Twenty two members of Skerries Walking Club have recently returned from a great one week walking holiday in Spain 14-21 Sept. The holiday was organised through Rumbo a Picos and was a 2 centre holiday in the Sierra de Gredos, a mountain range situated west of Madrid in the province of Salamanca. The group initially stayed in an amazing castle Parador on the South side of the Sierra de Gredos and then moved to a village on the North side. This meant that the very different landscape of both sides of the Sierra de Gredos were experienced by the group. Walks over five days were very varied and on each day there was a choice of walks ranging from easy to strenuous. Some of the group summited the challenging La Mira (2,343m) on the South side and also summited Morezon (2,389m) and Calivitero (2,225m) peaks on the North side, along with Canchal de la Ceja (2,428m) – the highest peak of Salamanca. A couple of the walks had the benefit of a swim in river pools at the end and that proved to be very popular with everyone. All the walks were led by the guides from Runbo a Picos who shared with the group their extensive knowledge of the Flora , Fauna and heritage of that area of Spain, with some stunning landscapes along the way.  The “rest day” involved a trip to the historical and beautiful city of Salamanca (a World Heritage City). All in all this proved to be a great holiday offering fabulous walking and an opportunity to appreciate the food, culture and wine of Spain, with wonderful dinners every evening. There was great camaraderie as well both on the walks and socialising in the evenings. 

The Club organises a variety of walks all year round – including rambles, easy hillwalks and hillwalks – at weekends and also midweek. Walking weekends away are also organised as well as an overseas walking holiday. See the Walks Programme on the Club website which provides a variety of walks to suit all types of walker. The Club currently welcomes new members. Website:- www.skerrieswalking.com   Email:- skerries.walking@gmail.com