9 to 12 October 2019
Help Me R(h)onda
On the way to Ronda, John and I
stopped off at another white town (pueblo blanco), Arcos de la Frontera. It
was a steep climb from where we parked to the town, 130 steps, followed by a
more gradual incline. Then we were among the old buildings and narrow streets,
through which the cars thread their way with only inches to spare. The
viewpoints down the gorge over the river were impressive.
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| Arcos de la Frontera |
Barbara and Clive
chose to break their journey a bit further on at Zahara de la Sierra, then we
met up again at the campsite in Ronda. It was a good twenty minute walk
(downhill) to the town of Ronda. Our first port of call was the bullring, which
we toured with the aid of audio guides and found very interesting.
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| Bullring at Ronda |
We passed
through bustling streets and squares on our way to the Arab baths and finally
walked down the trail leading to the viewpoint of the new bridge (puente nuevo)
which was built around 1759 and links the old and new towns.
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| Puente Nuevo, Ronda |
The walk back to
the site (uphill) took considerably longer than twenty minutes!
We made an early start next
morning to Olvera, and the start of the Via Verde cycle path, along the track
of an unfinished railway - the company went bust before the railway started
operating. Thankfully it was cloudy and much cooler. It was a pleasant if
undramatic 22 mile ride, the highspot being the sighting of about 40 griffon
vultures circling on the thermals.
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| Cycling along the Via Verde |
The ranger at the interpretation centre
close by enthusiastically shared his knowledge, telling us that there are 200
breeding pairs in the area. From the centre you can see images from a camera
sited high on the cliffs, but being the middle of the day there was little to
see; early morning or evening are the best times. At the end of the trail we
were able to phone for a taxi with a four-bike carrier to transport us back to
the vans, and we then drove the short distance to the overnight campsite.
This particular site had a slight
air of neglect, as if the money had run out, although the facilities were fine.
In its favour were the stunning views of the mountains on all sides. We had a
well-deserved slow start next morning and as we enjoyed coffee outside the
vans, the vultures circled high above. We were delighted when a few of them
came much closer, hovering some forty feet above the vans and also swooping
towards us from the hills. Clive, who has a passion for bird photography, was
able to take some excellent pictures with his massive lens.
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| Griffon Vulture (courtesy of Clive Harward) |
We dragged ourselves away around
midday to head for the next site at Humilladero, just a short drive away.
En route (or should I say ir camino a?) the land was obliterated by the regimental rows of
olive trees, including huge numbers of young trees. In contrast, we then passed
a wind farm, the rows of turbines echoing those of the olive trees. Once we
reached the site we celebrated day 20 of our trip by relaxing in the sunshine.
Next day we drove to El Torcal, an extensive area of amazing limestone rock
formations.
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| El Torcal |
This involved ascending a minor road with many hairpin bends, which
then deteriorated into single track with few passing places. As we were early
going up wasn't a problem. After completing the two hour trail in three hours -
it was obviously very rocky underfoot and there were photo stops galore - we
headed back down the hill, tucking in behind a shuttle coach returning to a
lower car park. There was only one hairy moment when a coach approached in the
opposite direction but we huddled against the low wall at the edge of the road,
folded in the offside wing mirror and the coach inched past. Phew! Then on to
the site at Villafranca, about 13 miles from Cordoba.
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