Peñabón Circular – The Balconies of Trevélez

Get to Trevelez via the only road, the A-4132. The village comprises three districts: Barrio Alto, Barrio Medio and Barrio Bajo.
Arriving from the west, from Busquistar, enter the village by staying on the main road, passing a shopping square in Barrio Bajo with numerous bars, restaurants and ham sellers. There are parking spaces in this square, but I recommend continuing a little further; on the descent towards the Rio Trevélez, there are plenty of spaces at the side of the road on the right where you can leave your vehicle for several hours without any problem. This is the option suggested on the route.
Arriving from the east, from Juvilez, just before the bridge over the Rio Trevélez, there are four spaces on the left to park; otherwise, cross the bridge over the Rio Trevélez and park on the left just after the Jamones Ruiz Baños ham drying shed. You are now parked on the route of this circular walk; we will return via Barrio Medio at the end of the walk.

(S/E) Head down towards the Rio Trevélez, cross the bridge and walk for about 100 m.

(1) Turn left onto the^GR®®240path and follow it uphill until you reach a bridge over the Acequia de Cástaras canal.

(2) Continue on the^GR®®240for 100 m, ignoring two barely visible trail junctions on the left.
(3) Keep an eye out for a path on the left marked by a cairn. After a few metres, this turns right at another cairn and continues due south: check carefully that you are on the right track using your GPS or smartphone. The path climbs steadily, with numerous cairns to guide you: some are not easy to spot, so if you do not see any cairns for about fifty metres, you have strayed from the route. You will emerge onto a grassy area as you leave the woods.

(4) The path disappears, as do the cairns. Look out for a sheepfold surrounded by fencing higher up; climb off-trail towards this structure and follow the fence to the right. At the corner of the fence, look for a water source further up, recognisable by the plants growing there. Make your way to this fenced-off water source.

(5) Above this water source, in a rockier section, the path and cairns reappear. Follow the path along the edge of the woodland to a Y-junction marked by a cairn.

(6) At this junction, there are two options:

• carry on straight ahead, almost level, to reach the pass at (8).
• turn right uphill towards two ruins above you. The climb winds its way up to these ruins (route choice). Reach the upper ruin.

(7) Take the path on the left heading north-west and ignore the one that continues the climb towards the Peña de los Papos. Reach the pass via this balcony path, which is somewhat exposed in places, and arrive at the T-junction with the SL-A78 marked trail, which is the Sendero del Peñabon, marked by the Trevélez Town Council, to be taken in the opposite direction to the recommended route.

(8) Take this path to the left for a few metres and look for a track on the right that climbs to the summit of Peñabon. (Note: if you do not wish to go to the summit, follow the path to the left from the pass.)

(9) From the summit, take a faint path that descends towards the main trail via the top of a small rocky outcrop. Follow the well-marked path to the right, descending towards Trevélez in wide switchbacks, cross a scree slope and eventually reach the Acequia de Casteras. The path then follows the canal for 700 m towards its source, staying above it.

(10) Continue left along a track, following the markings. Head towards a farm below, then towards a bridge over the Rio Trevélez: end of the SL-A78 markings.

(11) Cross the bridge then immediately take the track on the right uphill, ignoring the concrete track on the left which runs alongside the Rio Trevélez and leads to Barrio Bajo. After a few dozen metres, the track joins a path. Take this signposted path (SL-A79 Horcajo) on the left, which leads back to Barrio Medio de Trevélez. On entering the village, pass in front of the La Fragua II hotel (La Forge) and continue to Calle Cuesta, near the La Fragua restaurant.

(12) Turn left to head back down towards Barrio Bajo via Calle Cuesta. You’ll reach Plaza Iglesia and its fountain.

(13) Turn left onto Calle Real, passing the Fuente del Jamón. You’ll come out onto the road opposite the El Chortio café-bar and reach the main square. Head down to the left to return to the car park (S/E).

A GPS track is essential for this hike.
Due to sections without markings and off-trail sections, do not undertake this hike in foggy or bad weather.
When you reach the vicinity of the pass (8), be quiet and watchful: mountain goats are almost always present, according to the residents of Trevelez.
There are plenty of places to stay and eat in Trevelez or the surrounding villages.
Watch the video of this hike at https://www.relive.cc/view/vdvmJeL5VxO

More hiking suggestions at https://www.trevelez.es/rutas-turisticas...

(8) Off the trail: you can take the path to the right for a few dozen metres to enjoy the view of the Barranco del Peñabon and have the chance to spot some cabras montañes.
Mountain goats are wild goats, cousins of the Pyrenean chamois; they are hunted less than chamois and are therefore easier to approach. Mouflons can be found at higher altitudes, but you’ll need a bit of luck…

(11) This waypoint is the starting point of the SL-A78 Sendero del Peñabon trail, proposed by the Trevélez Town Council. You can reach this point via a concrete track and park at the side of the track.
For information, SL stands for Sendero Local^, which is equivalent to our PR®® trails^.

Buying ham: the villages of Trevélez and Jubiles in particular, and other villages in the Alpujarras, are renowned for their ham-drying facilities. Indeed, the pure air, the altitude and the south-facing slopes of the Sierra Nevada are ideal for drying ham. Few pigs are reared locally; the top-quality ones come from further down the valley, whilst the lower-quality ones come from various Spanish provinces, or even elsewhere in Europe. Serrano hams are made from white pigs or, for the higher-end varieties, Duroc pigs. Pata Negra hams are not cured here, as to qualify for the PDO designation, they must be cured at the place of rearing in the Seville or Salamanca regions. You won’t find any Pata Negra de Trevelez here. However, some Duroc hams aged for four years can be exceptional. To buy with confidence, you can visit the curing houses that have on-site shops, take advantage of guided tours and taste different hams to make your choice; the sellers are thoroughly honest and proud of their products. Taste the hams and trust your own palate; the most expensive one isn’t necessarily the one you’ll like best, as the price depends on the breed of pig, its diet and the curing time. A very mature ham might not be to your taste.