When out walking in Spain, or looking at a map, you will see words you know, ones you recognise, and others that are less familiar.

Often there is more than one term given to a geographical feature or piece of infrastructure, which can lead to misunderstandings. And regional variations come into play, as happens in the UK.

There is also the added dimension of regional languages; sometimes the words are very close to the Spanish equivalent, other times less so.
This report aims to shed light on some of the peculiarities and provides translations for terms used on signs and by cartographers.

First up is the word for that vital sheet of paper which is always worth investing in; the map.
In this case, things are made easy, as the walkers’ map is a ‘mapa’. The word ‘plano’ also exists, but this is more likely to be for a town street map (which can also be a ‘callejero’).

A path is a ‘senda’ or ‘sendero’; in Catalan it’s ‘sender’ (note that words/terms in Catalan are the same in the Valencian language; they will be placed here in brackets after the Spanish equivalent).

The word ‘camino’ (camí in Catalan) is also a footpath or trail; many people will have heard of the Camino de Santiago, the Way of Saint James, with the Camino Francés being the branch of this route that goes from France to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.

A ‘pista’ is a track, with ‘pista forestal’ being a forestry track. Walkers will also see ‘carretera’ on their map legends; these are roads, and ‘autopistas’ are motorways.

There are other features on the map, which we walk over, through, around, or near to; or even stay in. These include a ‘puente’ (pont) which is a bridge; a ‘presa’, dam; and ‘barrera’, barrier.

An important place of refuge, particularly in bad weather, is the ‘refugio’ (refugi) which is a mountain walkers’ hostel. If they are ‘guardado’ it means they are staffed all year, or only during the walking season; research needs to be done on that before setting out, as pre-booking may be required. ‘No guardado’ means they have no staff and may be locked.

There’s also an ‘albergue’ (alberg), which is a hostel which may be for walkers or ‘youths’ in rural areas.

The geographical terms are many and varied. We often try to get up to the ‘cumbre’ of the mountain but don’t always make it; this of course is ‘summit’. It is also known as the ‘cima’ (cim). There’s another word too, as in English, which is ‘pico’ (pic); the peak.

Lower down at the pass, several terms can be seen on maps; the closest to English is ‘paso’ (pas). Also used are ‘puerto’ (port), ‘collado’ and ‘col’. And the word ‘cuello’, which means neck, is sometimes seen too.

Descending further, we have the ‘barranco’ (barranc), a ravine; ‘cañón’, a canyon; ‘garganta’, a gorge; ‘desfiladero’, a ravine/gorge; and ‘valle’ (val/vall), which is valley.
It is worth mentioning that a ‘barranco’ isn’t always sheer sided and monumental like the barranco del infierno (hell’s ravine) in Alicante province. They can be shallow and dry. But beware; during very heavy rain even these inoffensive-looking conduits can become raging torrents.

Always enjoyable to cross are the ‘plano’ (plan), which are high, flat areas of land, often with streams and mountain meadows.

A ‘lago’ (lac) is a general word for lake. More specific terms appear; a glacial lake in Aragón region is an ‘ibón’. In neighbouring Cataluña it’s an ‘estany’.
We also have ’embalse’ which is a reservoir, also known as a ‘pantano’.

Continuing with the water theme, the word ‘río’ is seen on almost every map. Even watercourses that appear to be mountain streams are referred to as ‘ríos’ (rivers). There is a word for a stream, which is ‘riachuelo’.

Not forgetting everyone’s favourite; the ‘cascada’, which is a waterfall or cascade. You will also see other names for it; ‘salto’, ‘catarata’ and ‘chorro’.

Natural springs are ‘fuente’ (font); useful places for cooling off and filling a bottle when the water is ‘potable’ (drinkable).

If you are out and about in limestone country, then you will see plenty of ‘cueva’ about. There is another word for cave too; this is ‘sima’, which tends to be much deeper and one which potholers enjoy exploring.

A sign for a ‘mina’ means you should steer clear; it’s a mine. A ‘pozo’ is a well, and can also be a deep hole. Wells are sometimes uncovered, even though they shouldn’t be and animals can fall into them. A ‘pozo de nieve’ (pou de neu) is a snow well; these stone-lined pits were excavated in the past to create ice for the summer, with snow packed into them in the winter.