Day 3 – Castilblanco de los Arroyos to Almaden de la Plata – 30 km – Rugged and beautiful most of the way

We knew this was going to be a long, difficult day with no towns in between. The first half was hiking along a paved highway.  So, the two Dutch ladies, German lady and I decided to control our destinies and save our feet by taking a cab to the entrance of the natural park – cutting out the less safe hike along the highway.

The entrance to Parque Natural los Berrocales in the Sierra Norte was a park-like setting, but this quickly changed into much more rugged, difficult terrain dotted by flocks of antelopes and other wild life. By the time one hikes up 550 metres in less than one kilometre, the scenery is spectacular and you’ve definitely had your day’s workout.

So, it was reassuring to…