ANDALUSIA Sunshine Cycle

Nov 2024

Why Andalusia?

Late October 2024, and we needed some sunshine!

Andalusia beckoned after we saw a photograph of a place called RONDA.

A must-see we decided, so "let's do a loop!" (Molly's favourite phrase).

Ronda (above): majestic.

Our Route

Our 750-mile cycle loop started and finished in Almería, in the east of Andalusia.

The Journey

We landed at Almería Airport after flying through a raging thunderstorm. Some areas of Spain were experiencing their worst flooding for years.

We pre-booked a nearby apartment in nearby Alquián. The owners had decided to collect us from the airport as they were worried about us cycling in the storm.

So much kindness again ❤️ How they fitted our bike boxes into a Dacia Duster car I just don't know!!

So we stayed dry and were able to build our bikes the next day in the comfort of the apartment.

Our first day on the pedals took us west along the coast (above) to Roquetas Del Mar. Overcast, but nice and warm!

We soon turned inland towards Granada, into the beautiful Alpujarras mountain region (below).

The steep narrow streets of Albuñol (below) offered us a challenge we've become acceptant of: "PEDAL or Push"🚴🤦 !

From Granada, we continued north towards Jaén (below).

Google Maps bike route mainly took us on service roads (quiet tarmac roads parallel to the main drags) and olive grove tracks (rough and super-steep in places, but beautiful).

Unspoilt Pegalajar village was literally a high point, with its panoramic views.

Below: Porcuna - another beautiful hilltop town with fantastic views

The scenic "Via Verde" ("Green Way") routes were a happy discovery for us. These old railway tracks have been converted into traffic-free paths for cyclists and walkers. Gravel tyres are a must for some sections!

The glorious Vía Verde del Aceite, Jaén province (below): olive groves as far as the eye can see.

Next stop, Córdoba. Its characterful old streets make it a tourist hotspot.

We soon skipped on towards Ronda, stopping off at Karting Campillos for Charlie to burn some rubber (below). This professional track is well worth a visit for an excellent kart driving experience 👍 https://kartingcampillos.com

The tourist magnet that is Ronda was no disappointment. Not just the iconic bridge, but the old town's backstreets and scenic walking paths (below) made for a great couple of rest days.

The mountain roads from Ronda back down to the coast at Estepona were stunning (below).

Highlights: the low-key tour of prehistoric cave paintings at Cueva de la Pilota, and the fairytale mountainside towns of Gaucín and Casares.

Heading back east, along the Costa del Sol: the narrow streets of Marbella Old Town were charming. The flat coast path (below) was busy in some areas - it must get very congested in the summer.

After a few days, we decided to turn north for another dose of the Alpujarras Mountains instead. Cádiar village was an unexpected stopover gem, with peaceful hiking trails and a traditional feel.

Above: our accommodation on the outskirts of Cádiar village.

The Welsh owners Terry & Jane offer comfortable, rustic lodgings on what was originally a pig farm (Google maps: Granja de Matias).

Alpujarras region, Sierra Nevada (above): some tough climbs, but the views were worth it !

Andalusia - our thoughts

This was a FANTASTICO pedalling destination, for many reasons:

- Variety of coastline, mountains, cities and villages spanning the whole tourism spectrum.

Challenging climbs and terrain mixed in with some fast tarmac. Super-scenic 👍 Quiet roads and considerate drivers.

- November sunshine ! Not quite warm enough to lie on the beach or swim in the sea, but still comfortable riding in short sleeves most days. Only a couple of rainy days all month.

- Food and drink:

DRINKING WATER - We used the tap water. Only buying bottled when necessary.

Affordable local bars, some with free tapas. High-quality supermarket produce.

Fantastic coffee everywhere ! All a fair bit cheaper than the UK, away from the tourist hotspots.

- Accommodation: Reasonably-priced options in most places, often with a kitchenette. We paid £30-50 per night.

Using Airbnb, Booking.com and Google maps

Well-earned drinks and free tapas at a locals' bar in Pegalajar, Jaén province. Below ¡ Buen provecho !

We also want to keep this blog real. So let's be honest about the few Andalusian things that weren't so lovely:

- Almería's agricultural landscape: the VAST areas farmed under synthetic sheeting supply us all with cheap fruit and veg.

But the resulting plastic "shanty towns" are an eyesore. Some are so huge, we actually got lost inside the plastic labyrinth.

- Flies: a variable bother, but a couple of times inland we had to abandon picnics because of them.

- Urban ghetto: as can happen anywhere, the thrifty traveller can end up staying on the wrong side of town.

This happened to us just once, in Roquetas de Mar (north side, close to Calle Casablanca). Although nothing bad happened, it was edgy. A bit like Colombia !

- Mountain grinds: ok yes, part of what we came for ! But sometimes, it's a grim crawl up those long climbs.

Especially with full bike baggage and a chest infection.

All in all: we'd definitely choose Andalusia over Spain's higher-profile cycling destinations in Mallorca, Tenerife and Girona. Highly recommended.

Chocolate rating:🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫. TOP biscuits 👌

Practical pointers

We flew out with Jet 2, as they're well-priced and it's easy to pre-book bicycle transport on their website.

Almería Airport pedal-out rating (in theory!):⭐⭐⭐. Nice small airport.

The main road out is a busy single carriageway, but does have a narrow hard shoulder.