Cachiporrilla – an opportunity we couldn’t ignore!

Ever since arriving at our campsite, located in the Lozoya Valley in Spain, we were itching to have a shot at trekking up Cachiporrilla Peak, a 1620-metre-high mountain viewable from the site. We hoped it was in walking distance. A quick trip to the reception/information room revealed that it was – in fact, there was even a mapped route and directions that lead to the summit.

We soon found out that the directions we collected weren’t to be relied on – as soon as we exited the site, we managed to miss the unmarked footpath but luckily realised our mistake only a few bends down the road. It was only a few directions later we passed the gate we should have taken, and were pointed the correct way by a local Spaniard, but soon we were on the right track, beginning our trek up the mountain. The higher we got, the better the views became; the snow-capped peaks of the Guadarrama range became more visible, as well as the villages nestled high-up in between peaks, and we could overlook the long lake stretching down the length of the Lozoya valley. Vultures, the first of the many that migrate from Africa for cooler weather, circled overhead and we soon found out a possible reason why. Whilst walking we passed the carcasses of two dead cows, along with a few stripped bones littering the landscape.

We were carving our own path through the vegetation – any previous paths had stopped or detoured away from the direction we were heading a while back – and hopped to the other side of the wall we were following if the vegetation got too thick, only to cross again if it became clear. Lunch was eaten on a rocky outcrop at the beginning of the summit climb and not matter how good we thought the view was then, it was nothing compared to what we saw at the top. Despite the fact the mountains on the horizon may have been almost double the height of the one we had summited, the beauty of the patchwork landscape spread out below us was breath-taking and we could have been on top the world for all we saw. All of us were reluctant to leave the fresh mountain air and picturesque vista behind when it was time to head back down to the site.

We climbed this peak as part of our family-friendly Climb Everest Challenge.

By Amy