Master Index    Nearest Caches Fuente de Calaña by halcongris (2/3,5) N36° 32.647  W4° 54.181 (WGS84) UTM  30S   E 329662  N 4045986 Use waypoint: GC1MY4P Size: Regular    Hidden on 21-2-2009 In Andalucía, Spain Difficulty:     Terrain:       The route follows a stream running through a wooded valley in the Sierra Blanca. A beautiful wilderness yet not far from Marbella bus station. Most of the route is a well marked path (some parts not mountain bike friendly) but the last stretch is a poorly marked path and a rocky stream bed. A regular cache, under a large rock. From Marbella Bus Station you drive up a small road through a lot of new houses to the north until the road suddenly stops at N36º 31.6950' W4º 53.9352' UTM: 30S E 329994.4 N 4044218.9 You can park your car here. Continue down to the stream on foot, cross the stream and follow the path along the bank upstream (to your right). Just keep going, following the stream at all times. There are plenty of rock pools where you can cool off on a hot day.You will reach a ruined building (Ermita de los Monjes) at N36º 32.4558' W4º 54.0552' with a plaque to "Patrick". At this point you need to return to the stream and continue to follow it upstream to the cache. The path is ill defined when it exists at all and the last stretch is a rocky stream bed (no water in February when I was there). The cache is a square plastic container, under a large rock. It contained, at the beginning: Digital Wristwatch 2 Plastic Miniature Tennis Raquets TeleTubby Metal Puzzle Pigargo key ring Pill box old 25pta coin Luggage Tag Blue Man plastic key ring ^ozo^ rubber spider Gilette CD Carion Crow Geocoin PC0H0D The scenery is beautiful and the stream a delight. If you continue on the main path past the Ermita there are some excellent views of Marbella and the coast, but that is a detour from the cache route. Difficult to believe you are so near to the centre of Marbella. Desde la estación de autobuses de Marbella, sube al norte por una calle con muchas casas nuevas hasta el fin (N36º 31.6950' W4º 53.9352' UTM: 30S E 329994.4 N 4044218.9). Aquí puedes aparcar el coche. Siguiendo de pie hasta el arroyo y cruzando el agua, sigue el sendero al lado del arroyo río arriba. Hay muchos charcos donde puedes aliviar el calor en verano. Llegas a las ruinas del Ermita de los Monjes en N36º 32.4558' W4º 54.0552' donde hay una placa a "Patrick". Ahora tienes que volver al arroyo y seguir río arriba hasta el escondite. El sendero está mal (donde hay sendero) y al final es todo rocas. Buscas un contenedor de plastico, cuadrado, debajo de una roca grande. El paisaje es estupendo y el arroyo una delicia. Si sigues el camino principal desùés de la Ermita hay vistas bonitas de Marbella y la costa pero no en la dirección del escondite. Es dificil creer que estás tan cerca al centro de Marbella.

Additional Hints Hints

1-6-2009 by yateshk
Found this on the same trip as the one at the Ermita (GC1R4K5)
It's certainly a bit wild between the Ermita and this cache. Doing it in warm weather (& in shorts) means you will get plenty of scratches.
We tried to miss out the small climb at the Ermita on the way back, that's a bad move as the alternative is really quite overgrown now.
Overall a very enjoyable in country that is quite wild yet so close to Marbella.
Took nothing as we'd left our bag of bits at home

25-4-2009 by J_Rover
@ 1:00 PM

Don't let you be impressed by the first meters ... Soon it will be still worse (It's a joke [:p]).

As Parmstro says, I hope that I've been sorted out. Isn't it?

It's a very good recommendation to look out for the red and white tags in the last hundreds meters (the hardest).

Thanks you for teaching me this delightful route in Sierra Blanca.

Took Pill box and left memory Stick.
Humble Mc Rover

[This entry was edited by J_Rover on Sunday, April 26, 2009 at 4:43:49 PM.]

18-3-2009 by parmstro
This will sort out the men from the boys!!!
1.Don´t be put off by the first 200m - it´s not a difficult walk, and it´s pretty,
2.After finding the ruin, go down and cross the stream. At the next stream crossing look out for the red and white tags in the trees - follow these and you will find the path easily.

Found the cache in second place we looked - TFTC. Took the geocoin to move on.

24-2-2009 by Kili or bust
FTF! Woohay! Beautiful walk on a smashing Andalucian morning. All the new buds just waiting to burst out of the wild flowers along the way. Joanie and I were about to start packing for home the other night when this one appeared on the GC horizon. As this is exactly the kind of cache that we love we set off early today and made our way along crisscrossing the stream several times. The last bit was a little rough ok and a bit of patience was required but no problem finding the cache with very good coordinates.
Maybe it was a good omen that two cachers from Ireland, the home of Patrick, should be first to this one because it was unusually pleasant to see his name on the plaque. There were two nice young local lads there when we arrived.
Thanks for the cache and a super walk!

21-2-2009 by halcongris
Carion Crow geocoin PC0H0D is in the cache

Hints (Back)
Under a large rock on the left bank looking upstream.