Customised Maps in the Serrania de Ronda of southern Spain

Customised maps for Hiking, Mountain Biking and Outdoor Enthusiasts in the Serrania de Ronda

Maps are indispensable tools forany outdoor exploration and are, for me, like works of art; they can conjure up vivid images of the countryside whilst piquing my interest to explore new areas. I have boxes full of hiking trail maps and MTB routes from around the world. [Wayne Pickering]

Our region of Andalucía, starting in the Serrania de Ronda and spreading way into the diverse countryside and Natural Parks all around it, is a wonderful area to explore. There is an abundance of trails for hikers, mountain bikers, horse riders and even adventure motorcyclists. However, the available Spanish maps lack all the route information required for faultless exploration and are simply not as detailed as those available in many countries.

Spain’s Centro Nacional de Informacíon Geográfica (CNIG) produces maps for the whole country which illustrate the topographical features but fail to show accurate information on rights of way. They include lots of detail on the lie of the land, roads, rivers, railway tracks and trails but once you get out there, it is often to discover that everywhere is not as accessible as the maps lead you to believe. There are numerous different types of trail - caminos, carills, cañadas, cordels and vías pecuarias – which tempt you to explore along their ways but more often than not, a planned excursion faces a disappointing end. Many of the ways shown are on private land, fenced off or behind locked gates. Some are impassable due to thick vegetation, have been totally washed away over years of erosion or have simply been ploughed out of existence by local farmers.