Childrens Walk May 2016

Childrens Walk May 2016

‘Shall we take the high road or the low road?’ I asked. ‘The high road’, they screamed with excitement! And so we did.

14 kids, the Park Ranger, Competa Hikes and Axareducacion set off to the high road. Walking sticks, water bottles and quizzes in hand, the wonderful excitement that only children can provide, buzzing around us, for our monthly walk with the children of Axarquia.Kids_walking

A 2 hour walk ahead of us, full of the history of the Old Silk Route between Malaga and Granada, spring bloom, aromas of medicinal herbs and new life beginning again with birds nesting, butterflies skipping and bees conducting their important daily work…. And out of the clouds, that had cast their grey shadow over us for days, came the sun, happy to see us all out and about on such a rewarding mission.

Every month Competa Hikes {www.competahikes.com} and Axareducacion {www.axareducacion.com}, sponsor a free day out for the children in the region, and their parents. The aim of this initiative, is to get children and their families walking together, out in the splendid natural environment that we are spoiled to live in. To show them how stimulating and exhilarating such a simple activity can be, to teach them about all the interesting plant and animal life right on their doorstep, and to commit them to preservation and conservation of the area. To give them such a love of life here at an early age so that they grow up with the respect such an environment deserves and needs of the next generation.

This walking route is a challenging hike, climbing high above the Patamelara river valley, where few walkers tread the path, but where the nightly antics of Ibex, Wild Boar and others create a route of wonderful challenges, exciting for the children that tire easily of ‘boring’ flat wide tracks through the mountains. This is the perfect and appropriate route to challenge the physical ability of the children and at the same time engage their interest in all that is around them, as we ‘cut our way through the jungle’!

And so we hiked along a single, narrow, wild goat track, climbing over fallen trees, weaving through thick bush and shrub, and watching the wildlife busy with its Spring duties, not least Falcons and White Booted Eagles nesting in the high cliffs above us. Throughout the hike we were flanked by stunning views of the highest peaks here in the Almijara and Tejeda mountain ranges, the Mediterranean sea and the North Coast of Africa. And every 30 minutes or so we would stop for a drink and a briefing from the Park Ranger, resting on ancient stone walls that once upon a time, edged the Old Silk Trading route between Malaga and Granada. Here we reflected on the challenges these traders faced, with only donkeys to carry their precious loads of spices and silks that originated in Africa, docked in Malaga and now would bear fruit for these traders, at the markets in Granada.

The children learned about the animals that love in these mountains, about the highest and smallest peaks of this sierra range, about what is dangerous and what is good, about medicinal herbs and their uses, about the importance of various plants and trees, and about what we can do to ensure we do not ruin this natural environment.

Back at Finca Los Pinos, the walking lodge of Competa Hikes, the children enjoyed a well deserved swim in the heated outdoor pool and a large freshly made Paella and salads. And then it was time for the quiz.

 

Their enthusiasm warmed my senses [perhaps it was just the promise of prizes] but I truly believe they were very excited to show us what they had learned. And for us, I was keen to understand if this initiative was effective. Are the children really learning? With the final question of the quiz asking for free writing of thoughts and views by the children themselves, we would also be able to understand their sentiment.

Well sentiment was truly inspiring as the children wrote about how much they loved being outside and hiking high I the mountains, and they had absorbed so much of the knowledge that was imparted on them by the Park Ranger. This indeed had been a successful day against our objectives and mission. It was a tough call for 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes, but ultimately all the children received a little prize , prizes linked to the outdoors, walking and nature.

For me this day and all the other days we have had walking with children over the Autumn, Winter and Spring 2015/2106, have taught me so much about this young generation, their yearning for knowledge, and their ability to comprehend way more beyond what is simply physically in front of them. And that we need not lose heart over the seemingly abrasive and harsh thrust of technology they face and love so much in this day and age.

The great outdoors, nature and the environment still hold much entertainment and interest for this new generation. Our challenge therefore only lies in ensuring they are exposed to the great outdoors, and that we continue to drive their opportunity to be part of it.

Unique and specialist walking tours and mountain walking lodge

Unique and specialist walking tours and mountain walking lodge

From the Himalayas, to the Blue Mountains, the Andes to the Drakensberg, The Rockies to the Golden Triangle, the natural, historical and unique wonder of these spectacular regions is equalled here in Andalusia, and particularly in the Axarquia mountain ranges.

Competa view 1David and I have trekked and hiked extensively across the world, and here, in the mountains surrounding the beautiful white washed village of Competa, we have found a walking and hiking paradise.

And it is our mission to share and teach about the immense history, the wonderful landscape, flora, fauna and wildlife of this splendid region, so that it may be enjoyed, understood and preserved.

Preservation of this region is most important to us and we have started a programme to provide education about the environment here, free to children and their families in Andalusia, so that we can not only promote the area, but ensure that the next generation grow up appreciating as much, its importance in Education at the Fabrica de la Luzthis little corner of the world. Working with Axareducacion, and the Ayuntamiento Park Rangers, we walk with children once a month, providing a fun and insightful day of information, games and prizes, finished off with food and refreshments at our walking lodge, Finca Los Pinos.

 

As we grow this programme so too will we grow the agenda, adding Spanish culture and Spanish and English language topics to the agenda. We hope to provide children with opportunity, knowledge and understanding, to empower them to maintain this 8th wonder of the world that is Andalusia!

Born and bred in Africa, David and I love the outdoors, and have a global perspective on everything we do. Competa Hikes, is not only our business, it is our passion. We truly want to bring the historical, cultural and natural value of this region to as many people as we can whilst maintaining responsible tourism, protecting the environment.

And of course, naturally, we bring a little of our own African culture, as well as our experience from our global travels, to our walking lodge. This winter we have extended our log cabins so that they are themed to reflect our favouriteLog Cabin Picture places. The cabins are now decorated to be Andalusian, African and India, and we have extended the en suite bathroom in Cabin 1 to be a lovely large wet room with large glass frosted windows to provide that sense of showering ‘outdoors’.

 

Also this winter we have embarked on a project to build a luxury African Safari tent high into our grounds, with luxurious furnishings, colonial style, en suite slipper bath and ablution facilities, and an outdoor, but very private shower. This project does require us to follow the important planning permission process, so we are not yet able to provide a timescale for completion but hoping we will be ready by the summer with this little piece of African paradise… secluded, wild, spectacular vistas, and very luxurious.

We are providing specialist walking tours, right from our doorstep. Our walking lodge sleeps 20 people. We have superb, qualified walking guides, qualified in the British Mountaineering Association, that have also grown up in the region and provide specialist tours for bird watching, wild orchid viewing, medicinal herb tours and courses on how to grow your own medicinal herb garden in your kitchen!! They also provide Spanish mushroom tours, collecting and cooking, and many other unique tours of this nature.10565984_10154341271655551_99515028_n

Finally our combination walking tour holidays aim to add culture and language to our guests achievements of their week here, adding Spanish Language classes and cultural events and day trips to the walking itinerary. Our guests may like to choose a different course to combine with their walking tour, to get a taste of something different that they have not done before. For example, walking and bonsai tree cutting, walking and yoga, walking and painting course, waking and Spanish wine ourse, to learn about the regions and taste the wine of course! They can also choose from walking and sculpting course, walking and Spanish cooking course, walking and meditation and walking and massage therapy.

This is our passion, this is our life, and we hope you will enjoy it as much as we do.