El Valle Newsletter Page 1
Around the valley Your monthly newsletter Issue 7 July 2015
El Valle Newsletter Page 2
Chairman’s report
Content Chairmans 2 report & June Meeting 3 Photo Club, & News from Sat.Co
by carol caldwell
Hello and welcome to the July edition of the El Valle Newsletter . Our membership is very good this year but we are all ways looking for new Members to join us, so if you have friends or people who are new to the Valley bring them along to our next monthly meeting as a visitor so that they can see what the Club has to offer them.
Summer seems to have arrived it has been quite hot so don't forget the Sun cream and drink plenty of water. On Wednesday the 15th July we are having an Evening Picnic in the Park at the Viňuela Picnic area Anita and Owen are providing the Buffet and he is going to teach us Salsa dancing and will be playing Music all night .The cost is €8 for members
€10 for non members, bring your own drink. Tickets for all our forth coming events are on sale at Mason Sara Friday morning 11.30 to 12.30 And at our Monthly meeting at Camping Bar July The 6th where Alan and Peter will be doing a quiz called Pointless .
june meeting report by alan impey June Walk 4 Camino del 5 Rey Walk What's On 6 Forthco mng Events & Walks
7
Granada Trip
8
Good 9 News about Illegal Homes New 10 Alcaucin Mayor Newsbites 11 Committee
The attendance at the June El-Valle monthly meeting was a creditable 80 plus. How much of this was down to the chance of free advice on three important topics remains to be seen!!! The three speakers appearing were Sharon to talk about Avalon Funeral Plans, Alex Radford to talk about the recent law changes regarding English and Spanish wills and also residency and inheritance tax and finally Paul Ellis to talk about currency transfers. As all these topics are very important I do not intend to try summarise them but would say go and see the relevant experts and decide if you want to take their advice. The meeting was opened by Carol, our chairperson, who began by thanking everyone who had stood in for her in her recent absence. Stewart, who along with Peter
Goreham, is in charge of this coming Friday's trip to Granada, then gave advice on what to take/wear for the walking part of the visit and reminded everyone attending that it would be very hot.
When I left the meeting shortly after, questions were still being put to the three speakers about the topics they had spoken on.
Before closing I would like once again like to remind you Carol announced a short all that the July meeting will break to replenish drinks, feature the El-Valle version of book trips etc before the first "Pointless" presented by of the speakers took the Peter Goreham and myself, floor. As I mentioned earlier I so come along, support Elwill not try to summarise the Valle and also the four coupresentations but suffice to ples who have put themsay I found them very selves forward as informative. contestants. Following a few, from the floor, questions it was decided to serve various tapas provided by the guest speakers and then more questions would be invited on a one to one basis to address any particular concerns. It was also decided to draw the cash box tickets but no one managed to pick the all important key.
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Lake Viñuela Photographic Club. By Doug Poplett “Machinery” was our subject for May. We’re surrounded by machines of one type or another, but, to find a subject that’s out of the ordinary, proved to be more challenging than expected. The following image of a moving walkway / escalator has been cleverly manipulated to give a more artistic view of a machine that ordinarily would be bland and somewhat boring. Do you recognise where it was taken?
Have you ever seen something that you wished you had a camera with you? This shot of a man rummaging in a communal bin was one of those right place, right time, occaons. Interested in photography? Why not come and join us, we are a friendly group of people of differing abilities from novice to the more proficient, it’s all about learning from each other, but more importantly, enjoying photography. We meet on the first Thursday of the month (10.30am), currently at Restaurante La Era in Puente Don Manuel. If you are interested, contact us, leaving your contact details lakevinuelaphotoclub@gmail.com . Our next meeting, Thursday 2ⁿ� July.
News from sat.co
si
at
by dick atterbury
This Time I would like to take the chance to recommend that if any body is having problems hearing the TV sound to come and see a demonstration of the latest methods of hearing devises that we have been working with. Currently with modern TVs the sound is delivered with ever decreasing sized speakers as TVs get thinner. We at Sat.Co have looked at the problem and come up with some ideas that may help.
For those of you that like really good sounding audio quality should advance from the well used HDMI connector to the newer TOSS link fibre optic cables now available. These are quite cheap and of course help to improve the sound quality. See us at the Tuesday Market in Traphice for a Demonstration. There has been a lot of talk on social media about the changes to satellite channels. As you are aware I am sure some more of our Free chan-
nels have gone. This is a lot due to current work with the new Astra 2G launched last year and now operational. The hope is that most of the problems will be resolved before the end of July this year and some channels may come back!!! Remember advice is always free so if you have a problem, give us a call and see if we can help.
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El valle may walk Junes’ El-Valle walk was as usual on the second Thursday of the month so making it the 11th June 2015. It was routed and led by Maureen and yours truly. The start point was at Venta San Miguel just along the coast road towards Torrox from Nerja At the start time of 11am 17 members had arrived and all 17 agreed to eat at the Venta San Miguel after the walk. As we set off we initially walked inland for some 30 mins to pass under the A7 motorway and walked parallel to the motor way for another 15 mins or so before once again turning inland and beginning the only real
by alan impey
climb of the day.
Th is went on for about 30 mins before we continued south along a ridge that dropped us down to another motorway bridge and then a level walk of again 30 mins or so back to the start. I suppose I should mention that we started the walk with 17 but finished with 14 !!! This was by prior arrangement to avoid the uphill section for health reasons and the walk leant itself to this being possible.
Lunch was at the Venta San Miguel and for 9â‚Ź we enjoyed a menu del dia. Thanks Maureen for helping to plan the walk!!!!! Facts and Figures. Distance Start Height Max. Height Moving Time Stopped Time Total Time
7.4kms Sea level +/150 mtrs 1hr 46mins 11mins 1hr 57mins
MORE PICTURES FROM THE CAMINO DEL REY WALK OPPOSITE
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A walk along the caminito del rey from el chorro On Wednesday 24 June a few El Valle members and friends went for a walk on the wild side organised by Douglas Johnston. Recently refurbished for safety, the Caminito del Rey is a walk through a couple of gorges along the cliff edge mainly by a hanging boardwalk. There is a woodland walk between the gorge sections through pine forest with more open views.
The first six months after reopening provided free access on registration with your NIE, date of birth, etc. but after this there is, as yet, no further information and the walk is fully booked for the ‘free’ months. We booked in April. The walk is in five sections and can be walked from the Ardales end or Álora (at El Chorro), both starting at a dam. It can be walked one way with an hourly bus back to your car or, as we did, walked both ways. We walked for two and a half hours including a picnic break and lots of photo stops and viewing, but the return only took an hour as we hardly stopped.
From El Chorro there is a walk-in with many steep narrow steps and slopes, then a boardwalk section
by jane johnston
through the first gorge with rockface and railway views followed by a pine forest woodland walk. The second gorge and boardwalk follow this with views vertically down to the river bed, then finally a short walk-out to the dam at the Ardales end.
The walk requires sturdy footwear, a head for heights, the ability to walk stairs unaided (no sticks are allowed), and stamina to walk the length. We were given a short introductory talk in English or Spanish after our registration papers were scanned and we were issued with hair nets and hard hats. More information can be found on the Caminito del Rey website.
We all had a good day at the Caminito, which is approximately a one and a half to two hour drive from the El Valle area. Refreshments before and after are available in three bar/cafés. We went for a meal out after to relax after our exertions. It was not the ‘scary’ experience I had imagined but exhilarating and fun.
Thanks to Douglas for initiating and planning the walk and everyone else for their company.
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FORTHCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS JULY 6�� -
Pointless by Alan Impey & Peter Goreham
AUGUST
NO MEETING
SEPTEMBER 7��
Music Quiz by George Bain
OCTOBER 5��
Talk by Geoff Clayton/News of the World Reporter
july 15
th
Join us for a picnic in the la vi uela picnic site
Bring your own drink 7:30 for 8:00 Cold buffet followed by salsa demontration €8 members €10 non members
September 19
th
Join us for this magical candlelit evening Coach leaves ‘mis tapitas’ 18:30 Leaves guaro 12:00 €11 members €13 non
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100 anniversay walk th
1 october 2015 st
led by stewart & elaine & will start at rincon de la victoria and walk to malagacelebrte by having a menu del dia and a glass of cava
name of interested people to stewart & elaine beforehand. A
Supper with free film November Details to follow
EL VALLE MONTHLY WALKS JULY 9��
Led by Graham & Sue Smith (Canillas) Start 7 pm at the car park at the entrance to Caleta de Velez Port. After at Eclipse
AUGUST 13��
Led by Bary Bartlett. Start 7pm at La Pepe Molinos Restaurant car park in Almayate
SEPTEMBER 10�� Led by Mike Larner. Start 11:00 just outside the village of Rubite. Further details on our website OCTOBER 1��
100�� Walk Led by Stewart and Elaine and will start at Rincon de la Victoria and walk to Malaga, return by bus if needed, or walk back. Celebrate by having a Menu del Dia and a glass of Cava at a restaurant in Malaga. Name of interested people to Stewart beforehand. A deposit of €10 required for the meal.
OCTOBER 8��
No Walk see October 1��.
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Granada trip 5/06/2015
by alan impey
Peter and Stewart had selected 25 of the most interesting features/buildings etc. of Granada YES they have finally done it and and had researched a walking route gone public!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our very own Stewart and Peter have to take them all in. There was no suggestion that we shoould visit evedecided to make it official and are now the up and coming tour organis- ry listed feature as tie would not permit. However, our printed sheets ers on the Costa del Sol. They have gave us the information necessary to promised that when they go public El-Vlle members will have share pur- know exactly what we were seeing, where we were and so forth. chase options first!!!!!!!!!!!! www.stew-ped.tours.es
Their latest venture was on Friday 5�� June 2015 and the chosen location, GRANADA. We all met outside billy’s Bar (Mis Tapitas) in Puente Don Manuel. All that is except 10 others who were to be picked up en-route near the motorway, and, as one of Peter, who was at the head of the the 10 was co-guide Peter, no one group, also gave out more informawas arguing with this decision. tion at each featured point and StewAs we travelled to Granada Peter and art did the same towards the rear of the group. Stewart gave an outline of the days events and distributed printed information on Granada and the walking tour they would be leading.
All in all it was a very interesting and informative tour and laid a strong base for anyone wanting to re-visit and study the 25 points of interest in more detail. We covered just under 7 kms. In a time of 2 hrs. 47 mins. And as we finished the tour we received the same instructions as the “shopping” group, be back at the pick-up point at 4:45 p.m.
Everyone then split up to explore/have lunch etc. and my particular, ten of us, found a really good restaurant in a central plaza and enjoyed a great meal for a good price and by the time we had eaten and drunk our fill it was time for us to mender back to the pick-up point for a leisurely coach ride home. It was without doubt a very good ElValle trip and we should all appreciate the time and effort put into it by Peter and Stewart.
There had been no choice but to limit the walking party to 35 but the coach had been filled and the remaining members/guests would have the day in Granada to explore the sights on their own, go shopping etc. We arrived in Granada shortly after 10 a.m. And the two groups split up, sightseers being told to be back at the pick-up point at 4:45 p.m. The walking group were given until 11 a.m. To have coffee etc. and then the walking tour would commence.
Some photos have been included but there are more to be found in our Gallery on our website. www.el-valle-asociacion.com IF YOU HAVE MORE PHOTOS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE, PLEASE SEND TO THE EDITOR
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Good News for Owners of 'Illegal Homes'
Business over Tapas posted the following item on 11 March 2015 The call for a change in the law to oblige the authorities to find full compensation before a house bought in good faithand later labelled as 'una vivienda ilegal' could be demolished has, against all odds, been approved by the Senate.Congratulations to AUAN and SOHA.
The parliamentary groups in the Senate agreed on Wednesday to an amendment to the Penal Code reform that will allow a judge to postpone the demolition of illegal dwellings, which were bought in good faith, until compensation to their owners is secured'. Well, as the lawyer who helped push the politicians forward tells me over the phone, it's almost everything they wanted.
Following that old news‌.. On Thursday 25th June, the Senate again voted on exactly the same issue, for the Civil Law. (The March vote concerned Criminal Law).Most of the actions taken against home owners are made under civil law, so this change would help many more home owners. 60 representatives of AMA from Cantabria, AUAN from Almeria, and SOHA, travelled to Madrid to speak to Senators from various political parties. They related their personal experiences of shock in finding their houses to be illegal, and their struggles through a labyrinthine web of bureaucracy to escape from this worrying and threatening situation.
Among them were the Priors. Their building license, which hadbeen acquired in good faith, was canceled, and their house demolished. They lived in their garage for seven years, while theywaded through a legal morass asking for the compensation to which they are entitled. After all this they are still without i t !
The result of the voting was the unanimous acceptance of the change in the law. Unfortunately, the change is too late to help the Priors. Hopefully it will prevent others from suffering in the same way. The association AMA from Cantabria, originally mooted the initiative. AMAis now supported by AUAN , AUN ,, CALU , FAUN and SOHA. The unity of these associations (which are separated by huge distances) in lobbying the senators, must have influenced the voting. It was their initiative and funding which caused the amendment to be drafted by lawyer Gerardo Vazquez.
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Alcaucín invests Belgian Mayor Mario Blancke On Saturday 13th June, in an Ayuntamiento hall crammed to overflowing, with scores of people waiting in the corridor and stairs, Belgian Mario Blancke,was sworn in as Alcalde. He is one of the three Ciudadanos councillors elected for Alcuacín, who have formed a coalition with three PSOE councillors. These six have a majority over the five remaining councillors, (four PSOE and one PA), after a very closely fought election. The plan to stand for election as a member of the Cuidadanos Party was formed in January, at the AGM of Save Our Homes in Axarquia.
After his investment as Alcalde to loud applause, Mario gave his inaugural speech, in which he thanked all the people who had given their help so generously during the long campaign. He believes this is a manifestation of growing unity within the town. Mario thinks that he is probably not the first local Mayor to be born outside Spain, and although it might seem remarkable to have a foreign born mayor in Spain, it is not rare in Europe, with the Parisian Mayor being from Cadiz, and the French Prime Minister being born in Catalonia. He said he hoped to promote the scenic and rustic beauty of Alcaucín widely in Andalusia and if possible throughout Spain, and everyone needs to work together to achieve this. Each small effort might seem just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean needs every drop. While not outlining specific plans, Mario said that some plans mooted by opposition parties are on the agenda, and that all plans should be discussed in depth before their adoption, not after. Government should be more open, with a discussion including all interested bodies. Quoting Maxwell, Mario said “When you attempt something difficult, people say you won’t succeed. When you don’t attempt it, they say you should have. If you succeed, they say they always believed you would.” I ask you all to give me a chance to succeed Mario then said that throughout his 25years living in Alcaucín he had seen good and bad changes, but has come to respect and believe profoundly in the villagers. He then reminded people of Adolfo Suarez’ words “I can promise, and I promise” Mario’s group’s promises to the village are: We have come to unite, not to divide We have come to reconcile, not to blame. We cannot work miracles, but will do everything in our power to increase employment, without any discrimination. We are not here to take from our village, but to do our best for it. Finally we will work towards a better future, because the future is where we will spend the rest of our lives(Woody Allen) Then the celebration moved outside, and Mario moved informally around the square to a very friendly reception. Mario has been the councillor with responsibility for urban development for the four previous years, and has become very popular with the large ex-pat community, and with a section of the established Spanish residents. The reason for his popularity is the hard work he has put in working on the legalisation of properties, (He is a founder member of SOHA), and on garnering payments of IBI from newer residents to raise rates for the Town Hall.
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Newsbites
by jenny wright
How many of you are members of SOHA now? I am pleased to say that for us it is over sever or more years, I think and I know that if I need help, they will be there to offer help, support, and advice if we need it. I am sure many of you already know that we have moved to the coast and are now happy in a little rental by the sea, and getting used to the walks during the day or late evening along the prom. Unfortunately all has not gone so smoothly with the house sale, purely because of the burocratic way the local village has dealt with us. Firstly the Election meant they were too busy to speak to the Lawyer, and then we discovered that in 2007 land above us was changed to “Special Interest, back-dated to 2002. Should that affect us? Until the Town Secretary decides he will see the lawyer to discuss it we will not know. Our lawyer assures us there is no problem as he has seen proof that we were living there from 2002. Can a law be retrospective within the European Union? Who knows! 10 or 12 weeks down the line and we are still waiting on the local village to declare us “free from demolition in the future”. Why is it talking so long? Well, we are in poligno 4 and Benamargosa started with poligno 1 back in 2003, are now working through poligno 2, so we may have to wait until they reach us – or not, as the mood takes them. It is an interesting situation so, like many others in the community, we are under unnecessary stress. Most members of SOHA have
been in such a situation for several years, depending on how they found out about it. Many of you reading this will find out your situation as and when your village get around to the assessment as every village has to do such a survey within the coming months/years. It will check size of buildings; projects applied for and compere what is on the escritura. The Comares Estate Agent pointed out that our swimming pool was not registered despite Bob submitting photographs and sizes when he originally registered the property, so that was promptly done. We are told that this was because the lawyer we had was working for the Estate Agent and possibly due to taxes…. Who knows? In the meantime we remain patient. If you are not a Soha member, why not support those that have problems that are through no fault of their own. The more members they have the more they can do when it comes to the crunch. Life is certainly never boring! In mid June, we arrive afternoon at the house of a Belgian friend having gone to bed about 2.30am after a German friend’s daughter had her Church blessing and reception. Wonderful day and evening but I was exhausted so suggested I had a reasonably early night rather than go out looking for Nightjars and Woodcock. 10 pm and I took to my bed for a quick read and Bob and his friend went off to the woods. Less than half an hour later I was disturbed by a buzzing sound and quiet knocking. Eventually I got out of bed, looked
through the front window and saw a big police van. I put on trousers and fleece went downstairs and opened the door and the two policemen got out of the van, came rushing over and asked if the lady of the house had a grey Corsa. “I’m sorry, I have no idea”. “Is the owner here?” one asked. “No, she has taken my husband birdwatching, up in the Military woods to find Goshawks, no, sorry. That’s tomorrow. It’s Nightjars and Woodcock tonight. She has a license from the Military to do Bird Studies”. “Oh, that’s fine, As long as the car is there for a reason. Sorry to have troubled you” said the one, with a big reassuring smile on his face, as the other said something like …”oh, yes….” As though he even knew the names of the birds in English as well as Belgian! I just could not believe how they just answered me in English as though it was an everyday occurrence! Needless to say, I was barely asleep when they came back at about 11.30 and I think Bob initially thought I was dreaming, or hallucinating. And all this after some interesting stays before reaching here with our first hotel seeming to be where people were used to paying an hourly rate rather than staying the night, with 24hour breakfast services so we ordered ours at 5.30am and were on the road towards the Ebro delta by 6am. Life is only dull and boring if you allow it to be so, so enjoy every day as it greets you! Happy holidays.
El Valle Newsletter Page 12
ASOCIACIĂ“N EL VALLE DEL EMBALSE COMMITTEE 2015-16
Chair: Carol Caldwell : - 635291532
Tresurer: Chris Wishart - 609952926
Secretary: Stewart Common - 647076177
Editor: Susan Jones - 680407894
Almoner: Christine Goreham - 635361233 MEMBERS
Elaine Edwards: - 647076177
Jane Harris : - 633615154
Judy Maycock:- 673847608
Barbara Jenkinson: -616264067
Pauline Ward:- 665886474
Peter Girven :- 676320615
Doroth Girven:- 676320615
David Evans:- 622690581
INFORMATION. NEWSLETTER EDITOR newslettereditor2012@gmail.com WEBSITE - www.el-valle-asociacion.com A REPRESENTTIVE OF THE COMMITTEE WILL BE ON DUTY EVERY FRIDAY BETWEEN 11:30 AND 12:30 AT MAISON SARA