That's why I'm easy. Easy like Sunday morning

Sunday 07-07-2013 

Penaroyya

Spain is a big country – getting from the mountains in the south to those in the north involves a lot of driving – especially in a motorhome that guzzles the gasoleo if you put your foot down. Still, I managed to find a couple of drive-ups or near drive-ups on the way.

The first was Penarroya 2028m high, a P1023 Major, the Iberian prominence number 27  in the middle of an extensive ski area on Sierra de Gudar in the province of Teruel. From the Vf-Te-01 road at Collado Gitano N4038792 W064701 (1905m) it is possible to drive for about 3km on an unpaved road to within 50m of the summit which has a trigpoint on top of a tall tower – presumably so that it is visible above the trees – at N40.39012 W0.66509. 

The tower is the only excitement to be found with a  balcony part way up and then rungs going up to the top – via ferrata kit useful, to touch the trig itself. There is another column and a mirador to look at more trees below.

I walked 310m and ascended 20m, including the trigpoint tower.

Mirador 

It was difficult to tell whether the general atmosphere of abandonment in the ski resorts in the area is because it was summer or whether it is more deep-seated because of the Euro crisis.`

Cloudy view from Collado Gitano

El Caimodorro from Oriheula del Tremedol

That’s why I’m easy, easy like Sunday morning.

It was more like Sunday afternoon before I got to visit El Caimodorro – but you know me, I cannot resist a pun.* At least I wasn’t trying to do it on the nightshift.

Danger wild animals - lions, tigers and bears? Lionel Ritchie?

El Caimodorro is much lower down the Iberian prominence list at number 71 with a ‘mere’ prominence of P720, which still makes a Major and an absolute height of 1920m. It is in the Sierra del Tremedel near a pretty little cobbled street village of Orihuela del Tremedal. Although, I could not work out how to find the start point in the JMH book, I managed to drive a long up the hill on an unpaved road to park by a sign for a ‘wild animal grid’ at N40.51041 W1.67614 (1730m).

I followed the fence on an ATV track until it met a steeper loose stoned slope which was easily avoided on the right to find a faint but cairned path that lead all the way to the summit. 

The summit was a bit of a mess with a trigpoint on a pedestal at N40.51199 W1.68486.

However, it does have a logbook. After I made my entry, I had a flick through other people’s entries to see if there were any in English – there weren’t – however the word ‘prominente’ jumped out of the page at me. You will see from the photo, there is a couple, Christian and Maria, who are clearly working through the list in the JMH book – the first evidence I have seen that I am not the only one. The entry has an email address that I have not reproduced here – it will be interesting to see if I get any response.

2.17km, 249m ascent

* For those of you who are not hip to the groovy beat, and you wouldn’t know the Downliner’s Sect from Alberto y Los Trios Paranoias or the Levellers, the song ‘Easy’ was a smash hit for a group of popsters, the Commodores in 1977. I hadn’t realised until I checked the lyrics on the interweb that there is a line in the song that says ‘I want to get high’ – so appropriate in more ways than one, then.

Overnight in yet another free motorhome site in the lively and friendly town of Calatayud, Zaragoza province (605m).