GR7

Having braved the elements in a 1250km-long trek across the length of Andalucía, Michelle Lowe and Kirstie Shirra answer the question: “What is the GR7?”

By:  Michelle Lowe / Kirstie Shirra  Send to a friend Close X  Spread the word! A link to this article will be included in your message.   *Recipient's email address:   *Your name:   Personal message (optional): 250 characters max.   We do not save or reuse your email address for any other purpose than to send this article to your friend.

The GR7 (Gran Recorrido Siete) is a 1,163km long footpath crossing the length of Andalucia and a great way to explore the region’s countryside and villages and meet its people. The route, which is mostly made up of car-free footpaths, starts on the west coast in Tarifa and makes its way through the provinces of Cadiz, Malaga, Cordoba, Jaen, Almeria and Granada. If you want a real adventure you can do the whole thing in 34-45 days, but there are also lots of sections of the route which are perfect for day hikes or trips of several days to a week.

The route it part of the 10,000 km European Route No. 4, one of many long distance E routes that stretch across Europe. It passes include Spain, France, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Greece, starting in Tarifa, and ending in Crete. These paths were marked as of 1972, “as a way to bring people together when the European Union was still just a concept”, explains Juan Terroba, representative of Ecologists in Action in Ronda. “In Andalusia in the 1990´s it was FEDAMON (Spanish Federation of Mountain Sports and Climbing) who was in charge of marking the GR7 paths”.

It is marked (though somewhat sparsely in parts) with red and white paint markings on boulders, trees and occasionally signposts. The scenery the path takes you through is beautiful and incredibly varied: from rolling farmland; into orange, chestnut and almond groves; along the steep cobbled streets of pretty white-washed villages; down into lush green valleys; along dramatic rocky ravines; and up into the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

You can expect to see outstanding flora and fauna on the route. The Sierra Nevada national park for example has the highest number of endemic plant species in Europe, and wherever you are on the route, depending on the time of year, you will find yourself passing though a gorgeous array of wildflowers and aromatic herbs and surrounded by the calls of the abundant birdlife. It is possible to see golden eagles, skylarks, green woodpeckers, peregrine falcons, kestrels, Bonillo’s eagles, and griffon vultures. You’re also likely to see the mountain goats, ,and if you’re lucky, Mediterranean pine voles, wild cats, wild boars, foxes, badgers, beech martens and genets.

One of the most popular sections to walk in a week is the section passing through the Alpujarras. The area is renowned for its beautiful whitewashed villages whose Berber architecture reflects their past as the last stronghold of the Spanish Moors. The route takes you through picturesque villages including the highest village in Europe, Trevélez - famous for its smoked hams, and the bustling villages of the Poqueira Valley including Pampaneira, Bubión, and Capileira.

 Eat

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Cheap and cheerful
Alquería de Morayma, 12-32 € (por persona)
Ctra A-348, Cádiar-Torvizcón Km. 52
Cádiar, Granada
958343221, alqueriamorayma.com/

Home cooked meal
Hotel Rural La Paloma
Carretera Salinas-Vva. de Tapia (A-333) , Km. 7
Villanueva de Tapia, Málaga
952750409, hotelrurallapaloma.com/

 Sleep

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Cheap and cheerful
La Seguiriya, 60 €
C/ las Peñas, 12, Alhama de Granada, Granada
958360801, laseguiriya.com

Camping
Camping Trevélez,
Ctra Trevélez-Orgiva, Km. 1, Trevélez, Granada
625502769, campingtrevelez.net

Our journey begins at Lances Beach, Tarifa.