer, as I stopped several times to admire the scenery, take photos and enjoy that beautiful wall rising up above me.

It was a glorious, sunny day and the sun’s rays filtered through the branches and leaves of the trees. The path had a railing on my right; if I leaned on it to rest, I could see the views out over the city, although from that vantage point it looked small and distant.

The path was flat and pleasant, with no ups and downs; I could walk at a leisurely pace, taking in my surroundings, especially the trees and the sun, listening to the birds and, now and then, the sound of squirrels scurrying about in search of food.

At the start of the walk, I couldn’t see the wall, but that’s because the path begins long before you reach the area below the castle, so the first stretch consisted only of vegetation, earth and sunshine.

After walking for a while, I began to see a stone wall, not very high, with trees, specifically pines, and I looked all around to take in this new sight.

The path continued, with the railing always on my right and that wall on my left, and soon, looking up, I could see the city walls and places I’d visited so many years ago. When I arrived here over eight years ago, I visited Gibralfaro Castle and stood on those very same towers, high up there, and now seeing that from a little further down, with the whole park around me, was extraordinary.

The sun was right up there, near the towers, shining through the trees. The whole scene was perfect, as if I’d been transported back to medieval times. I walked along, looking at the city walls, then back along the path, and then forward again. It was a fabulous day, filled with a special, beautiful energy.

With the path winding right around the wall, it sometimes zigzagged gently until it reached a wide, rather square area, where the path took a sharp turn, always following the wall. It looked so beautiful and imposing.

I carried on walking; now the stones and bricks were closer, and I came to a large tower, followed by another that stood alone. Beyond that, there was no path; the walk ended there. I tried to find another, smaller path, but they all ended with a bend in the wall. So I had to turn round and go back the way I’d come.

Of course, I didn’t set off on my return journey until I’d taken in the views from the top. Absolutely marvellous.

Thank you very much for joining me today; warm regards to you all. See you soon.
Amonet.