Under the Aguja Roja between Riglos and Loarre (Section 5, Stage 1)
Nature is gradually reclaiming these old paths and unless they are used or maintained they will eventually disappear altogether. Centuries of wear have also turned some into gashes in the landscape – trenches – which in the winter fill with snow and mud and in the summer become overgrown with brambles. They are occasionally impassable and the only option is to seek an alternative route.
As with most long-distance trails there is some road walking on the GR1 but thankfully, given its length, very little. Quite often the original surface has been made accessible for farm vehicles or four-wheel drives but rarely does this generate an uncomfortable hard surface.
The GR1 is a long but easy walk. The walking is safe, does not involve any scrambling and you don’t need a head for heights. It is however a walk that takes you into remote empty countryside and there are days when you are unlikely to see anyone else.
Dealing with dogs
Dogs are a feature of walking in Spain and the standard Spanish approach to keeping burglars away is to build a fence around the property and put one or more dogs inside it. They make a lot of noise and this can be unnerving. Passing through a village can trigger a dog-barking chain reaction that starts before arrival and doesn’t finish until long after departure. When there isn’t a fence for protection the dogs seem to change their nature and aggression ceases. Barking dogs are intimidating but a shake of a walking pole invariably puts them in their place. It may be tempting fate to say so but after thousands of kilometres of Spanish walking I am yet to be bitten by a dog.
Staying in Spain
This guide has been produced on the assumption that walkers will use the local accommodation, walk from place to place and, for their comfort, carry the minimum amount of gear. It is possible to walk most of the GR1 and start and finish each day in accommodation directly on the route. Occasionally diversions are necessary, even a taxi journey, and where this is case the detailed notes describe what to do.
The church tower of the submerged village of Mediano (Section 5, Stage 7)
Very often the accommodation recommended is the only accommodation available. One of the joys of this kind of walking is the element of surprise involved in where you end up staying.
Broadly speaking there are two types of accommodation – provided in small hotels or by individuals.
Small hotel accommodation is described in Spain in various ways and with no great consistency. A hotel might be described as a hostal, auberge or hotel and the description will not give you much idea what to expect. A hostal for example, could be rooms above a bar providing fairly minimal services or it could be a lavish weekend retreat aimed at wealthy Spaniards from the city and providing a fine dining experience. Invariably the rooms are meticulously clean (the Spanish apparently use more cleaning materials per head than anyone in Europe), good value and with kind, friendly owners.
Private accommodation is usually described as a casa rural and again the title is not that helpful. It can mean a room in the owner‘s own home – similar to bed and breakfast; it can mean taking a single room in a property designed for a full property let; or it can involve a room in a property similar to a small hotel where food is provided to guests.
Where hotel-like accommodation exists this guide does not attempt to list the alternative casa rural options. Surprisingly they tend to be more expensive and are usually less fun.
There are a few places where the only accommodation available is a genuine hostel – sometimes provided by the local council – a bit like a youth hostel and where the accommodation might be in a dormitory (although chances are you will have it to yourself). Where this is the only option you will need a sheet sleeping bag and your own soap and towel.
Using the internet to find and book accommodation
There is an interesting disconnection between the information provided on websites and the reality of in situ. Many of the nicest hotels barely feature on the internet while others with sophisticated websites disappoint on arrival.
Increasingly Spanish hotels and even casa rurals are resorting to Booking.com (www.booking.com) or other intermediaries to attract customers. Some are even dropping their own websites in preference to a page on a third-party site. Small hotels are poor at responding to emails and if a lack of language skills makes using the telephone a challenge than Booking.com is incredibly helpful. Accommodation listed on Booking.com is referenced in the text although it’s worth checking to see whether others have moved to the site since this guide was finalised, as it’s definitely a developing trend.
Eating in Spain
Spanish eating arrangements may come as a surprise – every meal is eaten late. If you want an early start, unless the hotel doubles up as the local bar, an early breakfast can be difficult to organise. Common practice is to get a sandwich prepared the night before (two if they are providing you with lunch), pay, and then leave the key in the door. Lunch orders in Spain are still being taken at 3.30 or even 4pm and dinner is often at 9pm (although the Spanish may eat even later). Interestingly dinner at a casa rural in a domestic setting is always earlier than in a hotel.
Leaving Agüero on the route to Murillo de Gállego (Section 4, Stage 5)
Lunch is the main meal of the day particularly on Sundays. It’s often a very social event when either families or large groups of friends get together, creating a wonderful and convivial atmosphere in a restaurant. If the day’s walk isn’t too long a good strategy is to aim to get to your destination by mid-afternoon and enjoy a satisfying lunch.
When there is only one hotel, the food provided there is often the only food available. If you’re a vegetarian you may find the options a little limited but if you’re happy to eat fish or meat then you definitely won’t go hungry on the GR1. Cured meats are a specialty, black pudding (morcilla), grilled lamb and pork (often cooked on the fire in the corner of the room), beans and lentils, Spanish tortilla, and if you’re early in the year wild asparagus. The food is excellent and on the route you will taste food direct from the local farmyard and food (in Catalonia in particular) that builds on Spain’s reputation for culinary avant garde.
In comparison with other EU countries Spain provides excellent value for money. When walking in the mountains, accommodation with dinner and breakfast can be as little as €30 a day (and at the cheaper end of the accommodation spectrum a bottle of wine is invariably included even if you’re on your own). Generally speaking the walker can easily live within a budget of €50 a day.
When to go
Much of the route is accessible all year round but there are good and not so good times to go. Factors to consider are rainfall in the winter including snow in the Cantabrian Mountains, and the heat in the summer particularly crossing the plain in Navarre. The condition of the trail will also vary from season to season and even if there isn’t a lot of snow some stretches will be so muddy that walking in winter can be uncomfortable. In addition to the weather the other factor to consider is accommodation. Much of it is available all year round but some is not open in the winter months.
The best months for most of the walk are April, May and June and September/October. July and August are good months for walking in the Cantabrian Mountains but not on lower parts of the route. The best source of information on climate and weather patterns is the official, Spanish-language website