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I**E
Not knocking the author, but an overview map might make things easier...
This is no doubt a very useful little book of 25 walks, all within a reasonable distance of the beautiful Andalucian town of Jimena la Frontera.I've walked Andalucia a little, and was looking for serious walks (two or three a day if necessary) within an hour of my digs at Estepona.I tend to simply "copy" walks from books onto regional map cards in my GPS units. I do this as much confusion can come about from altered pathways and features on routes that just no longer make sense in relation to walk guidance text (after as little as 5 years post publication). This I know from long and hard pre technology experience.Something as simple as the removal of a sign can lead to great confusion, whilst a preloaded walk affixed to mapping within a Gps unit leaves no doubt whatsoever.When your aim is ultimately to see just as much of beautiful Andalucia by foot in a fortnight, then faffing with just a guide is not the best.To this end, the maps have basically very little detail in this book. Not too much of an issue once the walk is transposed and stored inside your gps, although an overview map as to exactly where they actually begin is unfortunately not provided.Yes.. you can type in a very long web link address to download the exact walk on Wikiloc (which will then appear on your mapping in exactly the right place), but actually knowing where exactly the walk begins around Jimena would be very helpful.The closest guide to where a walk actually is is hinted at (on each individual walk map) by arrows pointing along unspecified roads marked "Jimena" (which just tells you that Jimena is somewhere in that direction), although finding the actual roads and routes by looking on any mapping is massively tedious and a bit hit and miss.How much easier would it be if the author were to even hand draw and include an overview map, showing roads and the starting points of all 25 walks?Having said that, I still award 4 stars, but will simply have to download all 25 walks painstakingly from Wikiloc to actually find where they are (and delete those I dont wish to do as many will likely be a bit too far for me to travel as I wish to keep daily driving below 2 hours from Estepona).The four stars represents the fact that there are very few other authors who have provided a collection of walks in this smallish area, and that is to be applauded.So I guess far from simply being a criticism of what may turn out to be a truly fantastic collection of walks, this review is actually a recommendation to the author...Would it be worthwhile hand drawing or draughting that map, distributing it to your points of sale to insert into future sold books? Even as a simple paper insert???I really believe it would and hope you take me up on it..Ps.. If you do, may I please have a copy? :)I also promise to revisit this review having done one or two of the actual walks.To conclude:A very laudible volume of possibly beautiful walks around the municipality of Jimena...But the lack of an overview map accurately showing the true location of each start point is truly maddening (possibly even more maddening for those wishing to just do the walks straight from the book having no knowledge of GPS technology or Wikiloc).Every walk book by Rother or Ciccerone includes a basic walks overview map, and for very good reason.Could I do better..?Definitely not, and I am sure I will find it very useful.To this end I will try a few of the walks in March and will comment more on them in due course.. Haha.. once I can find them that is... :)I wish all the best to the author and thanks for exclusively providing so many walks in a lovely area.. It hasnt put me off looking at your Gaucin contribution sometime in the future either..
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