GR 248 Etapa 3, Pizarra - Estación de Cártama (Málaga)

17 01 2023

GR 248 Etapa 3 Pizarra – Estación de Cártama

The best way to do this linear walk is to get the 10.05am Cercana train to Pizarra, which arrives at 10.16am.
Cártama train station has a big car park (free), so parking shouldn’t be a problem.
(Officially this sendero is closed due to repairs, of which I didn’t see any evidence of any works).
The first 1.6km is on two main roads, so take extra care. Then you turn left into some woods, eventually coming to an orange grove (2km), which is being fenced off and the path is on the otherside of the fence!

Then turn right past the orchard and the path parallel to the railway line.
You will arrive to a high mound on your right which you have to climb up, and then go down and cross the dry stream which is a bit steep.
Turning right you get onto a good path that goes through lots of orchards and agricultural land.

At one point a signpost shows go straight ahead, but the official route that I had shows turn left, which I did. I don’t know if they are re planning and redirecting the route, but the directions looked like it was heading away from Cártama.
Passing some more agricultural land you then follow the railway line again passing the Aljaima train station. The route then goes back onto the main A 7054 road and passes an old wreck Cortijo Ratón.
Eventually you follow the river Guadalhorce where the walk officially ends at the main roundabout to Estación de Cártama.

This was an okay linear walk, but badly signposted. There will be issues when the fencing of the orchard is finished, as theadjacent area will not be easy to get across.

I then carried on with the walk to get back to the parking area next to the train station.

This was Etapa 3 (section 3) on the GR 248 of the Gran Senda de Guadalhorce. It comprises of six stages, four heading towards Málaga and two stages heading north.