Key
Spain
Galicia
Basque
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Balearics
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Canaries
 

Osborne bulls
 
 

Spanish people love to walk, but they don't generally go about it in the way the British do. Where our inclination is to head out of town and find a public footpath, they will head for the centre of town and 'paseo'. And they won't be wearing baggy shorts and boots, they will wait until the day cools into evening, put on their best clothes and parade past each other in the town 'Plaza Mayor' or down a 'Rambla' until it is time for dinner at about midnight (in the cities). In a generally hot and dry country this isn't surprising, sweating across the 'meseta' under a blazing sun is no fun (except for mad dogs and Englishmen? The sensible learn to siesta). The best walking therefore is away from the midsummer heat in the mountains and islands. Spain has a strong and fascinating culture which can add a lot of enjoyment to a trip. Combine a city break in Madrid with the Gredos or Barcelona with the Pyrenees. A beach holiday in Mallorca with walking in its mountains or mix the high mountains of the Sierra Nevada with the sleepy 'white towns' of Andalusia
 

Spain is not a crowded country, forget your holiday brochure images of the 'costas'. Hire a car almost anywhere in Spain and you can be in country untouched by tourism in half an hour. Spanish people like each others company, so everybody crowds together in the town, so you won't find straggling suburbs carrying on for miles like London or Los Angeles (USA). There are mountain ranges and gorges to be found all over Spain but the Pyrenees, Picos and Sierra Nevada are the most significant. The central meseta (tableland) forms a high flat plain around Madrid with roads running in straight lines for miles. Only the south (Andalusia) has the characteristics usually associated with all of Spain (gazpacho, flamenco, gypsies and mañana¹). Central Spain is the land of the serious Castilian with his castles and roast meat. Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia is almost a different country with its own language (as do the Basques and Galicians) and a similar relationship to Castile as Scotland does to England. The extensive north coast of the Basque country, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia are much cooler than the rest of Spain, although the Spanish exaggerate the amount of rainfall there (from a British viewpoint).

1 mañana can mean tomorrow (adverb), tomorrow morning (feminine, mañana por la mañana) or the future (masculine).

I have used thesymbol to indicate a good walking destination in the area guide section rather than to indicate the best book as choice of book tends to depend on the balance of walking/climbing information required.

Goto Area Guide Books index
Some possible destinations
Cazorla Camp or stay at the parador among the wild pigs and pine martins.
Mallorca combine a beach holiday with the mountains of the north. 
Pyrenees enjoy hut or tent based walking in the better weather of the Spanish side.
Picos de Europa walk the lip of a gorge, stroll up to the real Las Vegas or climb a serious mountain.
Sierra Nevada mountains (often snow covered - with some piste skiing) above the Andalusian coast and the Alhambra at Granada .The Sierra Nevada is little used for walking and solitude is almost guaranteed away from ski developments.
Tenerife- Teide, Spain's highest mountain and volcano at the centre of a holiday island .
La Palma Volcanic island in the Canaries.
Gran Canaria  Start walks high in the mountains.

Maps
Spanish maps can often be obtained from specialist suppliers such as Stanfords in Long Acre, London and Corn Street Bristol. (email Stanfordsmail order) 
Spanish O.S. maps: Servicio Geografico Del Ejercito produce Cartografia Militarde España - series L maps 1:50,000, C at 1:100,000 and 2C 1:200,000
The I.G.N.(Istituto Geografico Nacional) produce folded sheets of areas of interestat 1:50,000.
I am afraid few of these maps are quite up to O.S. standard, perhaps we get a little spoilt in Britain. 
The Canaries are covered by Freytag & Berndt maps at 1:35000-1:75000. These maps show hiking trails in red which can be expected to exist on the ground and be waymarked. They also show black dotted footpaths of a less certain nature. Roads are graded to differentiate tarmac and jeep tracks. Although in National Parks jeep tracks may have been closed to vehicle access and are now used as footpaths. 
Discovery Walking Guides and maps  (small section reproduced here- above right) are setting the standard for spanish maps.
Regional guidebooks with general information and typically 34 route descriptions + short walks backed up by map excerpts at 1:25000 and 1:40000 and photos.
Tour and Trail maps at 1:40000 complement the guides, showing routes and printed on durable or indestructible material. Walkers’ maps are of 1:25000 scale, again to match with the guides but at a scale ideal for individual walks. 
Drive! touring maps with city street plans are ideal for the motorist. All the maps are GPS¹ ready and are far more accurate and up to date than typical Spanish mapping.
GPS navigator are available on a CD ROM

1] If GPS is a mystery to you try “GPS the easy way”.Best selling introduction to GPS.
Discovery UK guides

Birdwatching in Spain

Excellent pocket sized general guide with heavy emphasis on visual presentation by maps, 3D street plans, cutaway diagrams, drawings and photos. Remarkably easy to follow compared with a written guide. Also these guides hit those little things that can be so useful. For instance - photos of the different kinds of police uniform and their cars (with descriptions of their duties), what letter boxes look like and photos of bus stops not to mention typical brandy bottles! 

History and culture. "What to see" with cutaways and floorplans so you will not need further guides. Street maps. Restaurant and hotel listings. Entertainment. Survival guide. Travel information. 

"The guides that show you what others only tell you".

More detailed local versions (recommended) :- 
Seville and Andalucia

Barcelona and Catalonia

Madrid

Food books

In Gallego (Galician), Basque and Catalan "x"s are common. "Txakoli" (the Basque wine) is pronounced "Chack-o-lee". Some gallego words replace the "j" with an "x" as in "Xunta" for "Junta" (town council) or "Xose" for "Jose" which are then pronounced "chunt-ah" and "chose-ay" respectively. In Catalan the "x" sound is closer to the castilian "j".
The alphabet

Note:-
The exact specification of maps and guides may change without warning, I will try to keep this site up to date but am not responsible for changes made by publishers.
 

Andalucia Sierra de Aracena The Axarguia Camino de Santiago & Via de la Plata Canary Islands Cordillera Cantabrica Costa Blanca(la muntanya d'Alacant) El Hierro Fuerteventura Gran Canaria Gredos Ibiza

Lanzarote La Gomera La Palma Madeira Mallorca Menorca Picos de Europa Pyrenees Sierra Nevada Tenerife

Walking in the Sierra Nevada Walmsley
Covers all aspects usefully including details of which roads require 4x4.Out of print?

34 Alpujarras Walks
Walks in the High Alpurarras of Granada and the high peaks to the north, including Mulhacen, suitable for anyone used to hill walking with the proviso the altitude must be considered on the higher walks, however, many walks are low/medium altitude and “strolls” are suggested in many areas.
GR7, western Alpujarras, Barranco de Poqueira and Mulhacen, La Taha, Trevelez. GPS waypoints are provided.

Alpujarras Tour and Trail map
Discovery walking guides.Waterproof and durable map to accompany above guide.

Gredosrange near Madrid.
Almanzor 2592m. Calvitero 2395m. Peñalara 2430m. La Serrota 2294m. Morezon 2365m.
Gredos and Sierra Nevada Collomb
Detailed route descriptions at the climbing end of walking, if you see what I mean.Out of print?

See also Walking in Spain

Birdwatching in Mallorca Ciceronegives information on, well, birdwatching in Mallorca!

"New 'classic' Tour & Trail Map at 1:40,000 scale from Esporles west across the Tramuntana to include the vast majority of Mallorca's walking routes. All published walking routes are highlighted (red line). This is the essential map if you are walking.Includes GPS waypoints.

see also Rock Climbs in Mallorca Craggs Cicerone
AA Island map Mallorca

Discovery Tour and Trail super durable 1:40000 map
Walk! Menorca
40 walks for all abilities in town and country, on paths and lanes, visiting some of the many prehistoric sites, historic towns and beaches and all over the island GPS waypoints. Photos and map extracts.

Discovery Drive! Menorca - touring map 
Landscapes of Menorca
AA Island map Menorca
Ibiza
Ibiza south Discovery walking guide
AA Island map Ibiza Formentor

Dramatic mountains (especially Naranjo) for the climber and walker. Can be hot with limited water in some areas. Walkers with a good head for heights can walk the Cares Gorge path but don't expect solitude in the gorge. Climbers should get Walks and Climbs in the Picos de Europa Walker Ciceroneand walkers 

Picos de Europain the Landscapes series. There is also a 

Collomb Picos de Europaguide, also more for climbers.

See also:- Food of Asturias and Cantabria

The Spanish side of the mountains has better weather than the French side, car hire costs less and the people are more friendly. Ordesa is spectacular but valley access points may be over popular. Ambitious walkers and climbers will want 

Walks and Climbs in the Pyrenees Reynolds Cicerone
More pedestrian walkers will want Landscapes of the Pyrenees.

Kev Reynolds has also written Classic Walks in the Pyrenees (21x26cm 145p colour) which is in a larger format with nicer photographs to study in the armchair (out of print?).

The Pyrenees Reynolds Cicerone
 

Walking in the Cordillera Cantabrica Cicerone

See also:- Catalan food and Barcelona

People approach the Camino in a variety of ways. Most walk or cycle, a few go on horseback and the roads closest to the route are now signposted for cars, fair enough for a devout but frail Catholic wishing to visit the sanctuaries along the way. Where the path and road coincide substantial crash barriers have often been put in place to protect walkers. (Some cyclists seem to prefer the road alternatives to avoid the stones of the path). The Camino seems to be enjoying a burst of popularity at present and with popularity comes the pilgrim who doesnt really get it, I saw a man complete the way at Santiago with his personal stereo playing and hardly giving a glance at the cathedral, one more ticked off? A gym treadmill might be more logical. I also spoke to a cyclist who had done it with coach support, sitting out some sections because "it was too long for a week".Well, it is too long for a week! But most appreciate the magnificence of the finish, often re-uniting with friends and family at the scallop shell in the centre of the square. This man  stood for an hour, contemplating the cathedral.

Weather
The north coast has a much wetter climate than most of Spain, plan for rain and hot sunshine.

A stout staff is considered "de rigueur", rather than walking poles.

(5 star grandluxe, v.expensive but worth it for one night) 

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Guides and maps now becoming more easily available to the pilgrim route and the EU plans to link the Camino through to Winchester! A long distance path indeed. The route in Spain starts near San Sebastian (pilgrims may start from anywhere, St.Jean in the Pyrenees is a good choice, but some will start at Arles or even Paris), passing through Pamplona (famous for its running of the bulls), Burgos and Leon on its way to Santiago (about 800 Km). (Guard against old maps as Galicia has built many new roads in recent years.). The route is way marked with yellow paint, scallop shells, pilgrim figures and EU signs. About 16,000 people do the route each year and May is probably the best month to start.

Walking the Via de la Plata - Cole, Davis

Seville to Santiago and on to Finisterra
 

The scallop shell is the symbol of Santiago and of the pilgrimage and some pilgrims will wear a scallop shell round their necks. Indeed, when you finally arrive in Santiago you will find excellent scallops and other seafood available at reasonable prices for a celebration meal.

See also:- Food of Galicia