Camping in the Sierra de Castril Natural Park (Granada)

After our brief venture into the Sierra de Castril Natural Park on our day out in Castril (see here), I was very keen to get back there to camp and spend some time exploring the area. So, that's exactly what I did.

Janine and I loaded up the car and headed directly for the El Cortijillo campsite, where after booking in we discovered we could take the car directly onto the pitch which proved to be very handy indeed. The campsite was much bigger than I had realised on our first visit, and we picked a nice out-of-the-way spot at the far end of the site. The entire site sits under the shade of trees which was a blessing in the Spanish summer sun.

After pitching up we got our bearings of the site; an immaculate toilet & shower block with washing facilities; the bar and restaurant that I had briefly enjoyed on my previous visit and behind that a second bar and huge open-air, covered eating area. Beyond this was direct access to the river, and Janine was very quick to get in while I sat and watched from the bank - I wasn't quite ready to get in a freezing cold river!

Afterwards we decided to have a bit of a meander along the river in the direction of the reservoir. My original plan had been to walk alongside the river but we quickly realised this wasn't much of an option due to the terrain, so we walked along the road until we found a suitable spot to access the river, and having done so spent a good hour paddling and splashing about. It was cold, but after about ten minutes of adjusting to the temperature (me, not Janine - she launched herself straight in!) I plonked myself down and sat there quite happily, totally relaxed as I took in the beautiful surroundings and emptied my head of the stresses of day-to-day life.

Eventually we decided to head back to camp, where we chilled by the tents over some (rather warm) Tinto de Verano that we had brought with us, before heading up to the bar for the evening. We had planned on ordering food (incidentally, the bar is happy to provide food and drinks to take back to your pitch), but being in Granada the tapas was in ready supply, so we picked away at that all evening instead. I can only imagine the food is very good though - despite the campsite being fairly quiet, the outdoor eating area was packed at lunchtime; evidently people travel from far and wide to eat here.

The plan for day two was to hike down to the reservoir - an hour's walk according to google - so again we headed down the road, following the river. It's an easy and self-explanatory walk - no map required - and indeed an hour later we found ourselves at the reservoir's edge (passing, along the way, many Spanish families enjoying a Sunday out under the trees by the river, accompanied by their full kitchen and garden-furniture set up. It's a genuinely lovely sight to see).

Actually getting into the reservoir to a point where it was deep enough to swim was a much more tricky affair, and one that eventually proved fruitless. We criss-crossed along the ever-widening river, before doing some hill scrambling along animal paths to try and find a suitable access point, but to no avail; the banks were a lot steeper than the view from above leads you to believe, and while we may indeed have managed to get in for a swim there was a real danger we may not have been able to climb back out, so eventually we retraced our steps and plonked ourselves back in the river again, while also replenishing our water supplies.

The hike back to camp was an altogether more challenging affair than the outward trek, being as we were now at the peak of the midday heat, and within half an hour our ice-cold water had passed being warm and was on the brink of being hot; it was a joyous sight indeed when we came upon the old dam that signalled we were almost back at camp. The first port of call was the bar for some much-needed refreshment. 

The second evening mirrored the first, as we whiled away the hours over beer and tapas. Normally I'm quite keen to get packed up and off on leaving day, but neither of us were in any particular rush to vacate our idyllic little spot in the country, so we sat for several more hours outside the tents absorbing the views and the sounds of birds and the running river.

Camping El Cortijillo

Sierra de Castril Natural Park (more info)

A day out in Castril, Granada

There's been many things that have stopped me getting out and about since we moved to Spain, but if I'm being honest with myself I think one of the biggest factors is that I now live in the countryside, up a mountain. As such, the urgency to escape to the country had been quashed somewhat, being as I am already technically there. But having finally got a night's wild-camping in recently, and with a renewed desire to go off exploring, I decided to do something that I'd wanted to do for a few years and never got round to; the Castril gorge walk, or El Sendero de la Cerrada del Rio Castril to give it its proper name. 

Castril is situated in the north of Granada province, close to the border with Jaen, and south of the Sierra de Castril Natural Park, with the hamlet itself being recognised as a place of historic interest. There is plenty to see and do around Castril, and its several campsites offer a great base to do this (more on that later). There is a tourist centre which seemed like a sensible place to start, but in true Spanish fashion it was closed when we got there. The map in the window told us that there were several hiking trails (of varying lengths) around and along the river, though it wasn't particularly clear where they started or where we were in relation to anything, but a quick phone call to a friend who'd done the gorge walk several times put us on the right track and not five minutes later we were parked up at the right place and ready to go.

We decided to eat our packed lunch first as it was gone 1pm by this time, and the start of the walk offered a large shaded area under the trees with plenty of bench seats in which to do so. The walk follows the river through a gorge, and starts off with a wooden walkway slung from the rock face. Eventually this walkway finishes and you're back on terra firma, descending to ground level. The water was crystal clear and very inviting on a hot July day. The path then climbs again to take you to a suspended steel bridge - not much fun for vertigo sufferers, as my wife demonstrated - taking you across the river to a tunnel cut through the rock. Once out of the tunnel you are met by a waterfall, before descending once more and crossing the river for a second time via another bridge (a solid one this time, much to the wife's relief). 

Just around the corner is an old mill which now serves as a bar, restaurant and hotel. From this point you have two options - turn back or continue along to do a full loop. We started on the latter, but as we quickly diverged from the river and lost the shade of the trees the sun started to take its toll on my wife, so we decided to double-back after all, stopping for a quick drink at the mill along the way. 

I was surprised at just how short the gorge walk actually was and it wasn't long before we were back at the car. My plan had been to have a wander round the town and stop in a few bars, but having seen a sign for a campsite near by the wife decided she wanted to go and view it, and having done so the next thing I knew we were passing the visitors centre once more and heading out of town. After about 5-10 minutes drive we came across another campsite sign, and with the wife at the wheel we were again heading off course to investigate.

This time I'm glad we did; the road appeared to end, to be replaced by a dirt track (it didn't, as it turns out), so the wife parked the car and I got out to see what was what. Upon rounding the next corner I was presented with the most stunning of views; a vast reservoir - evidently what the Castril dam was holding back - and I realised we were now in the Sierra de Castril Natural Park. The water was bluer than the sky (on what was a cloudless sunny day), and with every few meters that I walked, a bit more of it was revealed.

El Portillo reservoir in the Sierra de Castril Natural Park

After wandering around for ten minutes or so taking photos, we got back in the car and continued in search of the campsite. The road descended down into the valley then twisted and turned through beautiful countryside, following the river throughout, until about 7km later we were at the camp. Going by the name of El Cortijillo Castril, and equipped with a lovely bar and restaurant, the campsite is a good size and appears to have great facilities (including, if tenting isn't your thing, bungalows and cabins), and would make an excellent base for exploration of the mountains and lakes of the Natural Park - or even just a holiday doing very little but relaxing in a peaceful environment. And I really can't overstate what a beautiful location this is.

This is the great thing about getting out and about - you never know what you'll stumble upon next, and I actually can't wait to get back there now, pitch up and get exploring.

Castril - More Info (Andalusia Tourist Board)

Sierra de Castril Natural Park (Andalusia Tourist Board)

El Cortijillo Castril Campsite

Trangoworld Skin Micro Lite vs Therm-a-rest Prolite Self-Inflating Mats

Therm-a-rest proudly state that their Prolite self-inflating mat is "the lightest and most compact self-inflating mat available" - only it isn't. Well it is and it isn't......

Their small version (119 x 51cm) only beats the equivalent-sized Trangoworld Skin Micro Lite (120 x 50cm) to this title by a mere 20g* but it does so at the expense of performance - the Skin Micro Lite is 20% thicker than the Prolite, and consequently sports a higher R-value (thermal insulation rating) - 3.41 compared to the 2.4 of the Therm-a-rest. So it may be the lightest - but only just, and not in a good way.

Neither is the Prolite the "most compact" (assuming that they mean "when packed" here) - the Skin Micro Lite packs up smaller than the Prolite. Admittedly it's close, with only about 1cm in it, but remember the Skin Micro Lite is 20% thicker so the points for achievement go to Trangoworld. 

Photo courtesy of Trangoworld

Now I'm quite the gram-counter, but on this occasion I can forgive the extra weight. And it's not just the weight of the mat I'm talking about - it's also the weight of the extra cash in my wallet; the Prolite costs three times as much as the Skin Micro Lite. Seriously, who's buying the Prolite?

I'm not going to do a full review of the small Skin Micro Lite as I pretty much covered everything in my review of the regular version (see here). But as I mentioned in my recent update of that review, it's amazing that more than half a decade later, the Trangoworld is still the mat to beat - and no-one is coming close. 

Anyone can make something lighter by cutting the amount of materials in it (and consequently cutting performance and comfort), but the fact that Trangoworld have made the second-lightest mat (with the difference in weight being less than that of an AA battery) without sacrificing comfort and performance is pretty outstanding. Oh, and did I mention it was a third of the price? Incredible...

What's even more incredible is you'll never see it appear on any lists of best/lightest mats. It's almost as if the world doesn't want you to know it exists.

Trangoworld Skin Micro Lite 120x50x3

*Based on manufacturers' advertised weights. Likewise, the regular version of the Skin Micro Lite is only 40g heavier than the Prolite, but boasts the same increase in thickness and R-value as seen with the small versions. My own Skin Micro Lite actually weighed in at 392g (406g in its stuff sack), a seemingly common issue with self-inflating mats; weights seem to vary tremendously and it appears that manufacturers state the average weight. Oddly, I've never managed to come across one that weighs less than the figure advertised.