Amazing Andalucia

En route to Granada we stopped at the old Alcaudete station to finish off the last section of the via verde and rode through rolling olive oil plantings to have a tapas lunch at Martos. Back at the van we headed in to Granada to park up at the Camping Reina Isabel with our small van fitting in to a space that gave us more privacy than most and proximity to the showers and laundry facility.

 

On the Tuesday we caught the bus in to the centre - no masks neeed in contrast to Seville - and walked a slightly circuitous route up to the Alhambra. Our etickets soon saw us in to the main Alcazabar, gardens and other attractions with plenty of people about on a fine sunny day but also plenty of space. We explored the gardens more fully before joining the short queue for our timed admission to the Nasrid Palace - perhaps the most famous attraction in Andalusia and justifiably so.

 

 

Built originally by the Moorish occupiers of the Iberian Peninsula over Roman fortifications it lay empty for a long time before being gradually restored to its sumptuous glory. We moved from room to room through graceful arches with ornate plasterwork at every turn. Cool courtyards and shaded passages joined up to create an amazing layout that we were able to explore at our own pace as well as enjoy the views across the city and to the Generalife Palace across a gorge.

 

This was also included in the visit so we made full use of the day before jumping in to a taxi for the 10 euro ride home - great value as the bus to the centre had been 4 euro.

We then washed and changed before heading out on a surprise excursion that the site arranged to go to a flamenco session back in the Sacramonte district opposite the Alhambra. We had an hour spare to after the minibus ride to walk the narrow maze of streets by night with the illuminated Alhambra directly opposite. Then after a beer in the bar we moved on to a larger room where a trio of musicians and two dancers enthralled us with a passionate and energetic session of their traditional dance. It was truly impressive and well worth the effort after what had been a tiring day.

We had decided to stay an extra night so bussed back in to town for a walk through the squares, a visit to the beautiful cathedral and then an exploration of the Albaicin, another maze of backstreets with alleys, squares, viewpoints and bars joined by craft stalls and shops selling ethnic clothing and household decorations before enjoying a superb lunch in a square full of orange trees. I bought a local SIM valid for 3 months with 40GB of data which will last well beyond our final Spanish weeks and at a chemist I got weighed and was pleased to see a loss of around 5/6 kilos due largely to just a 10/14 fasting regime. Further weight was shed trying to find where the  bus back departed from, without any luck, so in the end we again hailed a taxi.

Moving on we decided to only go as far as Alhamma de Granada which is a spar town above a deep gorge with the aire perched on the edge. We walked in to the centre and up to the castle before dropping in to the gorge and discovering carved stone laundry basins, derelict water mills, a tiny chapel and some remarkable geology. After a quiet night in the aire we woke to the sound of stalls for market day being erected and enjoyed a good look round before returning to the rest of the gorge via different paths. I had seen a really nice VW T3 van conversion in Granada and stopped at garage workshop that had a few older VWs around to chat to the young owner who was a VW enthusiast and very interested in the photo I showed him. As the market packed up we bought some fruit and veg before moving on to Antequera and the impressive geology of El Torcal. The car park attendant insisted on squeezing us in to a very tight space which then seemed to annoy a returning Spanish family, but we set off on the longer walk that took us amongst the most remarkable towers, pillars, outcrops and gorges. As always five minutes from the car park we were virtually alone although a noisy Dutch woman seemed to always be in the background somewhere. Despite this we saw the small deer grazing and griffon vultures circling overhead.

 

The parking opposite the Alcazabar at Antequera had a fine view but there was a strong if mild wind blowing as we walked in to town via the huge church and a lovely set of stone steps. We had been before and reached the large bullring at the end of town before finding a decent bar for a couple of drinks and tapas. Light rain fell overnight depositing a muddy sheen on everything but the following day dawned bright as we drove on to the parking for El Chorro something I have wanted to do for years since visiting the area in 2008. We walked through the access tunnel and down to the entrance gates where things were not well organised and we were uncertain if we were in the right group for our 12.30 start. As we were early it was the 11.30 group being directed so we walked back along the shore to await our turn and eventually after passport and ticket scanning we were given helmets and an AV headset. The guide was a friendly lass with good English and after a safety briefing we headed down along the paths to the entrance to the stunning limestone gorge of El Chorro and the start of the Camino del Rey. This path had been installed to allow maintenance of a long canal built in to the towering cliffs to take water down to a hydro scheme supplying power to Malaga for over a hundred years. Once that canal was superceeded by a new tunnel it fell in to disrepair but several million euros and six years late the remarkable walkway has been reopened and is a popular success. We walked through the first gorge with long drops to the lively river and even higher cliffs towering above us. The weather was perfect and we were not rushed along which was much appreciated. At the midway point we reached a thin slab of concrete that bridged the gorge and was the point I had reached last time I had been here by following the railway line up from the village through a couple of tunnels, much frowned upon then let alone now. A Malaga to Cordoba train duly appeared as if on cue but most traffic now follows the faster LAV line that avoids the mountains. After a section of valley we entered the final gorge passing opposite a stunning cliff face and following the walkway in and out of a large but narrow cleft before finally reaching a bridge that crossed to the far side and led via exposed steps to the finish point. Beyond here we enjoyed refreshments in the sun before walking on to the shuttle bus that would return us to the start point - the snack bars here were much cheaper if you do go! As we left we decided to check out the wild camping down by the much reduced lake and after a chat with a friendly Irish guy were soon parked on the sun baked mud for a very relaxing evening and sunset.

 

Our next destination was the lovely town of Ronda where we parked in the station car park as most other options were underground with limited headroom - the entrance barrier was up so we drove in and then realised we should have stopped for a ticket. Without a vehicle in place no ticket could be issued so we decided to worry about that later and set off in to town. The amazing bridge was bathed in sunshine and we walked round to the path that drops sharply away to give the best views before returning for an excellent lunch in the sun in Plazza Mondragon, much quieter than the centre. 

 

We then walked behind the famous bridge and dropped down to earlier Roman bridges before a final climb to town and back to the van. As the entrance barrier was still up the simplest solution was just to drive out that way and we were soon heading off towards Olvera and the start point for the VV de la Sierra. At the old station we decided to park in the blue zone for 10 euros a night with water and power so rang the number on the board. We then received the key box code by SMS and were able to unlock the barrier chain. A cabinet key to the water and power boxes was also included but as I have my own we replaced everything and filled up with water before parking across a bay to give us space and privacy. Two Italian vans turned up later and a dozen or so others were parked up in the red zone which is only a fiver but has no facilities.

 

Next day we set off for the end of the vv stopping at Coripe for coffee and cake after the longest tunnel of 990m. We recognised the aire off the track which contains Spain's largest oak tree and had been used on our last visit here when Mandy was recuperating from her illness. It is a superb, largely flat ride with 30 tunnels and ends at another revamped station building that provided our lunch stop. A local bike hire company was waiting for a group to arrive after their 24 mile ride as we saddled up for the return run which we found rather tiring towards the end after completing almost 50 miles.We chatted to an English couple we had met before turning in for a bit of TV as one phone is still allowing access to IPlayer.

Before leaving Olvera I cleaned both bikes and ran the drive trains through my cleaning tool as they had an accumulation of grit and grease fom the dusty tracks we've been enjoying. We stopped in Olvera and realised we had been here 4 years ago. The beautiful church and rugged castle should surely stay in one's mind but in reality with so many amazing places visited it is easy to forget the individual ones. 

 

As we approaced Zahara the sat nav took us on a route to the aire that would have taken us through narrow streets so we executed a smart 360, dropped back to the dam and approached from a different angle to reach the large flat car park with superb views that would be our base for the night. Across the reservoir sat Algonodales where a friend learned to parasail and we climbed the steep streets and paths to the kiosk for tickets to the lofty castle. At 2 euros each this was a bargain and the views from the keep remarkable with the snow covered Sierra des Nieves in the distance - the late snow that has come with the cooler temperatures in both Spain and Morocco and affected UK salad imports also prevented any attempt on Mulhacen in the Sierra Nevada which means we have left the Alpujarras for another time. The aire was very peaceful overnight and after another stroll through the village we set off south for Algeciras on an indirect route via Gaucin for Algeciras where we hoped to collect our tickets for Morocco from the port. Gaucin was another pueblo blanco strung out along a ridge with a small but impressive castle and views of Gibraltar. Lunch in the sun seemed a good idea but there was a chill wind and service was a bit slow so we were glad to get back to the warm van eventually and drop down towards the coast.

Pulling in at Algeciras port passeneger terminal we were immediately approached by ticket touts as expected but a firm and polite rebuke saw them melt away and to my surprise we had exchanged our printed vouchers for the actual tickets and were on our way to Tarifa in less than twenty minutes. Before arriving at the Rio Jara campsite we did a shop for those items less likely to be available in Morocco and then pulled up at the familiar site. Unfortunately I think it has had a change of ownership as apart from the African guy who maintains the grounds and facilities all the staff seemed unfamiliar. The price seemed way too high at 29 euros and the place was half empty, even the bar which used to be a convivial hub was deserted. The shop no longer stocked Camping Gaz which I initially saw as a problem but as in fact full cylinders in Morocco are only a fiver I will deplete two of my three CG907s, store them in the roof void and just buy two cylinders over there and give them away when I leave - a saving of 30 euros just like that.

Anyway we chose a sheltered pitch with hook up and settled in for the night, pleased with how the day had unfolded. Next morning we strung a line between two trees and did a full laundry load leaving it to dry as we walked up the beach to admire the kite surfers and their ecclectic range of vans and lorries. The advent of good cheap solar power and 3/4G interenet access on smartphones has transformed van life, including mine, and may also explain the reduced numbers paying top whack for a campsite - and modern vans also have all the comforts of home and more so why bother.

 

Today we cycled in to Tarifa to gaze across the busy Straits shipping lane to the Rif Mountains not 20 miles away. We sat on rocks round from the port for a while before climbing to a viewpoint and then exploring the narrow streets of the original Moorish walled town and a final lunch in hot sunshine. The two miles back against a headwind was soon achieved and we have spent a final evening sorting things out. The only hurdle now is obtaining vehicle insurance once over at Tangiers and getting a Moroccan SIM so assuming all this is achieved without too much hassle the next posts will be from AFRICA!!!

PICS here....