Sunny Walkers 190223: Sierra de las Nieves y Pico Torrecilla v2

A beautiful and challenging hike as the slopes of Torrecilla were covered in snow. The weather was warm although we had to contend with strong winds at the summit.
The way to the summit was made harder by the snow covering but gave a bonus of providing cushioning in case of mishaps.
The use of crampons in this situation would have helped.

The Sierra de las Nieves is named after the snow that sometimes covers its heights in the winter and that used to be gathered in snow holes for local use.
During this hike we’ll see a renovated snow hole. In previous centuries the snow was packed into the stone-lined pit and compressed so that it formed ice. During the summer the ice was transported down the mountain by mules to be used for preserving food.

La Torrecilla is a mountain with a height of 1,919 m, which lies southeast of Ronda in the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park, of the Sierra de las Nieves range in the province of Málaga, Andalucia, Spain.

We start our hike in the Area Recretivo Los Queligales at an altitude of 1,283 metres (4,209 ft) and takes you eventually to 1,919 metres (6,296 ft).
To put that into perspective, Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain, is 1,344 metres (4,409 ft).
Torrecilla is the highest mountain in the Sierra Nieves, higher than any in the Sierra Bermeja, in fact, you do not see a higher mountain until you reach the Sierra Nevadas, over 150 kilometres east, which you can see from the summit of Torrecilla on a clear day. The route is reasonably well marked with posts but indistinct in two places, the last crucial climb to the summit and the last leg of the first ridge.
A short distance before you climb the summit on your left are caves, one is a shrine in which local people leave flowers, particularly on the 1st November, and a second is a shrine dedicated to the Virgin de las Nieves. From the latter, a freshwater spring emerges that has, reputedly, healing powers but in any case is clean, cold and very welcome.
The ascent and descent at this time of the year to the Torrecilla summit requires caution due to the icy path but we’ll worth the effort as the views were magnificent in all directions.

Within the Sierra de las Nievas National Park
there are a considerable number of large caves, several taking the traditional form of horizontal caverns. Three are of particular interest, namely Hoyos del Pilar, Hoyos de Lifa and Cuevas del Moro.
The area is known for its shafts. One of these, GESM, is one of the deepest in Europe and was named after the Grupo de Exploraciones Subterráneas de Málaga (GESM) which explored it in September 1978. The entrance to this shaft is located at 1670 m and descends 1098 m with a few large drops. The Gran Pozo drops 115 m and the Pozo Paco de la Torre has a vertical fall of 194 m. At a depth of 900 m there are some interesting rock formations in the Sala de Maravillas, and Lake Ere is located almost at the bottom which still has not been fully explored.

A hard but extremely enjoyable hike which I’ll definitely come back in the spring to do.