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INTRODUCTION

The Pyrenees from Lluçà (Section 7, Stage 1)

The Sendero Historico (or GR1) is a trail that combines great scenery with a gentle lesson in Spain’s fascinating history. Spain has an impressive selection of long-distance paths and experienced Spanish walkers would tell you that this is the best of them – little known outside Spain as it may be.

Traversing the north of Spain it sits in the shadow of world’s most famous walk, the Way of Saint James (the ‘Camino di Santiago’), and offers a completely different experience. The ‘Camino’ had one aim: to get pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela as quickly as possible. It’s a sort of medieval motorway. The GR1, on the other hand, is a relatively modern invention and it’s in no rush. There is nothing direct about this route. Designed for walkers, it meanders through some of the best scenery northern Spain has to offer and, at the same time, visits key locations in the development of modern Spain.

Walking in Spain is a special experience. Spain was the last country in Western Europe to experience rural depopulation, and the remnants of an ancient infrastructure where everyone walked are still there. The GR1 follows paths and trails that, until the 1960s, were the main way people and their animals moved from village to village. Although, sadly, the days when every village had a bar, cantina or hostal have now gone, there are still just enough to make walking from place to place the best way to travel.

Travelling from west to east across Spain, the Sendero starts at the Puerto de Tarna, a pass on the regional border between the Asturias and Castilla y León, heads east along the southern flank of the Cantabrian Mountains, the plain of Navarre and the foothills of the Pyrenees (‘Prepirinio’ in Spanish) and then finishes on the Mediterranean coast at Sant Martí d’Empúries near L’Escala. Although it’s a long walk, some 1250km, and mountainous, involving over 39,000m of climb, it’s not difficult. If you’re reasonably fit, the only thing you need to enjoy it is time.

The route crosses six Spanish ‘Autonomous Regions’ – the components of what is a very federal country. The original idea was to establish a coast-to-coast walk from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, but the first two regions on the route – Asturias and Galicia – didn’t buy into the vision hence the Puerto de Tarna start. For those walkers who want to dip their toes in both oceans this guide describes how to extend the route to Finisterre and the Atlantic using other GR routes (see Appendix B).

An important feature of mountain walking in Spain, unlike much of Europe, is that you don’t have to get above the tree line to enjoy wonderful views. Mountains at similar altitudes in France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria are more likely to be covered in trees, often commercial pine, than in Spain. In these countries you can sometimes walk for days without getting ‘a long view’. As in other countries Spain lost its trees (and topsoil) to agriculture and woodburning centuries ago, but because rural depopulation happened so much later trees have not yet returned to cover the mountains. There are, of course, some trees – beautiful natural ones – but not too many.

Topography of the route

The GR1 starts near the Picos de Europa – the limestone massif that sits right in the middle of the Cantabrian Mountains, heading into Montaña Palentina and the Riaño Mountains. Although not as famous as the Picos these mountains have their own iconic peaks such as the Peña Espigüete (2451m) and Curavacas (2524m). After the Montaña Palentina comes the Burgos and Basque Mountains where the mountains are lower but just as dramatic in their own way. Depending on the ‘dip’ of the rock strata it’s a landscape formed of escarpments, ridges, cliffs and tabletop mountains or ‘mesas’. If you’ve walked in France you might be reminded of Jura or the Vercors, although this Spanish version is not quite as high.

So far the route has stuck limpet-like to the southern flank of the Cantabrian Mountains with occasional views across the seemingly endless central plateau to the south. Leaving the Basque Country, and the Cantabrian Mountains, this grip slips and for three days the route takes you across the flat plain of Navarre. For most people three days will be enough, but by way of compensation you pass through Los Arcos, Lagran and Olite – beautiful little towns that sit on the plain like ships on an ocean.

Peña Espigüete from the Collado de Cruz Armada in the early stages of the trek (Section 1, Stage 3)

Escaping the plain the route climbs east again into the mountains and the Prepirinio – foothills of the Pyrenees. These foothills are formed of vast quantities of eroded rock debris washed down from the main mountain range into the Ebro valley and uplifted again in subsequent phases of mountain building. The result is a landscape of incredible variety but the cliffs (particularly those around Riglos which consist of a strange concrete-like conglomerate including water-eroded pebbles the size of potatoes) and the gorges (particularly those dissecting the Montsec range) are a special feature.

Next the GR1 crosses the north–south valleys running down from the Pyrenees and the walking is relatively arduous, with challenging daily ascents and descents. To compensate, the views of the Pyrenees are amazing, particularly if they are still covered with snow. If you’re lucky with the weather, wonderful views start as soon as you leave the plain in Navarre and continue all the way to the coast.

Climate and vegetation

The GR1 crosses the watershed between the west-flowing Douro and the east-flowing Río Ebro not far from the walk’s beginning and, after Reinosa, you stay on the northern side of the Ebro all the way to the Mediterranean.

The Cantabrian Mountains divide ‘Green Spain’ to north and west with its oceanic climate, and the dry plateau to the south where the climate is continental–Mediterranean with hot dry summers. Most of the GR1 follows the southern flank of the range and is therefore relatively dry although – because of the altitude – not as dry as the rest of the central Spanish plateau.

The flora is mainly Mediterranean, particularly as you approach the Pyrenean foothills where it is typical maquis or garrigue-type scrub. You walk through a beautiful but sometimes prickly mix of shrubs such as gorse, box, rosemary, thyme, lavender, rock rose and cystus. Perhaps the most characteristic tree is the evergreen oak, either the Pyrenean oak or the holm oak, often accompanied by Spanish juniper. The route also passes through beautiful natural pine and beech woods, particularly in the Basque Mountains where there are large native Scots pine forests. In the valley bottoms, if the effects of the summer drought can be avoided, there are enclaves of trees that prefer moist ground including alder, willow, ash and poplar.

Agriculture and wildlife

Traditional agriculture and animal husbandry still dominate the terrain, and, while there are forests to pass through, much of the landscape is open. Expect to see flocks of sheep, sometimes mixed with goats, sometimes with a shepherd and sometimes guarded just by the huge Spanish sheep dogs (called ‘mastines’ in Spanish) bred since Roman times to guard against wolves. In summer in the Cantabrians you will also see herds of beautiful cattle – usually a native breed, either the dark brown Asturian valley cattle or the creamy coloured Asturian mountain cattle, and occasionally the slate grey and very ancient Tudanca breed (huge horns but gentle). Last but not least and left out in all weathers, the hardiest domestic animal of them all, the horse – usually the scruffy-looking Breton and bred (shock, horror!) for meat.

Clockwise from top: Tudanca (very gentle), miniature daffodils, griffin vulture, fox at full speed, shepherd with a faithful friend

Also expect to see wild animals. The GR1 takes you through several protected conservation areas with either national or regional park status. The mountains of northern Spain are home to some of the last populations of Europe’s most endangered species. The two most famous ones, unlikely to be seen, are the Cantabrian brown bear, particularly around Palencia, and the Iberian wolf, currently confined to northwest Spain but gradually extending its territory east. Other interesting and much more common mammals and include chamois, deer of various kinds, foxes, wild boar, otters, red squirrels and pine martins, and there’s a chance of seeing a wild cat.

Northern Spain is also home to spectacular vultures, and the huge Griffon vulture is undoubtedly the star of the show. Most commonly found in the mountains at either end of the walk, they nest in cliffs and circle around the sky in huge numbers. If you’re lucky enough to see a group of them demolish an animal carcass it’s an impressive, if slightly disturbing, sight. Less common but also present are the white Egyptian vulture and the massive Lammergeier. Other raptors include the red kite and booted, golden and short-toed eagles.

Near reservoirs and on top of church towers, chimneys of houses and factories, electricity poles and almost any other tall, freestanding vertical object sit the huge nests of storks. In spring you often see multitudes of common crane migrating north in V-shaped formations, breaking their journey at the Alberca de Alboré just south of the GR1 near the beautiful Mallos de Riglos mountains. Not as big but just as impressive are the golden oriole, the hoopoe, the great spotted cookoo and the tiny Iberian chiffchaff.

History

Reconquest and reunification

Any walk through Spain could be described as a ‘Sendero Historico’ but the GR1 has particular claims to the title. In a rough and ready way the route marks the boundary between the Spain that was part of the Moorish empire and the Spain that remained Christian and visits locations that are key to understanding how the country developed. Walking the route and visiting towns and villages like Olite, Ujué, Besalú, and Loarre will give you insights into two linked processes: first the beginnings of the ‘reconquest’, that finally resulted in the Moors being driven out of the Spanish peninsular; and, second, Spanish unification, which eventually ended the struggle between competing elements on the Christian side. Together these developments, which started in northern Spain in the 8th century and took over 700 years to complete, finished with Spain as the 16th century world superpower.

Loarre Castle (Section 5, Stage 1)

KEY TERMS IN THE HISTORY OF 8TH TO 16TH CENTURY SPAIN

Boiling down Spanish medieval history is a very a risky task but understanding a few terms or themes will enrich your journey.

 The Visigoths – prior to the Muslim conquest, the Visigoths were ‘in control’ of Spain (defeated in France by the Franks).

 The Muslim conquest – in the 8th century Spain was conquered by Muslims (a mix of Arabs and recently conquered Berbers or Moors) with the Visigoths ‘holding out’ on the northern side of the Cantabrian Mountains in the Asturias.

 The Marche Hispancia – the Muslim advance north into France was halted at the Battle of Toulouse in 721 and they were completely expelled in 759. Under Charlemagne (748–814) – a series of tiny buffer states (counties) – the ‘Marche Hispancia’ (like the Welsh Marches) was established south of the Pyrenees.

 The northern Christian kingdoms – out of the Marche Hispancia and the kingdom of Asturias a series of often-competing kingdoms emerge between the 8th and 10th centuries (Galicia, León, Castile, Pamplona (later Navarre), Aragón and Barcelona (later Catalonia) united for the first time, and briefly, as a single Christian entity by Sancho III Garcés the Great (992–1035).

 Umayyad Caliphate – from 756 to 1031 Muslim Spain was ruled as a single entity with Cordoba the capital (Abd al-Rahman I fled to Spain after the Umayyad dynasty which had ruled the whole of the massive Muslim empire had been overthrown). It reached the peak of its powers in the 9th and 10th centuries and dominated the small Christian kingdoms to the north (who typically paid taxes to the Umayyad Caliphate).

 First Taifa period (1009–1106) – with the fall of the Umayyad Caliphate Muslim Spain split into a series of mini-states sometimes dependent for their survival on the northern Christian kingdoms. The period ended at the start of the Almoravid dynasty who united the reduced Muslim part of Spain.

 The reconquest – the start of this period is traditionally dated as 722 with the Battle of Cavadonga although the real significance of that battle is that it secured the independence of the kingdom of Asturias, a significance reinforced when the bones of St James were claimed to have been found in Galicia at Santiago de Compostela.

 The Crusades – although usually associated with efforts to recapture Jerusalem the reconquest increasingly becomes part of the wider conflict between Islam and Christianity. With the capture of Toledo, Pope Urban II tied the conflict in Spain to his preaching for the First Crusade. From 1212 to 1295 the Christian kingdoms from the north reduced Muslim Spain (which after the fall of the Almoravid dynasty had disintegrated again into mini-states) to a rump in Granada.

 Spanish Unification – the marriage of Ferdinand II of Castile and Isabella I of Aragón was the basis of the unification of Spain (secured by their grandson Charles V); they captured Granada, completing the reconquest in 1492 and in 1500 enforced a policy of Muslim exile or conversion (a similar policy had been adopted towards the Jewish community in 1492).

Churches and castles

The oldest Christian churches remaining along the GR1 are in the Asturias, a region that was never fully conquered by the Moors. A distinct ‘pre-Romanesque’ style of architecture developed, albeit with Visigothic and Arab (Mozarabic) influences. The oldest Spanish Romanesque buildings, with their distinctive semi-circular arches, are in modern-day Catalonia where the wonderfully-named Wilfred the Hairy forced his way south and populated what had been a sort of no man’s land between the Moors and Christians with monks and nuns. The famous Monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll, built in the Romanesque style, was founded in 888.

The Riglos (Section 4, Stage 5 and Section 5, Stage 1)

Perhaps the best preserved Romanesque castle in the world, Loarre Castle, was built by Sancho III of Navarre (‘Sancho the Great’) on the site of a former Roman fortress, to defend the lands he had recently acquired from the Moors (as the Umayyad Caliphate was collapsing).

Ujué, further west along the GR1 in Navarre, whose superb defensive position was also valued by the Romans, was subsequently developed as a hill fortress to defend Pamplona (now known as Navarre) against the advancing Moors. Its Romanesque church was built in the 11th century but then fell into decay as the Moors retreated and the site lost its value. It was later rebuilt on a lavish scale, in Gothic grandeur, as a church fortress by Charles II (‘Charles the Bad’) who recognised the value of the location in his power struggle with the kingdom of Castile.

Sos del Rey Católico, another stunning hilltop town, was the birthplace of Ferdinand II, King of Aragón. Built to defend land newly acquired from the Moors, it’s a beautifully preserved medieval town with both Romanesque and Gothic elements. Ironically it was the marriage of Ferdinand II to Isabella I that, by ending Christian infighting, led to fortified locations like Sos del Rey Católico, Ujué, Olite and others losing their strategic significance.

It would be a mistake to assume that the larger fortified towns are the only things to excite a GR1 walker with an interest in medieval history. What is amazing, once you learn to spot the signs, is how almost every settlement has the remains of stone-built fortifications of some kind. These could be the huge square Moorish stone watch towers built on hills above villages or at the end of a valley; massive stone gates at the entrance to a village; or, more subtly, the alignment of street patterns around what would have been the defensive perimeter wall.

The loveliest surprise is often the sudden appearance of an old castle, a defensive tower on the side of a hill with commanding views across a valley. If you stumble upon such a place don’t worry, you’re probably not lost, there are just too many of them to mention them all in this guide.

While the castles and other fortifications lost much of their significance with the unification of Spain, chapels and churches continued to be used and developed. Even the tiniest village had a church and every architectural style is represented along the route – from pre-Romanesque through to neo-classical. Unfortunately nearly all the churches are locked and their treasures can be viewed only if the key holder is contacted notice as needs often to be given.

Many walkers will be happy to view the churches from the outside. If they don’t know how to identify an architecture style at the beginning of the trip they should be able to by the time they have finished. The most important distinction is between the older Romanesque churches (known as ‘Norman’ in Britain) which have semi-circular arches and apses, and the later Gothic churches which have a pointed arch and, in bigger buildings, flying buttresses.

It is interesting to study the different styles of tympanum and sculptures that greeted the worshipper over the main door as they entered the church. The Last Judgement is a favourite subject and early Renaissance tympanums often provide graphic reminders (originally they would have been in full colour), using contemporary imagery, of the unpleasant things that would happen to the medieval sinner.

Huge cliffs converging on the Noguera-Ribagorçana in the Sierra de Montsec area (Section 6, Stage 3)

Although the principle theme of the walk is Spanish medieval history (from the beginnings of the reconquest to the foundations of modern Spain) there is more on the route to interest the amateur historian. The walk finishes on the Mediterranean coast at Sant Martí d’Empúries near the site of a port founded by Greek colonists in 575BC. The remains, which are still being excavated, include the foundations of buildings and the street pattern associated with both Greek and Roman cities, making it one of the most important archaeological locations in Spain.

Industrialisation and the Spanish Civil War

The GR1 will also remind the walker of more recent aspects of Spanish history (for instance the trenches near Corconte, remnants of the tragedy of the Spanish Civil War), but what might provide the biggest surprise will be the abandoned villages in Aragón and the legacy of the rapid rural depopulation in the 1960s and 70s.

Every European country, and indeed most countries in the world, has experienced rural depopulation but in Spain it was a recent and extreme process. Compared with most western countries the impact of the industrial revolution in Spain was limited, relatively late and came to an abrupt halt with the Spanish Civil War. For two decades, the 1940s and 50s, the economy was at a standstill. Then in the sixties things changed almost overnight with industry and tourism developing rapidly and the Spanish economy experiencing a growth rate second only to Japan. The contrast between poverty in the countryside, where many villages were still without electricity, and the opportunities in the cities suddenly became all too obvious and people, particularly young women, voted with their feet and left.

Although the effects of post 1960s rural depopulation are easy to spot all across Spain they are especially dramatic along a particular stretch of the GR1 in Aragón between Arguis and Paúles de Sarsa. The walking is beautiful with wonderful views of the Pyrenees to the north and the 2000m Guara mountain immediately to the south. The abandoned farmsteads, villages and small towns however are even more remarkable. Houses with paper still hanging from the walls and woodwork painted in colours as fresh as the day it was applied give an impression that things were abandoned overnight. It feels unnervingly like a post-apocalyptic world.

Spain continues to experience turmoil and, after the almost magical transition from dictatorship and fascism, has experienced the extremes of boom and bust. At the time of writing the recession – or the ‘crisis’ as the Spanish refer to it – has persisted for seven years and the impact on young people in particular is dreadful. Linked perhaps to the crisis is the other great theme of contemporary Spanish life – separatism. Confronted with an assertive presentation of different flags, graffiti and, of course, language, the GR1 traveller could easily conclude as they journey east through the Basque Country, and later Catalonia, that they are experiencing the emergence of new countries.

What the trails are like

The GR1 follows paths originally designed to link village with village that were, until recently, the main thoroughfares as the vast majority of goods were carried by people, mules and donkeys. Many of these trails are in their original state and make for perfect walking. They are gently graded and designed for getting heavy loads steadily up and over hills. Quite often the work in constructing these routes is apparent with walls (above or below), conduits to remove water and even some of the original paving still in place. The most interesting paths are to be found in the mountains close to ancient stone villages. Here they will be walled on both sides and, just occasionally if you look closely, you can make out grooves in the carefully placed slabs of rock produced by centuries of wear from the iron rims of wagon wheels. In places a new road, capable of carrying vehicles, has been constructed to replace the original path. The old trail, with its bridges intact, is invariably more direct.

Under the Aguja Roja between Riglos and Loarre (Section 5, Stage 1)

Nature is gradually reclaiming these old paths and unless they are used or maintained they will eventually disappear altogether. Centuries of wear have also turned some into gashes in the landscape – trenches – which in the winter fill with snow and mud and in the summer become overgrown with brambles. They are occasionally impassable and the only option is to seek an alternative route.

As with most long-distance trails there is some road walking on the GR1 but thankfully, given its length, very little. Quite often the original surface has been made accessible for farm vehicles or four-wheel drives but rarely does this generate an uncomfortable hard surface.

The GR1 is a long but easy walk. The walking is safe, does not involve any scrambling and you don’t need a head for heights. It is however a walk that takes you into remote empty countryside and there are days when you are unlikely to see anyone else.

Dealing with dogs

Dogs are a feature of walking in Spain and the standard Spanish approach to keeping burglars away is to build a fence around the property and put one or more dogs inside it. They make a lot of noise and this can be unnerving. Passing through a village can trigger a dog-barking chain reaction that starts before arrival and doesn’t finish until long after departure. When there isn’t a fence for protection the dogs seem to change their nature and aggression ceases. Barking dogs are intimidating but a shake of a walking pole invariably puts them in their place. It may be tempting fate to say so but after thousands of kilometres of Spanish walking I am yet to be bitten by a dog.

Staying in Spain

This guide has been produced on the assumption that walkers will use the local accommodation, walk from place to place and, for their comfort, carry the minimum amount of gear. It is possible to walk most of the GR1 and start and finish each day in accommodation directly on the route. Occasionally diversions are necessary, even a taxi journey, and where this is case the detailed notes describe what to do.

The church tower of the submerged village of Mediano (Section 5, Stage 7)

Very often the accommodation recommended is the only accommodation available. One of the joys of this kind of walking is the element of surprise involved in where you end up staying.

Broadly speaking there are two types of accommodation – provided in small hotels or by individuals.

Small hotel accommodation is described in Spain in various ways and with no great consistency. A hotel might be described as a hostal, auberge or hotel and the description will not give you much idea what to expect. A hostal for example, could be rooms above a bar providing fairly minimal services or it could be a lavish weekend retreat aimed at wealthy Spaniards from the city and providing a fine dining experience. Invariably the rooms are meticulously clean (the Spanish apparently use more cleaning materials per head than anyone in Europe), good value and with kind, friendly owners.

Private accommodation is usually described as a casa rural and again the title is not that helpful. It can mean a room in the owner‘s own home – similar to bed and breakfast; it can mean taking a single room in a property designed for a full property let; or it can involve a room in a property similar to a small hotel where food is provided to guests.

Where hotel-like accommodation exists this guide does not attempt to list the alternative casa rural options. Surprisingly they tend to be more expensive and are usually less fun.

There are a few places where the only accommodation available is a genuine hostel – sometimes provided by the local council – a bit like a youth hostel and where the accommodation might be in a dormitory (although chances are you will have it to yourself). Where this is the only option you will need a sheet sleeping bag and your own soap and towel.

Using the internet to find and book accommodation

There is an interesting disconnection between the information provided on websites and the reality of in situ. Many of the nicest hotels barely feature on the internet while others with sophisticated websites disappoint on arrival.

Increasingly Spanish hotels and even casa rurals are resorting to Booking.com (www.booking.com) or other intermediaries to attract customers. Some are even dropping their own websites in preference to a page on a third-party site. Small hotels are poor at responding to emails and if a lack of language skills makes using the telephone a challenge than Booking.com is incredibly helpful. Accommodation listed on Booking.com is referenced in the text although it’s worth checking to see whether others have moved to the site since this guide was finalised, as it’s definitely a developing trend.

Eating in Spain

Spanish eating arrangements may come as a surprise – every meal is eaten late. If you want an early start, unless the hotel doubles up as the local bar, an early breakfast can be difficult to organise. Common practice is to get a sandwich prepared the night before (two if they are providing you with lunch), pay, and then leave the key in the door. Lunch orders in Spain are still being taken at 3.30 or even 4pm and dinner is often at 9pm (although the Spanish may eat even later). Interestingly dinner at a casa rural in a domestic setting is always earlier than in a hotel.

Leaving Agüero on the route to Murillo de Gállego (Section 4, Stage 5)

Lunch is the main meal of the day particularly on Sundays. It’s often a very social event when either families or large groups of friends get together, creating a wonderful and convivial atmosphere in a restaurant. If the day’s walk isn’t too long a good strategy is to aim to get to your destination by mid-afternoon and enjoy a satisfying lunch.

When there is only one hotel, the food provided there is often the only food available. If you’re a vegetarian you may find the options a little limited but if you’re happy to eat fish or meat then you definitely won’t go hungry on the GR1. Cured meats are a specialty, black pudding (morcilla), grilled lamb and pork (often cooked on the fire in the corner of the room), beans and lentils, Spanish tortilla, and if you’re early in the year wild asparagus. The food is excellent and on the route you will taste food direct from the local farmyard and food (in Catalonia in particular) that builds on Spain’s reputation for culinary avant garde.

In comparison with other EU countries Spain provides excellent value for money. When walking in the mountains, accommodation with dinner and breakfast can be as little as €30 a day (and at the cheaper end of the accommodation spectrum a bottle of wine is invariably included even if you’re on your own). Generally speaking the walker can easily live within a budget of €50 a day.

When to go

Much of the route is accessible all year round but there are good and not so good times to go. Factors to consider are rainfall in the winter including snow in the Cantabrian Mountains, and the heat in the summer particularly crossing the plain in Navarre. The condition of the trail will also vary from season to season and even if there isn’t a lot of snow some stretches will be so muddy that walking in winter can be uncomfortable. In addition to the weather the other factor to consider is accommodation. Much of it is available all year round but some is not open in the winter months.

The best months for most of the walk are April, May and June and September/October. July and August are good months for walking in the Cantabrian Mountains but not on lower parts of the route. The best source of information on climate and weather patterns is the official, Spanish-language website www.aemet.es.

Breaking the GR1 into chunks

This guide is designed to provide the prospective traveller with all the information needed to plan a trip along the GR1. The complete end-to-end trail is highly recommended but it does take around 53 days to complete. Most walkers will need to break their GR1 exploration down into chunks and to this end the route is described in seven sections, each with a start or endpoint that can be easily reached by train or bus. The route is described west to east. You could, of course, choose to walk it the other way but finishing at the Mediterranean adds a certain amount of drama to the trip.

Northern Spain is very accessible to the international traveller. The main options include a flight to Madrid and a train or bus journey to a section start point or a flight to a regional airport followed by train or bus. The main towns you might go through en route are often incredibly interesting in their own right (Oviedo, Bilbao, León, Burgos, Zaragoza, Pamplona) and more than justify an extended stay in Spain.

Generally speaking the train network radiates out from Madrid and information and tickets can be obtained from the excellent RENFE website (www.renfe.com). An important exception to this is the narrow gauge line that runs from León to Bilbao, a rail trip not to be missed which is also an excellent way of getting to destinations at the western end of the route.

The high-speed national coach network is also a good way of getting to section start and finish points. The largest network is run by Alsa who have a lot of regional and local buses as well. Information about the Alsa timetable is on their website (www.alsa.es) where you can also buy tickets, although this seems an unnecessary complication as you can just buy them on the day. The information is not comprehensive, however, and if a route can’t be planned on their website it does not mean that it doesn’t exist. Other regional operators also provide inter-city coach travel.

Tourist information in Spain is organised at various levels (national, regional, large towns/cities and important tourist destinations) and an email to the regional tourist information office usually elicits a helpful response. (See Appendix C.)

Tozal de Guara, the highest peak in the Sierra Guara in Aragón (Sction 5, Stage 5)

Planning your walk

Everyone walks at a different pace. To help plan your trip the sections of this guide are broken into stages, each as close to 25km long as possible (see Appendix A for tables showing the structure of the sections and the location of facilities along the route). Also included is an estimate of how long each stage will take. This has been calculated using the famous formula developed by the Victorian walker Naismith, which allows for height gained and lost, and applying Tranter’s modifications, which allow for fitness (my calculations are based on average fitness). At various points on the route you will see signposts describing how long a particular stage will take – these estimates can vary wildly and are best ignored.

Knowing that there is somewhere to sleep at the end of the day makes for a much more relaxing walk, and most people will want to book their accommodation in advance. But when there is plenty of accommodation just turning up is an option as for most of the year the hotels are rarely full. The advantage of not booking ahead is that you can be more flexible, walk longer days if the weather is really good and not have to reschedule everything if the weather is bad. Incidentally the best ‘adventures’ often happen when things get difficult with accommodation and you have to ask for help.

Friendly accommodation at Nela (Section 2, Stage 2)

This guide includes as much information as possible on accommodation to help you plan your trip. Not all accommodation listed has been ‘sampled’ although where it has particular recommendations are made. Before publication contact has been made to check on current status but accommodation does sometimes close on a temporary or permanent basis so do check yourself if you can.

If you don’t speak Spanish there is an inevitable tendency to choose accommodation which looks better organised and to book online if they have that facility or send an email if they don’t. Small hotels in Spain often don’t respond to email and despite the difficulty it is better to try and telephone.

What to take

When you carry everything you need for the trip then weight is a key consideration. The more you carry the more strain you place on your body, particularly your knees, and the harder the walking. Unless you’re carrying camping gear it should be possible to get all your gear (excluding water) in a back-pack weighing no more than 7kgs, or even less.

When packing there are a few things to consider.

 You will need proper waterproofs. Although it doesn’t rain a great deal outside the winter months, when it does it can be very heavy.

 You should also take something warm, particularly if you are walking in March/April or October. Spain has the second highest average altitude of any European country (after Switzerland) and the GR1 runs through some its highest mountain ranges. It can get very cold in the mornings and evenings and some of the accommodation will have little by way of heating.

 Included in the 7kg weight target is a sun-hat, sun-cream and sunglasses – the sun can be very strong and there isn’t much shade.

This guide tells you where you can get food along the route although a good option is to ask the hotel to make you a picnic. Generally speaking they are more than happy to do this. You should carry some ‘emergency rations’ – you might find it’s the local baker’s day off, or the bar you thought was going to be open wasn’t. Everyone will have his or her own emergency ration solution but a bar of chocolate hidden at the bottom of the rucksack (out of the sun and to avoid temptation) is mine.

All accommodation on the route has clean drinking water and you will be able to recharge any electronic devices you are carrying. Most places have wi-fi as well.

Think hard before taking heavy boots designed for winter walking in northern Europe. The growing consensus is that the ankle support supposedly provided by walking boots is a myth and you are definitely more likely to get blisters if your feet are hot and enclosed. The general consensus is that a kilogramme on your feet is equivalent to four on your back and lightweight footwear they will make you more nimble and allow you to walk longer without getting tired.

Finding your way

As it would be for any long-distance route in Spain finding your way along the GR1 can be a challenge.

Spanish walking routes are ‘defined’ by the walking associations, and in Spain the regional walking and climbing associations operate to standards set at a national level. It’s a voluntary activity although regional government does occasionally get involved as part of its promotion of tourism. Therefore, waymarking and the quality of the path will vary from region to region.

Waymarking on the GR1, which includes the classic French-style red-and-white paint markers, is generally good and the route is well defined in Castilla y León, the Basque Country, Aragón and Catalonia. The signs in Navarre need a lick of paint and are non-existent on a short stretch through Cantabria.

Although the GR1 typically follows a feature (for instance a road) marked on the Institute of Geographic Information (IGN – the national mapping agency) maps, the GR1 itself, like all long-distance walking trails in Spain, is not defined on any map base. Spanish maps are therefore not that useful for a walker who wants to follow a long-distance route unless someone who knows the route has marked them up.

Waymarks in Castilla y León (Section 1)

Using GPS technology

In addition to the route maps in this guide, it is recommended that you take a smartphone with a GPS-enabled app – an iPhone or an Android device will do the job. There are a number of GPS apps available but perhaps the essential requirement is the ability to buy and download Spanish maps through the application. The range of apps that provide this facility is growing all the time.

A good example, and the app used in the research for this guide, is Viewranger. The Viewranger website includes a map store which has a growing portfolio of maps from around the world including Spain. You can download the IGN 1:25,000 maps for the whole route at a fraction of the cost (and weight!) of paper maps. Viewranger’s default mapping – OpenCycleMap – is available at no charge. Included in the Viewranger route library is the GR1 route produced as part of the research for this guide, which can be downloaded and then displayed against the mapbase on a smartphone. The route is in a format that can be used on any GPS system and can also be displayed in Google Earth.

GPX tracks for the route can also be downloaded for free from the Cicerone website once you’ve bought this guidebook (www.cicerone.co.uk/member).

While many walkers have a smartphone it is surprising how many don’t use GPS. If you haven’t used the facility don’t leave it to the last minute before your trip to Spain to find out how it works. Smartphone GPS doesn’t use data roaming so you don’t need to have the potentially expensive international data roaming facility turned on. The battery on the smartphone should be adequate for a day’s walking particularly if you remember to turn off any facilities that you’re not using. (Many people have their phone permanently searching for a wifi connection and that facility is a particularly heavy battery user.) If you are nervous about battery life than take a charged battery and reload on the way or, if you are walking with someone else with a smartphone, have a duplicate version of the GPS as backup.

Most of the route is waymarked and generally speaking you wouldn’t need to use a paper map very often and similarly the GPS will be needed only on an infrequent basis. When a waymark has been missed however the GPS will show you where you are relative to the route, making getting back on track very straightforward. With Viewranger the GPS will provide directions on an ongoing basis but this consumes the battery and given the waymarks it’s a facility you don’t need.

If you are already an expert GPS user and have your own device then the Spanish maps on the IGN website are free to download for non-commercial use.

After completing the research for this Guide I can state with some confidence that the GPS route provided for the GR1 is the most up-to-date and accurate route available. I would not however claim 100 per cent accuracy. Route descriptions in this guide point out where the route has been hard to find and where there is the greatest degree of uncertainty. Even after several trips and the advice of local experts, mistakes can be made. The route also changes, either because locals want to bring walkers to their village or occasionally because landowners want to see them off. However, even if the route recommended doesn’t follow the latest on-the-ground version of the GR1, it will get you to the Mediterranean.

Santa Maria in Ujué (Section 4, Stage 2)

Using this guide

The 1250km of the GR1 are described here in seven sections, each one broken into stages roughly 25km in length. Sections begin with an introduction and summary information, and each stage begins with an information box – giving basic data such as start point, distance, ascent, descent, maximum altitude, walking time and grade – and a short introduction to give you a feel for the walking ahead of you that day. There follows a step-by-step route description, with extra information about any facilities available along the way and other points of historical, geological and natural interest. Each stage is accompanied by a clear, contoured route map at scale of 1:100,000 and features common to both the map and the description are highlighted in bold within the description to help you link the two.

The route maps in this guide are derived from publicly-available data, databases and crowd-sourced data. As such they have not been through the detailed checking procedures that would generally be applied to a published map from an official mapping agency, although naturally we have reviewed them closely in the light of local knowledge in the preparation of this guide. If you spot any errors or possible improvements please let us know by email to updates@cicerone.co.uk.

Stage grading

The pleasure of ‘through-walking’ – walking every step of the way from A to B – is not universally shared. Not everyone has the time or inclination and will want to choose which bits of the route to do with the time they have available. To help you make that choice, a grading system has been used. The first element measures the quality of the waymarking and the second the wow factor – a necessarily subjective judgment.

Quality of waymarking goes from 0 to 5:

 0 = non-existent

 1 = occasional signs only

 2 = poor, rarely helpful

 3 = helpful but use with care

 4 = good with only occasional gaps

 5 = excellent, proceed with confidence.

Wow factor goes from 1 to 5:

 1 = poor, only a through-walker, completer-finisher would do it

 2 = OK, but could be avoided if time is short

 3 = good, fine walking including memorable highlights

 4 = excellent, not to be missed but with occasional lesser stretches

 5 = excellent, worthy of an international trip in its own right.

Olite (the end of Section 3 and start of Section 4)