El Burgo Village.

At the moment the Almond trees are in full blossom, the olives are just coming into flower and the fruit trees are in bud. Each day as we take the dogs for their walk we can see the land changing wild flowers and herbs are popping all over the place all tell tale signs that we are well into Spring and that we can start to look forward to a nice long warm summer.


El Burgo

This mountainous town on the road between Ronda and Coín is dominated by the limestone outcrops of the surrounding mountains of the Serrania de Ronda. The bizarre rock formations of El Torrecilla (1900m) and its surrounding parque natural overlook the town and provide the source for the Río Turón that runs through it. The nearby Sierra de las Nieves (Snow Mountains) are home to vast numbers of the indigenous and rare pinsapo pine trees, as well as the rarely-sighted mountain cats, foxes, otters, storks, and eagles. Miradores (viewpoints) flagged by the road give stunning views south.
The Río Turón is barely a stream as it passes through El Burgo, but it provided sustenance for human settlements as long ago as the 8th century BC. Its earliest settlers would have husbanded sheep and goats, as well as meagre crops in protected valleys, but it is likely that they also traded with pre-Christian Phoenician and Greek explorers who roamed the region. These early visitors also imported key crops such as olives and grapevines. The only remaining evidence of a settlement from this time is the weathered outline of a small hill fort, similar to Iberian/Celtic structures, 2km outside the pueblo on the Ardales road.

On the south side of the main bridge by the pueblo that crosses the river Turón, is a track that leads upstream. Just about passable by car this is a circular route that takes approximately two hours to drive (not recommended in rainy season) or six hours to walk and emerges two kilometres further down the Málaga road (see La Fuensanta).

Running parallel to the river the fields to the left are filled with poplar and olive trees which soon leads onto dense woodland. Two kilometres on, a series of reservoirs are used during the early summer for bathing. Numerous shoals of fish can be seen in the many pools and the river is dammed at a spot known as Dique de Fuente de la Zorra. Past the first lagoon an old mill can be seen and continuing upstream the valley closes in a semi-gorge. This stretch of river is considered one of the last virgin stretches of water in the province of Málaga, clean enough for otters to nest in the area. During August, the river valley runs dry past this point. Overlooking this spot high up is the gleaming white statue of Mirador del Guarda Forestal.
Here the track leaves the water course and passes a further two lagoons. A number of interesting ruined fincas are worth a short stop. This river valley was the course of the old Roman road. It is no longer possible to drive all the way to Ronda, although barely a mile of new road would complete the route. The track winds south until you reach Puerto de la Mujer, the ‘Woman’s Pass’. At nearly 900 metres above sea level, this is the highest point on the track.
The track then leads down to the Fuensanta valley and the turning to the convent as well as the campsite of Las Sauces. This spot can be reached by a different route.

LA FUENSANTA & LOS SAUCES
The holy spring, en route to the ruined monastery, can be approached from below the pueblo, rather than taking the circular dirt track from the bridge. Look out for Km27and a cross, which are very near to the turn off along the forest track. Following the Arroyo de la Fuensanta upstream, the track passes a tree nursery, used to replant state forest lands in the protected park. After three kilometres, there’s a recreation area with a pleasant picnic spot and, beyond, the old mill and a tall Galician stone cross. For most walkers this is the limit but the route continues for a further hour, reaching another tall stone cross at a track junction. This track leads three kilometres to the rather basic campsite of Los Sauces, with few amenities beyond a space for walkers to pitch a tent overnight. Most of these places do require a permit in advance. One of the most historic sites in the area is the Convent, which can only be seen from this point, as it is on private land.

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