Benarrabá - SL-A 215 Llanos del Rey (Valle del Genal)

SL-A 215 Llanos del Rey is fairly short, mostly on wide tracks, and well-signed at every junction. This loop takes you into an area northeast of Benarrabá overlooking the Arroyo del Infiernillo. There are good views back to Benarrabá, ahead to Algatocín, and down to the Río Genal. After crossing the arroyo, the track first heads uphill, then descends along a stretch of trail marked as a BTT route, and finally winds through a cork oak grove.

Since the track officially begins at the north edge of Benarrabá, it’s possible to explore the village on the way to or from the walk itself. The ayuntamiento’s website has extensive information about what to look for as you walk around town and provides the addresses of houses where you can find examples of traditional architecture (see link under Resources below). The town's unusual name comes from Banu Rabbah, meaning the children of Rabbah, a Benimerine tribe that settled here. Like all the other villages nearby, it sits on a steep slope neither at the top of the ridge nor down by the river. The village once had almost 2000 people. The current figure of 421 includes many who live here only part of the time. The school, built for 200 students, now has around ten.

Notes
SL-A 215 Llanos del Rey has two versions - one short and one long. See the Fedamon brochure links under resources below.

Walk 24 of a long-distance walk through the Serranía de Ronda
From our journal:
We had the good luck to meet the same man on the trail who had warned us about the river crossing yesterday. This gave us a good chance to talk with him and learn a little about the local history.

Possibilities for eating/sleeping
The Hotel-Rural Banu Rabbah in Benarrabá is well-located for walkers, close to the beginnings of numerous trails. Its twelve rooms all have beautiful views from their balconies, and the lounge has a collection of hiking guidebooks, as well as books about local history, geography, water routes, and bike routes. The Restaurante Kábilas is right next door.

Benarrabá also has a food shop, Tienda Andreita, and a pharmacy, handy for walkers needing to resupply.

Resources
Ayuntamiento de Benarrabá
www.benarraba.es/7941/arquitectura-popular
The ayuntamiento website has extensive information about what to look for as you walk around town and also gives the locations where you can see examples of traditional architecture.

Fedamon SL-A 215 trail brochure and map for 7.9 km loop
https://static.malaga.es/municipios/subidas/archivos/2/1/arc_130712.pdf

Fedamon SL-A 215 trail brochure and map for 2.6 km loop
www.fedamon.com/senderos/sl/malaga/FOLLETO_LLANOS%20DEL%20REY%20CORTO.pdf

Previous day’s walk: Benarrabá - SL-A 175 Concaste - La Portá
www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/benarraba-sl-a-175-concoste-la-porta-valle-del-genal-80710778

Next day’s walk: Benarrabá circular - 3 arroyos - Rio Genal
www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/benarraba-circular-3-arroyos-rio-genal-valle-del-genal-81119506

Link to journal
http://hiking.topicwise.com/doc/GenalValley