Cross restored on Costa del Sol mountain days after vandals knocked it over

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The symbol on the Pico del Cielo mountain near Nerja was repaired on Saturday 3 January thanks to a local initiative following acts of vandalism which resulted in it being knocked down a few days earlier

Eugenio Cabezas

Monday, 5 January 2026, 12:54

A team of 35 volunteers has successfully restored the cross on Pico del Cielo, one of Nerja’s most famous peaks, just days after it was damaged by vandals.

The repair mission, led by Kapurro's Team-Entrenamientos and La Gineta de Nerja Mountain Club, took place on Saturday, 3 January, and marked a strong show of community spirit.

The excursion was led by Kapurro's Team-Entrenamientos and La Gineta de Nerja Mountain Club groups, among others, some of whose members had already participated in a similar repair in 2016, when the cross also knocked down.

The operation involved complex logistics, with participants carrying tools, cement, sand, water and metal materials on foot to the summit of the mountain. "The cross on Pico del Cielo once again stands tall above Nerja thanks to a group of volunteers who carried all the necessary materials in our rucksacks," explained the group, which added that it still needs to be painted and the mirrors replaced so that it can fully regain its traditional image.

Among those most involved in restoring the symbol was Javier Martín Losada, the town hall's sports coordinator and a leading figure in trail running in the Axarquía, who said restoring the cross was about "passion, affection and respect". He went on to say, "We all want to see it back in its place and take that image, a symbol of Pico del Cielo put there by our elders long ago."

The vandalism was reported on 24 December and the town hall immediately said that it would be restored. Mayor of Nerja, José Alberto Armijo, said at the time that the cross is "an emblem of Pico del Cielo and a landmark of Nerja's natural, tourist and landscape heritage". He also announced plans to enhance and protect the area's surroundings.

Originally installed in 1971, the cross on the Pico del Cielo, also known as Cuesta del Cielo, stands at an altitude of 1,508 metres and is one of the mountains that form part of the Sierras Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama natural park. Located six kilometres in from the coast, the summit offers superb views of the Malaga and Granada coastlines and is one of the most demanding and popular routes in the area. The 10-kilometre route starts near the Nerja Cave and involves a height difference of more than 1,200 metres.

Local residents and sports groups insist that, beyond repair work, the conservation of the natural and symbolic heritage of the mountains depends on the responsible behaviour of those who visit them. They have called on visitors to avoid "anti-social practices such as hanging from the structure to take photographs".