“Climbing and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities
should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions and involvement” British Mountain Council
Copyright © Victor Warth 2004-2009 All rights reserved. www.costablancamountainfriends.com
Spanish Mountain Navigation
Maps
The most popular map for mountain navigation in the Alicante and Valencia provinces is the Mapa Topográfico Nacional de España in scale 1:25.000. This map is based on the European 1950 UTM Datum grid reference system. There are various maps and guides available through the local tourist offices but none are suitable for serious navigation in the interior mountains.
Navigating
For navigation by GPS your receiver will need to be set as below but you should run a local test
in Spain before departing your accommodation for the mountains.
Position Format-UTM UPS Map Datum- European 1950
Warning, GPS satellite signals are constantly lost in the mountains so don’t rely on GPS alone.
Mount your GPS receiver on your body and not in your rucksack!
When exploring new routes you should always carry a map and compass and plan your courses
by marking them on the map. As you pass each planned course make sure that you take a back
bearing of the original course. Back bearings are useful for when returning on the original route
particularly in poor weather conditions.
Magnetic variation is normally stated on Spanish topographic maps but will need to be calculated
for the current year If the map is an old edition. For 2006 the magnetic variation in the Costa
Blanca area was approximately 1° 46´ West decreasing at 7’ annually. Add this variation to any
course that you have calculated on your map. Remember that in the mountains there could be
some local magnetic deviation just like at sea. A compass in your rucksack should be kept away from any metallic objects to avoid weakening of the magnetic properties of the needle pointer.
Most of the well known mountain routes are marked by the local town Halls with white and yellow
or white and green stripes. Some of these routes are sign posted and prefixed with PRV-which stands for Pequeño Recorrido Valencia. GR- stands for Gran Recorrido and marked with white over red stripes but these routes are not seen in this part of Spain. Routes marked with red, orange or green or any colour spots are not official and made by local hiking or climbing groups. These spots may be a useful guide for them but they could be leading you onto a scrambling, canyoning or rock climbing route, so be aware!
Cairns are constantly used for route marking and are visible over longer distances than paint spots.
Some become damaged by animals or weather which can leave you hunting for the next one.
Cairns could also be leading you on to an extreme mountain route or in another direction.
Measuring your distance is essential when in unfamiliar mountains, in poor visibility or at night.
Pacing and timing your progress should be done by counting your steps on each section of your
route plan. Practice measuring your step distance and remember it or mark it on your map or
compass. If your average step is 0.8 metres and the next waypoint or change of course is 100
metres then you will need to pace out 125 steps. Remember that your step will vary so allow a
tolerance of about 5%.
Position locating by altitude is only accurate if you have calibrated your altimeter prior to the event.
Remember that the atmospheric pressure which altimeters rely on changes during the day and decreases with altitude as you climb. GPS devices have a built in altimeter which is regularly updated by satellite so calibration prior to the event is useful but not so important.
Height altitude reference is a useful tool for navigating. You can use the altitude reference in conjunction with a map to determine your nearest height contour line.
Use contour lines to help locate your position.
Mountain Weather
Thankfully we don’t get much mountain mist or fog in the Costa Blanca area but be aware of the
following conditions when it does occur.
Advection fog or Sea Fog is normally formed in coastal waters when the air is cooled below it’s
dew point allowing it’s water vapour to condense into fog. Mountains and cliffs such as Gelada,
Oltá, Montgó and the Plana de San Jerónimo can be partially covered in the cold months.
A change of wind direction bringing drier air will clear this type of fog.
Radiation fog is formed by land cooling at night and radiating it’s heat into space. If the air is
cooled by land below it’s dew point then condensation occurs and if conditions are right, this will
form fog. This type of fog normally occurs in the hotter months and will affect all mountainous
areas but clears quickly as the sun rises and heats the land.
Low pressure weather cold fronts bringing in Cumulonimbus clouds can reduce visibility down
to 10 metres in areas above 500 metres. The showers that normally accompany these cold
fronts can leave you in dangerous conditions particularly on mountain summits. Apart from the
poor visibility and becoming disorientated there is the obvious danger of a fall on slippery rocks
and a serious injury with very little chance of the rescue services pin pointing your exact position.
These conditions normally occur in the cold months and taking local weather reports coupled
with your own regular observation of the sky should keep you out of trouble. Avoid all summits
and ridges if these conditions are imminent!
Spanish Mountain Navigation is written by Vic Warth Yachtmaster Navigator.
Copyright © 2004-2009 Victor Warth. All rights reserved.
All information listed on this page is as experienced by the author
and is offered as a general guide only but may contain errors.
