Great news! Finally the first kennel will be arriving this week and we are ready to roll. I already have two dogs booked for September with another 5 showing interest. It will be so nice to have dogs here and see how they enjoy their play area - both their private one and shared one. There are still jobs to do - but we have enough in place to "start". I'm also ready for a workshop and hope to let everyone know a date for the first one soon - I might aim at the beginning of September or end of August. We have a lovely working space and shade for most of the morning.
We have also been enjoying a few evening events in Alhama. One Flamenco and one "dúo cómico musical" Los Sabineros, in a tribute evening to Joaquín Sabina. The first was held in the square outside the church - a lovely setting and everyone clapping and enjoying the evening. The second was at the ayunatmiento and was such a joy, with Los Sabineros showing great humour and they were wonderful entertainers. I would thoroughly recommend - even if you don't have a lot of Spanish.
Betsey has been with us just over a week and already she has changed enormously! She has put on weight, has a shiny coat again and has learnt so much! I have included below a demo of her showing how good she is at "leave it" off leash already. She no longer tries to take the other dog's treats or dash for her own. Walking with Betsey is great and she is mostly right with me but even if she has an explore off leash, she recalls so well even if out of sight in the bushes. On a walk the other day a hare shot out almost from under her feet. She ran only about three metres and listened to me! She also has great recalls from out of the olive groves, even when she is onto a really good scent. Here is a list of her plus points - all of which tick my boxes when for "looking for a great dog"...
* House trained * Good recall
* Doing a superb leave it even when dropping food next to her
* Takes treats politely from the hand and does not snatch
* Can now lie down and ignore us when we eat and not starting fixedly at us in the sit * Not a yapper/annoying barker * Sleeps quietly through the night * Loves other dogs but loves her humans even more * Great through town * Great on the leash and off * Learns fast * Sits to have her leash on and does not just get up and shoot off the moment it is on * Sits to have her leash off * Great in the car * Great at the vet - no shakes, fear or crying * Happy to meet all people male and female * Has shown no particular worry or fear of smaller people - children, even when running and shouting * Has shown no particular interest in push chairs * Has not chased bicycles, cars, motorbikes etc even when off leash and close to her * Is friendly with the family cat * Passes sheep, horses, chickens and other cats without concern * Baths well and easily - including hosing off under the hose pipe * Can sit and give focused eye contact before taking her food * Can wander around the other dogs while they are eating but is no longer trying to dive into their food * Understands a few simple tricks - on the block, out, sit, not rushing out of doors and gates under people's feet, sit to get in/out of cars
* Can shake both paws * Doing a reasonable down although needs help sometimes but really getting it - will lie down before going out and lets us out first, has much more patience. * Can lie on her bed and knows not to wander into places she is not allowed * Does not steal cushions, human clothes, shoes or other items to chew or destroy * Does not chew or destroy her own bed * Does not "mouth" chew or bite on people * When excited still jumps up a little but does not nip or bite
First, I want to sincerely apologize for not responding to your original email. We all get busy and life gets in the way, but this is no excuse. You mentioned in your post that this is about politeness, and I wholeheartedly agree. Unfortunately time is limited and this is not what happened in your case - I let you down.
Your post is very complimentary of our products, which I appreciate and want to acknowledge. Sadly, my lack of communication gave a very false perception of who we are at Hill's. Hill's is an amazing company; an organization made up globally of pet lovers. We strive to fulfill our mission "to help enrich and lengthen the special relationships between people and their pets " and care deeply about the people and pets who allow us to be part of their lives every day - which brings me to your blog post.
You make some great points about the hubris some large companies have, and I find myself in similar situations in my own life. In this case, I was able to see the entire path you took; the emails and communications, your frustration and how a company you supported seemed to turn its back. I was also able to see if from the inside and how a few missed connections send a very strong, but incorrect message to the people we truly care about the most. It made me stop and think about some of my own recent customer experiences and why they took the path they did.
Please know it was never my intent to be arrogant, imply our individual customers are unimportant, or treat the people who matter to us most poorly. I understand your position and what drove you to write the post. I feel it is important to ensure you receive a response from me and hope you can understand.
We at Hill's are passionate pet owners - my dog Cici and Cat Roady are my life. One of the things I love most about working here is the wonderful opportunity to have a personal connection with people who also have a true passion for their pets.
Your journey is incredible and I wish you the best.
Kind regards, Lori
Dear Lori,
Thank you for your email and professional response. As promised I will put it on Facebook and the blog now - I assume that you are happy for me to do this?
I understand that sometimes things slip through the cracks - we are all human after all. But is does seem a shame (and somewhat supports my view of corporates) that none of my follow up emails elicited a response, but I got a very quick one when I posted my views on Facebook and Google+.
I obviously accept your gracious apology, but ought perhaps to point out that the reason for the post was the lack of response to what was a sponsorship request. Your letter, however apologetic, even now and after all this time, still does not address this issue.
I should perhaps inform you that things have moved on a little with my plans since I last emailed you. I am still walking the camino - my next phase starts in October this year. However, in the meantime, I have connected with a dog charity group here, called Axarquia Animal rescue, and have discussed with them my plans to do the camino again, but this time with a dog drawn sulky (two wheeled dog carriage).
It is my belief that we can raise a substantial amount of money and arouse great interest in this unusual journey which should significantly help Axarquia in their excellent work with dogs in Spain, a country where, sadly, this work is badly needed.
As you know, we are long term Hills customers, but in the absence of any interest from Hills in response to our sponsorship request, we plan to present our case to Royal Canin (which would of course mean that we also switch to them as suppliers of our dog food).
I mention this, because it seems to me that you might be interested in marketing hills more heavily here in Spain, given that Royal Canin is so much more available here (and therefore more strongly supported) than Hills.
I might be wrong, but I would have thought a story such as ours might be worth telling, and worth supporting by your company.
I would be grateful if you would just let me know whether or not you are interested in supporting us. Until then, I will hold off for a short while before contacting Royal Canin, in the hope of hearing from you.
I am really not one for negative blogs, rants and moans but I have to say that I feel more than a little disappointed in Hills Pet Foods. Michael decided to write this as he felt it was important to say and I agree with him. It's about common courtesy and politeness, it's about acknowledging people and it's about communication. I am going to let Hills know that this has been posted and I will offer them a chance to reply - if they do, I promise to post it here. I hope that you will bear with us and take a moment to read through this blog message:
Ndzilo and I congratulating ourselves on making 470km
from Valencia to Toledo
"We have been loyal customers of Hills Science diet products for twenty years. We have three large dogs and regularly foster dogs looking for good homes, so Hills have done pretty well out of us over the years, both from our direct purchases and from our recommendations. One of those dogs is now 12 years old. She is a Rhodesian Ridgeback and has been fed Hills all her life. She still has all her own teeth, has never had a day sick in her life and the vets examining her before her trip from South Africa to Spain a year ago said that she had a heart more like that of a 4 yo dog than an 11 yo one! When Tamasine started walking the Camino with our dogs, it occurred to us that things could be a little easier financially if we sought sponsorship. We felt that Tamasine walking the Camino with our dogs would be a good story for a company willing to back us. So we thought that we would contact Hills, and see what they thought. The first difficulty is that it is extremely hard to find someone to communicate with at Hills. Harder than most companies in fact. But, with perseverance, persistence, and a little out of the box thinking we managed to get in contact with someone there, who promised to pass our story on. Nothing. We waited a while and tried again. Nothing. And again. Finally we got a response from someone, which was encouraging. They said that the story sounded interesting - they would take a look at the blog and get back to us. Many months later, and several follow up emails, and guess what - nothing! Don't get me wrong. This is not sour grapes because we didn't get sponsorship. We have always been impressed by the Hill's food and sponsorship would have helped, but we didn't hold out all that much hope anyway. This is about politeness. If Hills had come back to us at any stage and told us politely that they weren't interested, then fine. We would have said ok, and walked away. But large corporations like this get arrogant. They think that they are big enough that their individual customers are unimportant, and do not merit normal polite behaviour. They think that they are above their customers. But what actually happens is that long term customers like us, think they don't care. And if they don't care abut us, we should we care about them.
This is why we are in the process of investigating other brands in order to switch our dog food soon. Hills don't care enough even to write to us. And so we don't wish to stay with them anymore. We are in the day of large corporates and globals, there is no mistaking that. And they do have a habit of becoming unreachable and untouchable. It is up to all of us to make it our job to change that, and do it in the only way we can - with our feet". Michael
Ehud from HelpX who did a great job on weeding and
strimming our work area ready for the kennel, agility
and dog run area to go up
Lots has happened since the last update! The first and good news is that things are really changing and the place is starting to come together. The playground/agility area is looking like what it is supposed to now (!) and the fences for the kennels and runs are up. There are still bits of tidying up to do but it is looking like the facility I want it to be now. Our HelpX helper, Ehud from Isreal, was with us for a week and really got on top of all the strimming and weeding, so that made a huge difference.
It was wonderful meeting someone from a completely different country and learning about the history and culture. Ehud was particularly great as he is a tour guide there and very knowledgeable. I would thoroughly recommend anyone who would like some help
Kaishi after her swim in the lake - she found some lovely
soft ash to lie in!
around their home, farm, garden or a project, to join HelpX. You provide food and accommodation in return for work - usually around 4 or 6 hours per day - and some time off during the week. You get to meet great people, make new friends and learn lots from them. You can usually check out their different skills as well - so you might want someone who is good at carpentry, or good with animals and there is a way you can track these helpers down on the site. You can invite them to come to you and they might look out for you on the website also and ask if you are needing help. The site is easy to use and you can include lots of detail and photos. Check out www.helpx.net
Ehud was a real "fish" and spent most of his
The agility/play area coming along nicely - the bridge
and tunnel are under construction here. You don't need
to make huge expensive investments to create a fun
obstacle course for your dog but it does need to be
safe.
spare time in the pool, at our little river pools or in the lake when we went walking with the dogs. For those who love to swim, this is a great place to do it with lots of different swimming options! It inspired us to go swimming in the lake the following week and it was wonderful to actually swim next to the dogs! We are going to have our next HelpX visitor in August - a Spanish lady who is going to come and help with painting our shed along with doing a language exchange. She is working on her English (although it seems excellent!) and will help us by talking in Spanish. It's a fabulous way for anyone learning a language to have "private" conversational practice!
The tunnel/bridge with the added ability that I can keep
the tunnel out of the sun when not in use, the hoop, jumps
weaving poles and in the background the fenced
runs for guest dogs. Each will have their own lying
platform, shade area and play sand as well as a raised
kennel with raised bed.
With the kennel and agility area we are so nearly finished but having trouble finding the right kennels. We found one that was sustainably produced, raised off the ground and good for both cold and hot weather, but it was too small - even the largest size! The quotes we have received are outrageously expensive and to make them ourselves will take Michael away from the work he needs to do. We have finally tracked down a place not so far away and hope they might be able to help. If they can they will receive a huge mention on here! The obstacles are almost finished and the playground looks good and you can see some of this in the photos. We had a wonderful meeting with the Axarquia rescue group - Diane and Sam came to visit and they are wonderful and friendly ladies and I hope very much to give them lots of help and support, help raise some funds with the sulky (eventually) and the workshops and also with behaviour issues. I have three people I'm chatting to about doing a case study - for Unit 14 of my Diploma with the BCCS (British College of Canine Studies - www.britishcollegeofcaninestudies.com) and a new foster dog will come to live with us from Friday via Axarquia Animal Rescue www.axarquianimalrescue.com. Her name is Betsey and she is like a long legged Jack Russell. It seems like she is a Ratonero Bedeguero Andaluz - a dog of medium size, measuring between 34.9–43 cm at the withers and with an appearance very similar to that of the Jack Russell Terrier. This has led to the breed being called the Spanish Jack Russell. They are apparently agile dogs with a lean and athletic build so we could be in for some fun!! I know Ndzilo loved her JR friend in RSA so I'm hoping Betsey will fit right in here too. From Wikipedia:
The Ratonero Bodeguero Andaluz (Andalusian wine-cellar rat-hunting dog) is a Spanishbreed of dog of the terriertype. Its name reflects its main occupation: hunting rats and mice hidden between barrels in the wineries of Andalusia in Spain. It was recognised as an indigenous Spanish breed in 2000 by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and by the Spanish Kennel Club, the Real Sociedad Canina de España.[1]
Akina at the specialist's in Granada
Kaishi hanging out in the shade
of the tunnel!
Akina has been to see an eye specialist in Granada - an excellent and friendly vet who has given her a course of drops and eye washes. We still have no idea how she did it, but one eye turned much darker than the other and none of the vets could find any problems. The only thing they can think of is that it got a seed or something in it which caused and infection, but they never found it. Various treatments did not work but it seems like we are on top of it now. She has been amazing - vets poking her eye about, putting in many drops several times per day, putting a pressure tester right onto her eyeball and never a growl nor a shake of nervousness! She got on and off the high table and was so good. I am very proud of her, her patience and her trust in us. Hopefully at the end of the course of treatment the inflammation will not return. Her eye is likely to always be a bit darker but some of the light chestnut colour has returned. The important thing is that she can see fine!
Building confidence - I drag the tyre first
The project for teaching the dogs to pull a sulky is coming along. Finally after some back and forth with customs we got the harnesses that I had ordered from Chalo Sulky www.chalosulky.com (take a look at the Driving Dogs tab on the website - www.leadchanges.net) and hitched up the tyres we had made into a drag obstacle when we were still in Chella. With the right harness and attachments it worked perfectly as the harnesses did not slip and they kept the tyre stable. I started just as I used to with the horses when teaching them to pull a log on a rope - dragging ropes each side and rewarding the dogs for doing well. I then progressed to dragging the tyre myself so they could get used to the sound of it bumping over different surfaces and sometimes bouncing if it got stuck on weeds or rocks. Rewarding a praising all the way, giving them fun things to do around and through the tyres to build confidence, we progressed to pulling them. Kaishi just loves it and is a natural and was trotting along next to me in the first few minutes, making her way with her tyres next to me all the way to our neighbour's house. The leash was slack and she just ran with me.
Attaching the tyre to the side 'D' rings either
side of the harness "saddle". The straps are
just like on my western saddle - front cinch
(girth) and rear cinch - for the same
purpose too!
Akina also did well but wanted to look at the tyre much more and also did most of the first pull at the walk with a little bit of trot. She requires more encouragement but for a dog who has always been more shy she was a superstar! The pics here show Akina in action, as does the video clip. I also received reins for the driving from behind part, although I still need the driving collars. I made do with what I had and on the second day (only yesterday) I asked them to follow the bicycle while I gave the commands to "line out" (go out straight and stay straight - and also when they "whoa" to stay straight) and to go ahead and "pull". A couple of times they got a bit distracted and also a little unsure of who was commanding - not sure if they should wait with me or go with the bicycle but they soon realised that I was really cheering them on when they got it right. We ran around the little circuit here (not ready for gee (right) and has (left) yet as they still needed encouragement to pull) and they did follow the direction of the reins and were pulling confidently and happily with wagging tails and happy bodies.
Akina pulling her tyres
They understand the left and right commands from the bicycle and even from off leash work, but on the reins we just focused on the "pull" and encouragement to move out and ahead with the tyre. After the short run they got an off leash quick run with Michael as a reward. We will progress with this over time, but I really, really need to get saved up to buy the actual sulky now!! They will move out too fast for me to keep up on foot! I had to do very little to get them used to the harnesses because they are so used to working in their backpacks and in preparation I have been making the backpacks a little tighter around their ribs. They wore them the first day they arrived for about 15 minutes in the house and just hanging out in them while I supervised, but seem totally comfortable and confident in them. They see them and they know that fun is about to happen and this is an occasion where I want the dogs excited and keen - because they are going to need to run and pull!
Over time the weight increases as the dogs get stronger and they learn to pull more resistance. I will proceed exactly the same way once I get the sulky and then you start to weight it until it is carrying the same amount of weight as the person it is going to pull.
Finally the house is finished - only a few more pictures to put up and we are there! The boxes are unpacked, which must be about the first time in 13 years, although there are a few we are using for storage. The shed is up, the dog fencing is (as I write this) almost finished, the agility area is getting organised and the pool is almost ready for swimmers! It finally feels like we are getting somewhere and we have been able to get out and about and discover a few more beautiful places - Lake Bermejales being one of them and only about 15 minutes from Alhama.
The local Feria of San Juan also starts this week (Thursday) and runs through to Sunday. A great event for kids apparently and I see on the schedule there is a "foam" evening. There isn't a bullring in Alhama so I wondered if there was such a thing as a portable one when I saw the adverts for the coming bullfighting events and lo and behold - there is! It has been erected on a bit of scraped field along one of our dogs walks not far from town and is visible from the house. It's quite a thing and a tad larger than the portable round pens I'm used to!
Portable bullring (Plaza del Torros) on one of our
regular dog walks
Lake Bermejales is the most spectacular colour
in the sunlight!
The lake is very peaceful and so far whenever we have walked there, apart from one or two people in the parking areas, we have met no one on our walks! There are large fish that can be seen close to the surface and with the water, it's a dog walking heaven. The girls love it and dive, splash, play and swim whenever they get a bit hot. They love to race in for pine cones and then jump on top of each other. the walk we did at the weekend was around 7km and a nice gentle Camino practice.
We also finally discovered the gorge walk and a lovely little legend within it. Just outside of Alhama there is a little chapel built to celebrate the story. The photos of the chapel and story are included below.
Chapel of Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles
Here out dog visitor (Rose) with her human (Bryan) explore the gorge with us. It's a lovely shady walk although a couple of very steep bits to bring you back into the town!
View of the church/convent from along
the gorge
Inside the chapel
I have also finally ordered two harnesses from Daphne Lewis of ChaloSulky (take a look at her website http://chalosulky.server271.com/). There is also a tab on our website about "Driving Dogs" and I plan to teach the girls to pull and later invest in a Sulky. I really hope to promote us with it and maybe attend a few events - my plan is that I will do another Camino once I have finished the walking one, with the dogs and sulky and raise sponsorship for a couple of the dog rescue groups I have helped out here.
The ChaloSulky Suspension Sulky! Hopefully soon
to be seen in Spain!
Watch this space for training news and video clips and information on the sponsored pull when we eventually get to it. Hopefully some of you might like to contribute when the time comes. However, first things first and we need to finish our walking Camino first and get training!!
The girls enjoying a swim at the stream a little below
our house. We call them Bourkes Luck Potholes after
a place near to where we lived in Mpumalanga, South Africa.
The potholes are interesting shapes carved out by the
water and these are a mini version
Rose - our first dog visitor, checking
out the facilities
Rose getting acquainted
Akina and Ndzilo at "the potholes"
The last pieces of fencing to go up and the pool looking
more welcoming each day!
The dog areas - fencing almost done
gates in, each with their own
mini play area in addition to
the main play/agility area and
country walks
We still have some strimming and weeding to do to get the area of the kennels finished, but our neighbour's cat has had kittens under an old chair that had been dumped in the back of the garden and so we can't go there until he is ready to move them up to his house. We have a HelpX helper arriving this week - due Thursday for about a week - and hopefully we will be able to get on top of all these last things when he arrives!
Well, we are two weeks in and I can't believe how settled we are already. The house is almost completely organised, just the guest bedroom to finish off and the downstairs bathroom and we are there! Partly these will still be a bit disorganised until the shed and kennels go up as there will be a dog equipment storage space so we can move it out of the house.
The walks for our own and guest dogs is just superb and anyone wanting their dogs to get great walks and a home away from home, then this really is the place (see the clip below of Kaishi and Akina playing). The play/work area is a lovely space and the landlords will be putting the main fence in soon. We will put in the additional fencing.
Walks that are made for dogs! This is really the most perfect place for them and far exceeds what we had hoped for
View back toward Alhama (left) and the farm centre from
the Olive groves and almond orchards on the opposite
hill to the house
We have also found some great houses for the dogs - safe wood, safe weather proofing, chew proofed, hoseable for disinfecting down, easy to clean and access and with an entrance porch and inside wall that protects the dog from all weathers including snow. They are also insulated against cold and heat - warm in winter, cool in summer plus they are raised off the ground. This means rather than converting our own dogs' kennel into guest ones and buying a new area for ours, we can give our own dogs their original home and create a feed/store room out of the area that used to house the running machine and our overflow! The roof will be extended to give separate feed areas and there will be a secure entrance area with access directly from the house for us - so that even in bad weather we will not have to get soggy visiting the dogs. Of course, for guests who request it, all the dogs will get "home/family" time with us but in bad weather they too will be able to have a quick dry access to the house.
The perfect picnic - about 5 minutes stroll from the house!
The dogs and Cleo are settling
in so well - they were at home
from day 1
We have also found dog paddling pools and a really lovely big one for the play area that the dogs can use in summer to cool off in and it has a cover for when it is not in use or for safety. The area is actually shady at various times of the day due to the height of the house and the back wall and there are trees all around for additional shady training places. We will put in some additional shade in the work area but we don't need anywhere near as much as we thought.
Cleo-potra as our friend
Ron has renamed her and
plant pots do seem to be
one of her favourite resting
places!
There will also be raised lounging areas and sand pits for the dogs to play and dig in - but these can also be watered down in hot weather as we know how much our own dogs love to lay their bellies in damp sand on a hot day. The roof of the work area will be extended to provide additional shade and protection to the dog's houses, but with the insulation this is additional rather than essential.
The dog's gate bell!
I am so looking forward to welcoming dogs and owners here and to hopefully running the first Leadchanges workshop once we are all set up. I want to get the website finished next and get out the info to the rescue centres - as of course we will be looking for our next rescue dog to welcome for a stay until he or she finds a new home.
Entrance as you come in - lovely wild garden all around.
We are busy weeding the gravel area and planting up
pots of herbs and little veggies. A bigger veg patch
has been identified but will come later!
We have also started a bit on the garden, weeding (it is terribly over run) and located an area for the veggie garden although the big veggies are more likely to be going in for next year. Antonio our neighbour and the farmer has many hens, so right now we get eggs from him weekly and we may not have our own as the hens are everywhere and with sufficient eggs. Maybe I will put in an area for our own with regards to the training of dogs to hens, but there is so much livestock here and access to ways of training, that it may not be necessary. We will see.
The next stage of Sulky training should start when I can get my double harness - so I'm hoping that might be possible soon. Ideally the next step will see if we can get a HelpX person to blitz the garden and help us get it ship shape sooner. The ad will go out soon. A week should actually do it for now with another week in a couple of months maybe for some extra painting or re-proofing the shed.
The main square
Convent and Church - Iglesia
del Carmen
Alhama de Granada is a delight! It has a lovely little sports centre with what looks like it might be an indoor pool! I am going to investigate and there appear to be physios at the centre too. The larger shopping town is Loja about 25 mins by car - actually not that far in km's but it's a bit of a windy road. The views however are stunning!!! You could pretty much walk from the house here, by farm tracks, all the way to Loja without crossing another road or finding another house. It is far above and beyond what we could have hoped for in a location for the dogs and what we want to do here.
The gorge running through Alhama
The town also has a stunning gorge running through its centre and a hot springs - with spa and old Arab baths. There is also GR7 long distance walking route going through the town and other lovely walks along the gorge plus the "Washington Irving Ruta" - a literary trail a bit like the Quixote trail, but for the man maybe most known for his writings - Rip van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow! More about him and Alhama below from the official websites and Wikipedia.
Alhama de Granada is a town in the province of Granada, approx. 50 km from the city of Granada. The name is derived from the thermal baths located there, which are called al-hammam in Arabic. In 1482, the fortress town was taken from the Moorish Sultanate and Kingdom of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs.
Michael with Antonio in the Café-Bar "El Tigre".
What a fabulous place and anyone visiting must call in.
Friendly, great food and you can organise Tapas Tastings
and private Flamenco evenings - min. 10 people
Alhama’s position between Málaga and Granada gave it strategic importance for the Moors but they also had a particular fondness for the town and its thermal waters. The cry of sorrow, ¡Ay de mi Alhama!, uttered by Abu Al-Hacen following the battle of 1482 when the town was lost to the Catholic conquerors, entered the Spanish language as an exclamation of regret.
At a convenient distance from the town centre nestling in a poplar grove lining down the banks of the river (also known as Merchan) you will find a hot springs. Prehistoric remains found in the neighbourhood, show the antiquity of the human settlements.
Just lovely - El Tigre: Specialise in Desayunos, quesos, jamones
and carnes a la brasa - Plaza Constitución, 1
Alhama de Granada - 958 350 445
There are also clear evidences of the way Romans used the waters.In the 15th century, the Arabs consolidated the town next to these hot springs and it was believed that they built the termal baths there but the real origin of those baths is roman as is proved in the book of Salvador Raya Retamero a local historian in his book "Reseña histórica de los baños termales de la muy noble y leal ciudad de Alhama de Granada" (Brief history of the hot springs of the most noble and loyal city of Alhama de Granada)[1] a short interview to the author explain the details.[2] The strategic influence of Alhama de Granada made vital the fall, in 1492, of the Arab empire for the conquest of the Kingdom of Granada, which lead to the beginning of a flourishing age, because of the patronage of the Catholic Monarchs. The bath house in the Almohade style of the 12th century that is preserved in the SPA is a good example of Arab baths’ construction. The magnificent horse shoe arcs were built over the remains of Roman construction and are covered by a vaulted roof, pierced by star-shaped openings that let the daylight filter in. Under the vaulted roof of the baths it bubbles up the oldest warm spring of Alhama de Granada. The newest one, which springs up a few metres from the other, was discovered in 1884, many centuries after a terrible earthquake whose epicentre could have been very near the area. Alhama looks out over some of Spain's most spectacular scenery. In winter, the view to the majestic snow-capped Sierra Nevada is uninterrupted. Close by is the vast and beautiful Bermejales lake, 12 km from town and reached by a road lined with poplars and Mediterranean black pines. There are sandy beaches, safe swimming and plenty of non-motorised water sports. There are also a couple of cafes at the edge of the lake. Many of the local population spend evenings and weekends barbecuing at the water's edge, it is a great location. (Wikipedia)
From www.thegrapevine.es: Walking in Alhama de Granada
Over the mountains from Cómpeta the historic town of Alhama de Granada nestles in a valley and is a great base for exploring the great outdoors. Only an hour from the coast, the scenery changes dramatically from the high peaks of the Sierras Almijaras, Tejeda and Alhama to a more rolling countryside. The peaks of El Fuerte (Frigiliana) and El Lucero (Cómpeta) can be seen in the distance as you approach Alhama de Granada, and the passes of Puerto de Frigiliana and Puerto de Cómpeta loom in the background ready to be walked and explored. There is, however, a lot to see near the town itself. For the culture and history buffs, the routes of the romantic writer Washington Irving passes through the town, and the Arab traveller and writer Ibn Batuta. The effects of earthquake of 1884 can be clearly seen in Alhama de Granada – the book “Los Terremotos de 1884, Arenas del Rey y Seco de Lucena” by Andrés García Maldonado documents its devastating effects on Andalucia. It was the same earthquake which rocked Cómpeta and damaged the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Plaza Almijara. The tourist office offers tours at 12 noon every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
As to the geology, the gorge of the Tajos is reminiscent of the Grand Canyon on a smaller scale, and the walk through the gorge to the local beauty spot El Ventorro is well worth a visit. Starting in Alhama de Granada from behind the Nunnery Church Nuestra Señora del Carmen (16th 18th century) and the tourist office, follow the track down the steps called the “Cuesta del Carmen” down to the river Alhama. Continue along the path which leads to the Molinos de la Acequia Alta Mills, and the Camino de los Angeles. This route passes through the Tajos and is part of the GR-7 (Gran Recorrido No. 7) – just one of the network of long distance paths in Andalucia). At the time of writing (early March 2008) the almond blossom is still in full flower – the town is at over 1000m whilst Cómpeta is at 636m so spring comes a little later at that altitude. At this time of year, the chasm is full of flowers, wooded glades of deciduous trees and birds nesting on the cliffs.
Continue along the chasm with Puerto de Cómpeta in the distance – this is known as the Pantaneta route and there is an interpretive board about the geology of the area (in English and Spanish) which explains the activity of the European and Iberian tectonic plates over the years. Moving on, you will pass the shrine of Los Angeles – have a look inside - you will be surprised at how it has been decorated. After another .5km you will come to a crossing over River Alhama on the left over a wooden bridge. This is a favourite picnic spot for locals and visitors alike. Cross the river and continue along the track, on the left you will see the remains of a hydroelectric system. Eventually you will come to the Alhama – Jatar road – cross the road, and turn left (keeping on the path and take care as traffic goes very fast on this stretch). To the right is a road bridge and take a moment to have a look at the dam and the lake. Continue then to the left, and pass a secluded house with conifer trees outside, and when you come to the clearing you will see El Ventorro, a great place to stop for a drink or a meal (book up at weekends, especially for lunch). El Pato Loco (the Crazy Duck!) is next door and has a swimming pool and more outside space. Across from both establishments is the lake with a wide variety of ducks, coots and other water fowl. There is an information board with pictures explaining the best time to see which type of bird. If you stay overnight in this idyllic spot you will hear foxes barking in the dark. Inside El Ventorro there are magnificent paintings of the countryside covered in snow. It is 10km to Jatar and the turquoise waters of Lake Bermajales.
There are many walking tracks in this area, and the Ruta de los Angeles goes right through to the hot springs (balnearios) which is definitely worth a visit. From the town it takes about half an hour, and again the going is good underfoot.
It is also possible to climb Maroma (2066m) from the Alhama side, and through the Puerto de Cómpeta and Puerto de Frigiliana. We can provide information on accommodation in the Alhama de Granada area – contact us for a quotation. More information from http://www.spain.iberacal.com.
Walking Group
Alhama de Granada: Terry Mottershead – http://www.alhambrarambler.com
Getting there:
Bus: Alhama – Málaga: 16:30 via Torre del Mar Málaga – Alhama: 09:00 via Torre del Mar
Car:
From Cómpeta – drive to Canillas de Albaida and turn left past Bar Cerezo. By the shrine, turn right and follow the zig zag road past Finca Cerillo and at the end of the road, turn left (the right hand fork takes you to Fogarate) then right on to the tarmac road towards Salares. Follow the road through Salares, Sedella and Canillas de Aceituno, using the by passes for each village. After passing through Canillas de Aceituno you will be able to see Lake Viñuela. At the end of the road turn right and pass through La Viñuela (the little vine). You will join the Velez Málaga – Zafarraya road – turn right and head for the pass.
Follow the A335 / A340 from Velez Málaga to the pass at Zafarraya, then bear right after passing through the village. It is signposted to Alhama de Granada.
Tourist office:
Paseo Montes Jovellar s/n Tel. y fax 958 360 686 www.turismodealhama.org Email: turismo@alhama.org
Washington Irving Walking Route:
This route traces the steps followed in 1829 by the romantic North American writer Washington Irving, who was fascinated by the wealth and exoticism of the Spanish-Muslim civilization. A communications artery established many centuries before, which served as a trade route between the Christian south of the peninsula and the Nazarite kingdom of Granada.
The trajectory links the capitals of the two traditional Andalusias, the Lower and Upper; two plains, the Open Country and the Fertile Plain, separated by an evocative and rugged journey. The route swings between Seville and Granada, the two obligatory stops on the romantic journey which the image of Andalusia projected in Europe, attracting a multitude of artists, writers, the curious and all kinds of travellers.
With all this walking and hill climbing I will certainly be Camino fit for October! The town is only 15 minutes on the bicycle too - all off road. Psychologically it seems further because you can't see the town from the house, but it's actually quicker to get to Alhama than it was to go to Consum via the cycle route in Chella!
I hope we see some of you here soon! More later, but I will crack on with the preparations for now!
