An Escape from Seville to Pure Nature: Ruta del Agua - Guillena

Hiking near Seville is what we all dream of so, today we will be following the Guillena portion of the "Ruta del Agua" by the Gergal lake which is an artificial dam that provides drinking water to greater Seville area.

The town of Guillena is less than half an hour away by commuter bus from Plaza de Armas station, Seville. The bus service is frequent and affordable. At the time of writing this, the bus departs from Platform #38. To keep your journey low cost please read my very first blog post (link will open in a new tab) about the green commuter pass (bonobus). You can also pay in cash although you will be paying a slightly higher fare.

I left on a Friday morning with the first bus of the day to cover most of the track while it is still cool(er). For bus schedule click here.

After a 25min bus ride we reach the town of Guillena and get-off at Avenida Pajanosas stop.

After a bit of stretching, hydrating, tightening the belts of our lightly loaded packs, we begin our 45 minute trek to the starting point (Parking Ruta del Agua) which means a 4km walk on a country road without a shoulder (for pedestrians to walk on) but thankfully not busy.
⚠ Extreme caution, a reflective vest and proper flashing lights are highly recommended.

 

The road was quite dusty and there were also animal manure, dried roadkill (mostly slugs) on the road so it is advisable to cover your food items and water bottles/dispensers from the dust that cars passing by spread.

Upon reaching the parking lot where we will begin our hike, one can learn that a bike rental service is also available.
📍This route is very popular amongst mountain bikers. A weekend hike should be avoided, therefore.

 

 

 

The terrain is gravel with easy to ascend, low elevation. It is approximately 15km long (3+ hours non-stop) and for a round trip double the time/distance.
But if desired, one can return back at any point to shorten the trip to make it more convenient.

:

Meditterenean flora: To die for!

Looking at the direction of Seville.

Several rest areas like above (called refugios) are scattered along the route.

Tons of these little benches under the shade pop-up unexpectedly for you to rest.

The more you walk, the more exceptional the scenery gets.

Zero noise of "the civilization"🔇

Ahh🐳. It truly is an escape from everything at the end.

Those who are brave and resilient to tackle the full 15km, the restaurant
(La Cantina, Guillena Ruta Del Agua) is waiting for you.
You will also be rewarded with an exceptional scenery, combined with nice smell of pine trees.
Upon resting a bit, it is very hard to leave the area and head back.

For the return trip, if you don't want to repeat the same track you can walk back following the country road, aptly named "Camino de la Ruta del Agua", where many reach the restaurant by car.
There are very few vehicles making the trip that far so consider the road, all yours.
It is hard to make out from the poor mobile phone camera picture but you can see some Seville landmarks, Torre Sevilla, bridges etc. while walking back.

It is a 13km long walk (shorter than the former) to Guillena but the first kilometer until you reach the "peak" is quite steep and a bit tiring especially after a 19km hike however, serenity of the road, birds, many hopping rabbits along the way and livestock calmly spying on you makes the effort worthwhile.
This is also a quite dusty country road so, same precations as earlier should be observed.

Things to note:
1. Once you leave Guillena, there is nothing around to buy water or food until you reach the end point (in the restaurant) so, carry your supplies accordingly. If the restaurant is closed for whatever reason there are 2 vending machines that can dispense pop and water (couldn't see a snack/candy machine) so carry enough change (1,50€ for a can of soda).

2. 🏊It is not possible at all to reach to water anywhere. Bathing, toe dipping etc. are strictly prohibited. There are signs (with some lenghty legalize) everywhere warning hikers not to leave the path and try to swim etc. Most of the track is fenced and/or any exit/path is deliberately blocked with thick bushes. I read recently on a local newspaper website that a strict policy of hefty fines are in effect for offenders. 

3. If you factor in additional 8km hike to the bus stop (with return trip) in Guillena, expect to walk up to 40km on the same day. To eliviate the pain and suffering, changing to a fresh pair of socks and shirts/t-shirts in one of the rest areas may help tremendously along with proper hydration the day prior. As always, sun protection is a must!

4. 📵After the 10th km on the path and including in the restaurant area at km 15, my cheap mobile phone lost signal and there was no coverage for me (Lowi-Vodafone) so having the off-line version of Google maps may be beneficial, although the navigation feature will not be available. But if you are following the original track, no need to worry since tons of "tourist" signs everywhere to guide you until you walk back to an area where you can receive a signal.
Also your mobile phone consumes its battery more than usual while constantly searching for a signal (especially in low or no signal areas) therefore putting it in "flight mode"at the beginning will save the juice of your battery tremendeously.

5. If driving with more than one car, it is possible to drop-off all participants at the first parking lot and drive all cars up to the restaurant where there is free parking. And carpool back with one of the cars to the starting point. Once you reach the restaurant area (rinse and repeat-carpool).

Hasta proxima!

I hope this blog post has been useful and will also inspire you to go outdoors to get lost in the nature.
If you have other places in mind please mention them in the comments or contact me if you like to share with others using this blog.
If you've tried this route and want to share tips, give more advice or make corrections, please use the comments section or send me a message.