Restaurante El Mirador
What to order: the cod fritters, the tuna with onions or the oxtail ingot, and the Setenil sponge for dessert
geocalia
Day itinerary · 36.86° N · 5.18° W
Setenil de las Bodegas: the Mills Walk and lunch under the rock.
An easy walk along the valley, past an olive mill, two flour mills and a waterfall, then Setenil's streets under the rock and lunch in the village. Good with a dog.
Leaving from
Part of Setenil de las BodegasCurious Places
Add to my trip
Total time9 h 30
By car1 h 45 each way
Walking2 h there and back + 1 h in the village
DifficultyEasy
CostJust lunch
Best timeOctober – May
With childrenYes, the short stretch
With a dogYes, on a lead
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Málaga 1 h 45 by car
1 h 50 from Málaga or Seville, 2 h from Cádiz
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1
Mills Trail Along the Trejo
to the Salto de la Molinilla and back · about 2 h
- 6 min on foot
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2
Cuevas del Sol and Cuevas de la Sombra
Cuevas del Sol and Cuevas de la Sombra · 1 h
- 5 min on foot
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3
Restaurante El Mirador
El Mirador · Sierra de Cádiz cooking with views · €€€ · book, and check it is open that Sunday
Calle Callejón, 10, 11692 Setenil de las Bodegas · +34 856 941 384
Restaurant €€€Book - 7 min on foot
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4
Carmen Viewpoint
Carmen staircase from Jabonería · 20 min
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Back home
You arrive around 19:00
Approximate cost
About €35–60 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Mills Trail Along the Trejo
Almost everyone who goes to Setenil stays in its streets under the rock, and by Sunday midday they are packed. This plan starts on the outside, along the valley floor, following the water that once drove the village's mills: an olive mill, two disused flour mills and the Salto de la Molinilla waterfall, with barbel and the odd otter in the stream. Then you climb up to the cave streets, have lunch and finish the day at the Carmen viewpoint, with the whole village tucked into the gorge at your feet.
The Day, Hour by Hour
9:00 · Departure. An hour and fifty minutes from Málaga or Seville, about two hours from Cádiz. Park on the Paseo Federico García Lorca, in the lower part: inside the village the streets are not for cars.
11:00 · The Mills Walk. It starts at the old olive mill, where the Alcalá stream meets the Guadalporcún; the building later served as a still to make spirit from the pomace. The path follows the old Alcalá del Valle drovers' track beside the stream, passes the two mills and reaches the Salto de la Molinilla. The town council rates it as easy. There and back to the waterfall takes about two hours at an unhurried pace; the full route that hikers share is around 8.5–9 km with a little over a hundred metres of ascent. Ask at the tourist office how to get to the olive mill on foot and carry the route downloaded on your phone: the waymarking is not detailed. Take water.
13:15 · The cave streets. Back in the village, go in through Cuevas del Sol and cross to Cuevas de la Sombra, where the rock covers the street like a tunnel. An hour, free of charge.
14:15 · Lunch at El Mirador. Climb up Calle Herrería to Plaza de Andalucía: on Calle Callejón, a glass-walled dining room with views over the village and cooking from the Sierra de Cádiz using local produce. Order the tuna with onions or the oxtail ingot, and the Cádiz cheese tart. The website does not publish opening hours: book by phone on 856 94 13 84 and confirm it is open that Sunday.
16:30 · Mirador del Carmen. The Carmen stairway climbs from Calle Jabonería, which leads off Cuevas del Sol, up steps carved into the rock to the 18th-century chapel. At the top, an esplanade above the crag: from here you understand at a glance why Setenil is the way it is. Twenty minutes.
17:15 · Return. You get home around seven.
With Children and Dogs
With small children, do only the stretch to the olive mill, the mills and the waterfall and come back the same way. The path is dirt: with a pushchair, use a baby carrier instead. Dogs can do the route, best on a lead; in the village the streets are narrow and very busy at midday. The Carmen stairway is steep and not for pushchairs.
If It Rains or It Is Hot
If the stream is swollen after heavy rain, stay away from the bank and swap the route for the keep and the covered streets, which sit under a roof of rock. In summer, set out by nine at the latest or leave the walk for the last hour of the afternoon.
Change the route
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Setenil de las Bodegas
In spring the stream is full and the Salto de la Molinilla is at its best; in autumn it is good walking. In summer the valley heats up at midday: first thing only. After heavy rain the path turns to mud.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Do the walk first
At eleven the valley is quiet and the village has not yet filled up with day trippers.
- 2Carry the route on your phone
The council website does not detail the waymarking: with a downloaded map you will not hesitate at the junctions.
- 3Shoes with grip
The path is muddy after rain and in the village the polished stone is slippery.
We'd skip it
An August day at midday. The valley has no reliable shade and the streets fill up; that Sunday, set out at eight or choose another plan.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many kilometres is the Mills Walk?
The town council does not publish it. Hikers' tracks come to around 8.5–9 km; to the Salto de la Molinilla and back is considerably less and you can cut it short as you like.
Is it hard?
No. It is a valley path beside the stream, with a little over a hundred metres of ascent on the full route.
Can I take a dog?
Yes, on the route, best on a lead. In the village streets, at Sunday midday, space is tight.
How long does it take from Seville or Málaga?
An hour and fifty minutes by car from each; from Cádiz, about two hours.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/setenil-de-las-bodegas/itineraries/setenil-mills-walk-and-cave-streets-from-malaga
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.