The white cottony flower of the Garrigues almond tree is the main protagonist of the ROUTE.
After three years without being able to do it because of the pandemic, this past Sunday has been carried out the XIII edition of the Route of the Almond Tree, in these days where the flowering of the Almond tree is reaching its full splendour.
As has been the tradition in recent years, at this time of year the walking route returns where you can see the full bloom of the almond trees in the Sierra de las Estancias. A hiking route that gave the opportunity to walk through the area with the highest concentration of almond trees in Spain. This year, due to weather conditions, the flowering of the almond trees has not been brought forward and begins at the end of February and throughout the month of March.
First thing in the morning the walkers were warmly welcomed at the Santuario del Saliente by its Rector, Antonio J. Saldaña together with Natalia and Pedro Manuel from the Council of the Santuario del Saliente. Once they had been welcomed – group photo and subsequent visit to the shrine to see the Pequeñica – the walkers headed for the starting point of the route.
The cold and the moderate westerly wind, forced to make changes to the route, which in the end was left in 9 kilometres, through a wadi with a medium difficulty, offering the walker a great opportunity to do sport walking through white fields and pink almond blossoms.
The route, as always, was guided and organised by Mojacar Sport Aventura-DGSE Turismo Activo, the ‘Somos Albojenses’ Cultural Association and the Albox Town Council. The Diocesan Sanctuary of El Saliente and the hiking clubs Nueva Aventura de Oria and Club de Montaña ‘Desamparados de Albox’ also collaborated in this edition.
In the middle of the morning there was the traditional breakfast of Almond cakes, Almendras Mollares and good local wine.
In the triangle formed by the municipalities of Albox, Chirivel and Oria is located the largest extension of almond trees in Europe, these last days of winter and early spring the fields are stained with colour and impregnated with the aroma of honey so characteristic of the almond blossom, being a visual spectacle and a tourist attraction for these villages in the north of the province of Almeria that live precisely this type of traditional and family farming.
«Just as the Jerte Valley is known throughout Spain for its cherry blossom, the aim is for the Sierra de las Estancias to be known as the Valley of the Almond Blossom», say Somos Albojenses. Almeria is one of the provinces with the most hectares of almond trees, with around 80,000 trees.
*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***