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ОглавлениеROUTE 1
Serranía de Ronda
The objective of this tour is to visit Ronda – popular with tourists and an excellent base for exploring, set amongst the limestone hills – via a number of pueblos blancos (white villages). By contrast the return takes in the spectacular El Chorro Gorge and follows the Río Guadalhorce back to Málaga.
Yunquera
The route can be divided into five stages and is a good introduction to cycling touring in Spain, and is covered by the Instituto Geográfico Nacional 1:200 000 Mapa Provincial of Málaga. (A small part of the route lies in Cádiz, but the Málaga map is sufficient.) The Michelin 1:200 000 map no 124, Zoom Costa del Sol, is recommended, and the Rough Guide to Andalucía describes the area well.
Málaga tends to be slightly wetter and warmer than Almería (to the east) but drier and slightly warmer than Cádiz (to the west). Inland temperatures are not moderated by the sea and are often higher outside winter, but the temperature drops approximately 1°C for every 100m of climb and the mountains are generally a bit wetter than the coast. The highest point of the ride is the Puerto de Ventas (1190m); Ronda is about 730m above sea level. The table (left) gives climate details for Málaga, and will enable you to work out the best time for your trip.
STAGE 1
Málaga airport to Yunquera
| Start | Málaga airport |
| Distance | 59km (36.6 miles) |
| Climb | 835m (2740ft) |
| Cycling time | 4hr 55min |
| Type | Fairly hilly |
Málaga’s modern airport, situated 8km south-west of the town, provides a convenient entry point into Spain.
Leave the airport terminals as described in Appendix 5, keeping right as the road splits in anticipation of the MA-21, and join it following signs for Torremolinos and Marbella. Keep on this busy dual carriageway for 1.5km before turning right, and head due west along the A-404 skirting to the south of the centre of Churriana. Follow the road signs for Alhaurín de la Torre, then Alhaurín el Grande, and then Coín; the route passes through these three small towns on roads numbered alternatively A3-66 and A-404. The road climbs up and away from the coast and is at first busy, but gradually quietens and becomes more suburban, then rural. After Alhaurín de la Torre the road is even less busy; enjoy the more relaxed cycling with pleasant views to the north. All three towns have shops, bars and restaurants. Coín has experienced less recent development and has retained character, and is a good place for a break. There is also a good bike shop on the right as the town is entered.
Leave Coín, following road signs to Ronda. The next 20km to Alozaina is rural and peaceful, with olive and almond trees as far as the eye can see, and occasional orange groves and characteristic eucalyptus trees lining river banks and valley bottoms. Ignore the left turn to the spa town of Tolox. Once across the not-so-large Río Grande the road climbs more steeply, with superb views. Oranges (naranjas) are often on sale by the roadside. These will have been been ripened naturally on the tree, and are simply delicious. Zumo de naranja is the freshly squeezed juice of ripe oranges and is exquisite, although its bottled form is a poor substitute. Most bars possess a squeezing machine, a welcome sight for the passing cyclist.
Alozaina is located just beyond the turn for Yunquera and is worth a detour. Built on a spur, with a viewpoint at the far end, it provides an opportunity to review the route so far. Returning to the Yunquera road the route now twists and turns up through rocky pinewoods on a relentless climb, the toughest cycling of the day. The road levels somewhat after the Puerto de Jorox (590m) – the village of the same name can be seen below – before climbing again towards Yunquera. The village is bypassed by the main road, so turn left at the cemetery and follow the narrow streets to find the Hostal Asencio.
Sierra Prieta viewed from the Sierra de las Nieves
Yunquera is a typical Andalucían pueblo blanco, its white church set on a rise surrounded by white houses on the edge of a precipice. For the cyclist, thirsty, hungry and drained after a hard day in the heat, it is a welcome stop, particularly in the early evening, when the farmers return from the fields on their ponies, saddlebags laden with black and green olives – a pleasant contrast to the harsh country experienced earlier.
Staying on in Yunquera
Although charming, the village will not detain you for long. Cycling excursions are limited to the mountain tracks in the Parque Natural de la Sierra de las Nieves: take the road towards El Burgo and turn left after the first steep rise.
STAGE 2
Yunquera to Ronda
| Start | Yunquera |
| Distance | 36km (22.3 miles) |
| Climb | 820m (2690ft) |
| Cycling time | 3hr 20min |
| Type | Hilly through mountains |
Today’s stage is through sparsely populated mountains so stock up with bread and other groceries in Yunquera, or at El Burgo in 12km.
The road climbs sharply from the pueblo before getting the chance to warm up. It continues up through impressively terraced olive groves to the Puerto de las Abejas (Pass of the Bees) at 820m. The road now descends via gentle curves through enormous cultivated fields before a short climb to El Burgo, set back from the road and built around a domed hill. This is the last chance to top up with water: the next few hours are through dry limestone mountains with no roadside springs. El Burgo has two places to stay, including the Posada del Canónigo.
The route ahead is through the Serranía de Ronda proper. Having crossed the Río del Burgo at El Burgo, the road continues to climb along its northern bank. It soon reaches the treeline and runs through pine forest on a well-graded and hence very bendy road, the hardest going in Route 1. There is plenty of time to take in the views and to note the kilometre posts that mark progress. The Mirador del Guarda Forestal, located high up the hill, provides views over the upper reaches of the Río del Burgo as well as due south to Torrecilla (1919m), the highest peak in the Sierra de las Nieves. The pine trees provide welcome shade.
Countryside south El Burgo
The stretch to the Puerto del Viento (Pass of the Wind, 1190m) is the most scenic of the day. The road continues its ascent from the mirador, leaving the pine woodland and entering rocky limestone country. It is very dry with little vegetation except in early spring. Having crossed a small plateau the road drops steeply through a craggy defile into the upper valley of the Río Guadalteba before climbing again. There are views to the right of the Sierra de los Merinos, and the pass is clearly visible straight ahead. From the Puerto del Viento the road sweeps downward to Ronda over high plains with the odd limestone outcrop covered in scrubby oaks. On the approach to Ronda the road passes under a very impressive aqueduct; unfortunately modern demands have punctured its lines with one hole each for the road, railway and power line.
View east from the Mirador del Guarda Forestal
Ronda comprises two distinct halves, the older La Ciudad (the city) and the newer El Mercadillo (the merchants’ quarter) separated by El Tajo (cleft or gorge) through which runs the Río Guadalevín. These are joined by the spectacular Puente Nuevo (new bridge) and the restrained Puente Viejo (old bridge). In the early evening the town comes to life and the cafés fill up as families gather for the paseo, a time for catching up with friends and watching the world go by whilst drinking coffee and eating cake.
After two days in the saddle cycling through largely empty country bustling Ronda comes as something of a shock. As a major tourist destination in its own right it has more than a dozen hotels and many more places to eat. Most visitors are day trippers who return to the coast in the late afternoon.
Staying on in Ronda
Try the Turismo just off the Plaza de España (tel: 952 871272) for up-to-date information on accommodation, details of the sites and a map of the town.
Alameda del Tajo: formal gardens on the edge of El Tajo with views over the mountains.
Baños Arabes: refurbished Moorish baths.
Casa del Rey Moro: a stepped passage cut through the rock leads down to the river – take a torch – and Moorish gardens overlook El Tajo.
Palacio de Mandragón: Moorish palace with formal gardens and patios and a small museum.
Plaza de Toros: the bullring, where the modern rules of bullfighting (for the whole of Spain) were laid down. Not to everyone’s taste.
Around Ronda
Cueva de la Pileta: escorted tour of caves (fee-paying) with Palaeolithic rock paintings, illuminated by gas lamps.
Cycling: there are too many combinations of roads, tracks and villages to the south and west of Ronda to describe here. Any route, long or short, will reward exploration.
Walking: the Serranía de Ronda provides opportunities for excellent walks among the hills and cork forests. The limestone hills are a good place for alpine plants – many unique to the area – that flower very early in the year. Birds of prey predominate; eagles and vultures may be seen gliding on thermals as they scour the valley sides seeking out carrion. Ask at the Turismo.
STAGE 3
Ronda to Teba
| Start | Ronda |
| Distance | 67km (41.6 miles) |
| Climb | 795m (2608ft) |
| Cycling time | 5hr 10min |
| Type | Hilly, plateau and valley |
Although this is the longest day in terms of distance, the hills are moderate and there is plenty of cycling on lofty plains with extensive panoramas. Stock up with food for the day before leaving Ronda.
Leave Ronda heading north, following the ‘Salida Ciudad’ signs, turning left to join the A-374 signed to Seville. After an extended downhill cross the Río Guadiaro and after another 600m turn right onto the MA-7402 towards Setenil. The road climbs out of the valley through oakwoods where pigs feed on falling acorns. After the woods end the road keeps to the high ground.
After 11km on this road a turn-off left leads to the abandoned hilltop Roman town of Ronda la Vieja, which has a new visitor centre. Although there is plenty of fallen stonework the main attraction is the amphitheatre, still with bench seats and backdrop. A modern steel platform provides a stage.
Back on the route the MA-4800 takes us, with a right turn at the T-junction, to Setenil (or Setenil de las Bodegas), a winemaking centre until phylloxera destroyed the vines. It is a very pretty whitewashed village with many of the houses built into the cliffs in order to keep the wine cool. The village is unique in this part of the world in that it was not built in a defensive hilltop or precipice-edge location.
The good cycling continues on to Teba on quiet and largely empty roads with only the town of Cuevas del Becerro to detain us. Pass to the west then south of the town, first ignoring the left turn to Olvera and then the right turn to Ronda. Beyond Setenil the cycling is mostly through oak dehesa. Dehesa is forested pasture, found extensively in southern Spain and Portugal and across north Africa from Morocco to Ethiopia. It supports grazing farm stock as well as rabbits and other animals that provide carrion for raptors and live food for lynx. Unfortunately the lynx is under serious threat and will not be found here, but you may see griffon and Egyptian vultures.
Two kilometres from Setenil turn right at the roundabout and gradually climb to the Estación de Setenil. The descent is pleasant, firstly through rocky dehesa, then huge fields rimmed with limestone cliffs. At Cuevas del Becerro turn left on the A367 for 20km of pleasant downhill cycling along the valley of the Río Guadalteba on a high-quality road. Ignore all junctions to right and left.
Teba sits below its castle, on the saddle of a ridge of rocky hills to the north of the main road. Take the signed turn left, followed by a steep uphill pull into the village.
Setenil
Staying on in Teba
The castle is the only real tourist attraction in the village. For an excursion consider either the Laguna Dulce or the Laguna de la Fuente de Piedra some 10 and 15km respectively to the north-east: both host flocks of migratory flamingos. A non-cycling option is to take the train from the station to the north of Teba to Granada for a day trip to the Alhambra.
STAGE 4
Teba to Álora
| Start | Teba |
| Distance | 44km (27.3 miles) |
| Climb | 98m (322ft) |
| Cycling time | 2hr 50min |
| Type | Undulating river valley |
An easy and relaxed day of cycling.
Leave Teba by retracing yesterday’s route back to the main road (A367) and turn left for 5km. At the Campillos to Ardales road (A357) turn right and soon cross the western fork of the Embalse del Guadalteba-Guadalhorce, climbing before a good descent to Ardales. The reservoirs are part of a large network of dams that control the waters of the Río Guadalhorce, the river we follow down to the sea.
After crossing the Río Turón take the right turn towards Ardales, turning right again at the T-junction to cycle away from the town. Pass under the road just exited. This is the road to the Garganta del Chorro (literally the ’throat of el Chorro’). The road climbs (ignoring the left turn to the reservoir), then soon sweeps downhill (ignoring the right turn to Bobastro) through the spectacular sheer-sided dry gorge of the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes. As the gorge widens the Garganta del Chorro appears on our left. The freewheeling downhill is one of the highlights of this trip. Look out for the picture-book hermitage up on the left and later for the railway line from Málaga that threads its way along the cliffs before spanning the gorge. The Garganta del Chorro has been cut by the Río Guadalhorce and provides some of the best rock climbing in southern Spain.
Garganta del Chorro with the Caminito del Rey and railway bridge
The ride down to Álora is pleasant, but has more uphill sections than expected.
Bustling Álora comes as something of a surprise. The only accommodation is the Hostal Durán, just off the main square. Some rooms have balconies that overlook the town’s Moorish castle.
Staying on in Álora
Apart from the castle there is little to see; Álora is best considered a convenient staging point. There are frequent trains to Málaga, one of the more historic towns on the coast, with a Roman theatre, Moorish castles, parks and seafood restaurants.
STAGE 5
Álora to Málaga airport
| Start | Álora |
| Distance | 40km (24.8 miles) |
| Climb | 15m (49ft) |
| Cycling time | 2hr 15min |
| Type | River valley |
The easiest day’s cycling of the tour, going gently down the river valley on good-quality, reasonably quiet roads. If catching an afternoon or evening flight this short stage is a relaxed way to end the tour. For a morning flight consider the Churriana and Málaga options detailed below.
From the Hostal Durán head east, taking the maze of side streets that lead downhill to the main road skirting the town centre. Join it by turning right and continue downhill, passing the railway station. Cross the Río Guadalhorce and turn right at the T-junction. After 1km keep left at the confusing junction (forking right leads back across the river); the route is down the east bank. The superior Málaga to Ardales road on the west bank takes most of the traffic. The road is pleasant but busier than the mountain roads, and the landscape becomes more urban as the coast is approached. Pass to the west of the centre of Pizarra, through Estación Cártama and the centre of Campanillas.
After crossing the Río Campanillas pass under two motorways, keeping to this road. Approximately 6km from the centre of Campanillas turn right at the roundabout signed ‘Pol. Ind. Guadalhorce’. The road passes through a developing business and commercial district, then climbs over a railway line becoming a dual carriageway. The road swings left then passes under a railway bridge. Continue straight ahead at all the roundabouts. Approaching the MA-21 fork right immediately after the roundabout signed to Torremolinos and the airport, taking great care on this busy road. After a couple of kilometres again bear left onto the airport spur road. Go straight ahead at the roundabout and head for Salidas (Departures) by following the signs.
Churriana and Málaga Options
For early flights Churriana is just the closest place to stay that retains its Spanish feel. There are a couple of places to stay. Follow the route detailed above but turn right at the roundabout in Estación Cártama towards Cártama. Cross the river and at the next roundabout turn left to Churriana on the MA-9002. The road changes to the A-7052 then to the A-404 before arriving in Churriana. To get to the airport from Churriana follow the signs firstly for Málaga and then the airport. Join the MA-21. After 1.5km bear right onto the airport slip road. Take care having crossed the dual carriageway as traffic joins from your right. Go straight ahead at the roundabout and head for Salidas (Departures).
Ronda
The other option is to continue straight on at Campanillas into Málaga, which is certainly worth a visit. It has some 65 hotels and many more bars and restaurants. The route to the airport is a not-too-pleasant 8km ride, very well signposted from the centre of town.
Time to spare at Málaga airport
One option is to head for the coast. From the Churriana dirrection, get onto the airport slip road and turn right, following the signs to San Julián. Head west through the village, turning left after the Restaurante El Kiosko, through the fields and under the motorway. Enter the coastal strip town and keep heading west. Soon the coast is reached, close to the mouth of the Río Guadalhorce, but beware: the sand is far from golden. From the Málaga direction go as far as the roundabout on the airport link road and double back as if returning to Málaga. San Julián is signed from the flyover.
Accommodation on or Close to Route 1
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list. Hotel guide prices are in Euros, based on a double room with an en suite bathroom at high season. Rooms without en suite are typically 20% cheaper, as are single rooms. Please note that hotels are constantly opening, closing or being refurbished; it is always advisable to book ahead. Prices (where known) are indicated as follows: (1) up to 50 Euros; (2) 50–75 Euros; (3) 75–100 Euros; (4) over 100 Euros.
Alhaurín de la Torre
(3) Cortijo Chico, Poligono Ind. Nave 57, Bajo (tel: 952 41 02 03)
(1) Pensión El Patio, Álamos, 45 (tel: 952 41 21 60)
Camping Malaga Monte Parc, Arroyo Hondo, s/n (tel: 951 29 60 28)
Alhaurín el Grande
(3) El Mirador, C. A-404, km 8 (tel: 952 49 07 89)
(2) Finca La Mota, Ctra. De Mijas (tel: 952 49 09 01)
(2) La Palmera, Pl. de la Palmera, s/n (tel: 952 49 11 00)
(2) Kadampa, Fuente del Perro, s/n (tel: 952 59 56 83)
Coín
(2) Hostal Coín, Dr, Palomo (tel: 952 45 32 72)
(2) Hostal Santa Fe, Ctra. Monda, km 3 (tel: 952 45 29 16)
