Thanks to Joan Abrams for providing a description of these walks.

WALK 1

The Mirador walk

This walk is ‘moderate' with some difficult bits if you carry on to the higher slopes. You need to be reasonably fit and you need good walking shoes. If you are not sure about your level of fitness and/or don't have 'proper' shoes you can retrace your steps from the Mirador and walk back along the road (taking care to watch out for traffic).

From the Ayuntamiento turn sharp RIGHT out of the square by the Coviran shop and go down until the next street where you turn LEFT and then RIGHT again and continue down towards the football ground.

To the LEFT of this ground you will see a path clearly leading straight ahead. Follow this as it winds through the olives and almonds and then becomes a short steep slope to meet the Olivares Road.

Turn LEFT here and walk along the road and round the bend until you see the slops up to the Mirador. This gives you wonderful views of Moclín, Olivares and the Vega plain leading through to Granada.

From the Mirador stay on the footpath which leads along the slope. It is stony and steep in parts. You will come to another footpath very soon which leads to your RIGHT, but ignore this and continue AHEAD on the footpath leading up to the pine trees.

This leads clearly ahead and up and then flattens out and continues along the left side of a chalky field. There are even higher views and vistas of Moclín from here.

Continue ahead on the clear path, and to your left above you, you will see the ‘fire break’ through the pine trees, which on another walk would take you up to the lookout on the top. To your left, very soon you will see Moclín’s canon (18th Century, but a copy).

The path then turn down and widens through olive groves to the Puerto Lope road and you turn RIGHT and make your way back to the Ayuntamiento.

‘Look up to La Mota’
(Around the base of the castle, and Spring flowers) 1 ½ km – flat From the Ayuntamiento turn RIGHT and leave the plaza by the Coviran shop and continue STRAIGHT up Calle Real. Continue across the junction and straight down the slope of the road until you reach the T-junction with Amargua.

Turn RIGHT sharply down the slope and then immediately LEFT past a green iron double garage door. You will see the Velillos gorge in front of you.

Continue along the wide gritted path and at another large green garage door, take the RIGHT HAND narrow path (slightly stony at the beginning). In February you will see almond blossom, and in spring you will see irises, wild poppies, and a wide variety of wild flowers. In Autumn there are figs, almonds, and of course – olives!
Below you to the right you will see Olivares.

Continue along and look up to see La Mota immediately above you and down into the limestone gorge. Take care on part of the track as it falls away into the olive fields a little in parts.

After 5 – 8 minutes you will see an outcrop of chalky white rocks to your right and an almond tree plantation surrounded by a stone wall, and iron bedsteads. On this short walk, you have two or three choices:

Go up towards the stony outcrop via the fir plantation or on the rocks, for even
better views;

Go forwards on the widening chalky path and look down further towards the Tozar valley;

Stay where you are and just look!

Then, to return to Moclín, return to exactly where the original path widened and you will see another path joining this in a ‘V’ shape and you take the RIGHT path at a stone wall. There is a RED paint way-mark on a stone.

This path slopes upwards back towards the village and the castle and is fairly steep in parts. After 5 minutes this comes out at a concrete ‘battlement’-style wall where the path widens to new shale.

You will see the Hermitage to your LEFT and you have the choice to turn RIGHT or LEFT and down to the Ayuntamiento.