We were not able to drive all the way up to the visitor centre but there was a shuttle bus which took us from the main car park further down the road, and we didn't have to wait very long. In the park there are several loop walks you can take of different lengths.
The map below shows the last few places that we visited up to El Torcal, with Gibraltar showing on the map bottom left.
Wherever you are the scenery is just amazing.
I saw a number of these huge plants on the way up in the bus and I have found out that it is called the Villous Deadly Carrot (Thapsia villosa). Villous means shaggy apparently.
A Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia). If you remember, we saw our first ever one earlier in the trip in the Monfrague National Park. So this bird and the Booted Eagle were the two lifers that we saw this trip.
Faces in Things time! Can you see any? In the middle, I see a man sideways on wearing a long horsehair wig (think Georgian times) and in front of him (on the left) is a dog's face, also sideways on. Maybe you will see something completely different!
Snapdragons and other plants growing out of the rock high overhead.
A relatively short post this time as I couldn't add it to the following destination or the post would have been too long.
I will try to post more frequently now as I have the rest of this trip plus our Italian trip still to post about - and only three and a half months before we set off on our travels again!
Guess what, we just watched Travel Man with Joe Lycett last night which was filmed in Malaga. And where did they go? To that raised walkway in the gorge that I mentioned in my last post! Still glad we didn't do it, and K has said that having seen the photo I linked to, he wouldn't have gone on it either! 😀
Wow, what kind of rocks!
ReplyDeleteThanks Anne, yes they are quite amazing!
DeleteI love limestone landscapes. The scenery is just stunning Mandy. So glad you got two bird lifers on the holiday. The deadly carrot looks an amazing plant! I can make out the same faces as you too :) That raised walkway in the gorge sounds absolutely terrifying!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Caroline. We love interesting rock formations - I know little about geology but just appreciate looking! Glad you see the faces too and it’s great to still be finding lifer birds, although we were disappointed not to see more of the birds which are only found in this part of Spain/Europe in the summer. Never mind, maybe next time! (A huge lack of butterflies here by the way, very sad).
DeleteCongrats on the lifer!!! A beautiful bird. I was also fascinated by the Thapsia villosa you spotted... poisonous and that it was in the carrot family! Very cool. All in all, it looked like an amazing trip :-)
ReplyDelete(Marianne in AZ)
Thanks Marianne! Yes, a very interesting plant! A great holiday but sadly lacking in butterflies, I don’t know why. 😢
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