Having found the missing Aire in Antequera we parked up and went alcohol harvesting in Mercadona… It was a fruitful harvest and we added money to the local coffers. Not much though as the booze was quite cheap.
Following the inevitable coffee shop stop we wandered up to the Castillo de Papabellotas ( Alcazaba). Full of history and, as so often the case in this part of Spain, linking the Spanish with Romans and the Moors. A word on entrance tickets – buy the combined ticket at the Alcazaba which also gives access to the Colegiata de Santa Maria la Mayor next door.
Collegiate de Santa Maria la Mayor
Antequera
As tonight was going to be a late on we grabbed a bit of rest in the van before heading out to the Lobo Park. This had been recommended by a couple of friends and we were booked in on the 4th May…. Full moon.
The park has a few other animals but the main attraction were the wolves….. Daniel, the guy who runs it, describes it as a place where wolves social behaviour are not changed and this allows opportunities to study them.
As we started the walk the wolves started howling and talk about atmospheric…. Daniel was totally dedicated to these animals, you could tell from the passion they were a great part of his life. We managed to see a Hudson Bay male, that had been rescued from a zoo, a female Tundra, Iberian and Eurasian.
Lobo Park
After the walk we wild camped and were woken to the the howls of the wolves and shrieks of the peacocks
Leaving Finca we, as normal, chose a minor and then the yellow and green squiggly roads. They were turning out to be the most exciting and fun to drive.
After a quick shop to stock up the cupboards on the outskirts of Antequera we dropped into the Dolmen caves on the northern edge of the town. These are two megalithic monuments which date from around 2500 BC. We had been told to go to the visitors centre first to view the short film explaining how the structures were made. This is a free site to visit and well worth it. Being able to actually go all the way into them was something we could not have imagined being allowed to do in the UK
Inside the DolmensInside the Dolmens
From there we headed off to El Torcal which is a National Park in amongst a vast eroded limestone area on a high plateau. Having ‘sussed’ the hours etc out we headed back to the nearby campsite ‘Camping Torcal’
Driving into the complex the hairs on the back of our necks were getting a little prickly. It seemed more of a ‘trailer park’ with some rows of permanent caravans even having names. It just didn’t seem the right place for us….
A quick U turn and we headed to Antequera to search for an Aire that was shown on one of the apps we have. For the first time ever we couldn’t find it and it certainly wasn’t at the given co-ordinates. Our only remaining option was to go to a campsite at Laguna de la Fuente de Piedra. This lake is know for the hundreds of flamingos and was on the list of places to drop by on our way to Cordoba.
Laguna de la Fuente de PiedraLaguna de la Fuente de Piedra
The lake was a 2k easy stroll and about that many photos were taken!
The next day, a Sunday, we headed back to El Torcal. We booked a ‘red route’ guided tour for €8 a piece (there are other walks accessible without a guide and clearly signposted). While the guide only spoke Spanish (fortunately we both have a good understanding of the formation of Limestone) he did take us around to several quite large Ammonite impressions and we were able to get the gist of some of what he was saying. The Limestone Karst is really stunning and inevitably several have been given names although we reckon a psychiatrist would have a field day with those who came up with the names!
El TorcalEl TorcalEl Torcal
Following the guided trip we had a wander around the two unguided ones before returning to the van and Bob having his scotch on the rocks.
Plan A; Get up early and get there for when it opens and try to get a ticket? or
Plan B; follow the old adage Mad Dogs and Englishmen and go midday just as the locals are settling down to their siestas?
Based on how hot is has been and the fact that today was a bank holiday, Plan A was decided upon so after a short walk from the campsite, we were at the ticket office at 8.50am chatting to a very nice security man who told us to come back at 10am when the manager arrived…. As nothing was open in town we sat by the lake and as the crowds began to arrive we strolled back to see our chances of getting a ticket. A quick chat with one of the staff soon confirmed that the chances of that today were zero but there may be some tickets available through the hotel in town. We’d heard this through someone at the campsite but were given the impression that the hotel was essentially charging for the free tickets. However the deal was that the hotel did have tickets for its own clients – either those staying at the hotel or those using the restaurant with a minimum spend of €25 per person. Well with having missed the shop yesterday we decided to have lunch in the restaurant – a good decision in the end!
So with tickets in hand, we went back to our new best friend, the security guard, and with the prerequisite helmet we were finally on the walk. Initially a gravel track alongside the reservoir, the climb to the official start was very gentle and then came a series of wooden staircases to get you to the level of the walkway. The new path has been built over the top of the previous one but the footpath no longer has bits missing and there is a wire fence along the outside edge for the entire length. You can see why they closed the previous walk as in places you would have been walking on rusted girders (although you would have been clipped on to the wire attached to the cliff face) and sadly in two places there are memorials to people who had died on the route, once as recently as 2010.
The new path
The bridge
The Camino had been a bucket list item for us and was it worth it? Absolutely! It’s difficult to put into words the jaw dropping height of the rock faces either side of the gorge and sheer overwhelming force that is Mother Nature.
It is only a very short walk on the main section and very easy to walk back to the point from which you started (although you can carry on to the second access point and take a bus back) which for us was just in time for lunch and a very cold beer!
From Ronda we aimed to get to El Chorro. This started with us driving along an unopened duel carriageway and being let in to the traffic flow by a very nice workman – a sign of the day to come……???
The maps in Spain on our TomTom or the paper map tend not to be overly reliable. We had found the location of a supermarket and marked it as a destination…. Thankfully we didn’t follow the route as it tried to take us across a wooded field.
So abandoning the shopping for a bit we aimed for Setenil de la Bodegas. This is a pretty little town where lots of the houses are built into the overhanging cliffs, giving them rock roofs. But we still had to negotiate the village of Arriate. A narrow village to say the least but confidant we could get through we just followed our noses….. Until we came to a Y junction where one option was narrow and the other very narrow. Bob was about to take the very narrow one (always up for a challenge) when another very nice Spaniard directed us to the correct road…at this point there were a few vehicles going through and when we saw a builder’s lorry taking this route we tucked in behind it.
No further mishaps and as we zig zagged along the main road through Setenil there was parking on the left more than wide enough for us.
Parking in Setenil
After a quick skirt around the edge of the town to see the church we dropped in to the busiest part of the town for a coffee. It must have been pension day as the average age of the locals was well into the 80’s
Setenil
Back on board we headed to El Chorro via a vast plain like area cut through limestone outcrops.
Just after Ardales we left the A357 for a green and yellow squiggly road which had several road signs saying ‘Atencion Carretera En Mal Estado’ Meaning that the road was in a bad state! Yep we will agree with this; they had done their homework this time.
This took us to Alora where we took another green and yellow squiggly towards El Chorro. To find the campsite Finca la Campana (http://fincalacampana.com/en/) we crossed the dam, drove through the station carpark and took a ‘minor road uphill. Then we turned off onto a even more minor road to the site. Well if we we can do it in a motorhome, anyone can do it in a car.
Finca la Campana
The site consists of a couple of chalets and two areas for motorhomes. After an initial ‘have we got this right’ moment we decided to stay. And we are so glad we did it is beautiful. Quiet with a small but well stocked shop where you are trusted to write down in a book what you had taken. The owner Jean has been here for 15 or more years and offers climbing, caving and lots more outdoor activities but we were here for the Camino Del Rey…Walk of the King.
This route was initially built in the 1920s to access the dam and hydro electric plant. It fell into disrepair and was officially closed in 2000 although people still walked the disintegrating ledges with ropes etc. It has now been repaired by the Spanish Authorities. Getting access is a bit of a lottery at the moment as it only reopened in April with the official website crashing many times and tickets currently free. When we tried to book tickets we ended up with having a slot to walk the route but no proof! Chatting with Jean we found that often people managed to get access by just turning up. So that was our plan for the next day!
First can we say Ronda is a stunning little town. Now we have to justify that sentence… To be honest that is easy…
A 20 minute or so walk from the campsite saw us in the old town. One of the main locations folk all head to is the stunning Puente Nuevo. It is an 18C bridge that crosses a deep gorge and is seen often in leaflets about the town.
Puente NuevoAfter a few phots taken we grabbed a coffee at the Restaurante Don Miguel that overlooks the bridge. Two coffees for under a fiver with a view like this!
Stunning ViewFrom there we headed towards one of the other bridges that cross the gorge but at a much lower height. On the way to Puente Viejo there are several viewing places and I think we tried them all.
The lower of the three bridges is called the Roman Bridge but this is more anecdotal than factual. It certainly a Moorish input.
Baños ArabesNext was the Baños Arabes. This reminded us of very similar baths we had seen in the Moorish quarter Granada.
We diverted from the town tour for a few minutes as we grabbed a Geocache but that took us to the old town walls that give a good view out to the south.
Lunch time saw us taking Tapas on the edge of Plaza Duquesa de Parcent….along with a beer and sangria. All for £22.
Iglesia de Santa Maria la MayorAfter a visit to Iglesia de Santa Maria la Mayor we wandered the lanes and back streets before going to the Secret Mine at Palacio Del Rey Moro. This is an old structure dating back to 14th century and involved taking 365 steps down to the river below the town. We were right at the river level and it was beautiful and tranquil. One of our guide books said the long climb back up will probably make you wonder if it was worth the stiff entry fee. At 4 Euros each we felt it worth every penny and even managed to grab a drink in the cafe at the top after the walk out.
Having seen a signed 3.9km walk in the town yesterday we decided to have a wander into the forest before we left for Ronda.
All I can say is that the Spanish Cartographers must have been to the same school as the French ones based in Saumur. It ended up more like 5.1km And I didn’t have the benefit of a Pilot to blame for getting lost.
Still it was a really nice wander among ‘the best cork oak groves in El Genal’.
Cork Oak TreeFrom there we headed to a campsite on the western edge of Ronda. At 24.50 Euro a night not as cheap as the past couple of nights but on the edge of the town and with the Euro rate as it is we are not complaining. Also we had quite a bit of entertainment watching several folks wandering from pitch to pitch before making that life changing choice.
When you look at a map and see roads like this you know it is going to be a good day at the wheel. On top of that Bob’s birthday too. Woken to tickets to Supertramp at the O2 later in the year the day’s started good….. and just got better.
This had to be driven
Leaving the aire at Olvera we took a short drive to a car park in the town itself before having a short wander. Most places were closed as it was Monday but we did manage to take a few photos.
Why would you need a sign like this at a churc
From Olvera we headed along a minor road to, one of the many white house towns in this area, Zahara (well worth a drive to the reservoir even if you don’t do the drive through the mountains).
Zahara
From we took the CA-9104 to Grazalema. This road was on our list as it looked full of twists and turns in the mountain. On top of that we were told by someone in the know that it was a spectacular route. And it was….. without doubt a brilliant road…. one for ‘driving’ even if it was a 4 tonne Motorhome.
From Grazalema we continued on to the ‘leather’ town of Ubriqiue. The intention was for June to have a little purchase or two… However that was not to be…. Very few places to park and one of our routes took us towards a road closed sign with the diversion down a very narrow, steep lane with a blind bend at the bottom. As Bob started to reverse a local indicated that we could do it even in our van…. so putting trust in the Spanish we gave it a go…. it was fine and saved reversing 100 yards or so in the narrow streets. So after a quick lunch we left sin purchase and continued towards tonights stopover – an aire on the outskirts of Benarraba. As we arrived we joined two other motorhomes already there and took a wander into town.
Does not fall mainly on the plain we can tell you…..
Oh how we laughed
Leaving Caceres we had planned to visit the Cascades del Hueznar, Merida and then onto an aire at Benarraba via Zahara and Ubrique (famous for its leather goods). However it rained….. and when we say rained we mean RAIN of the stair rod variety
Looking at the map a revised plan was concocted with us ending at the small town of Olvera. Within that last 50 or so kms the country side became more of ‘our country’. Mountains and rolling hills…….
Olvera Aire
The aire in Olvera is by a converted rail station where the track has now been turned into a ‘Green route’. The Via Verde starts from the car park and heads off to Puerto Serrano, 38 km in total. Bikes can be hired from the start (not today though as it is Sunday and most of Spain appears to be closed). Still that didn’t stop us having a brisk walk along the route for the first 4km.
Later start today as no driving but still managed to catch the 10.00 bus from just outside the campsite and get into town with a coffee in Plaza Mayor by 10.45.
Plaza MayorCaceresCaceres has a nice little old town with fair bit of history. It is a town where there are fortified house, palaces and towers. As we wondered the narow streets we were grateful that it wasn’t mid summer when we are sure these streets would be packed.
No one expects the Spanish InquisitionNot a full day for us but well worth a visit. Back via the bus after a quick top up at Lidl…
Lets start by saying I do know a bit about wiggleys… Electric currents, are to some of us, wiggleys. I have studied wiggleys quite a bit and even have a City and Guilds Full Tech in Telecom wiggleys British Telecom were in fact going to pay me to go to university, in the day, to study and get a degree in wigglyology. That was until I found that there were two types of wiggleys real ones and theoretical! In the real world there are things called the fringe effect but in the theoretical world these do not exist. In their place are imaginary things like spot charges. Keep with me I will get on to our travels….. promise.
A little corrosion…
Being a practical person I couldn’t hack this and banged out, I was not going to sell my soul. BT were not happy and called me top a meeting….with NO coffee.
Anyway back to the trip. As we sat at EuroTunnel in the queue waiting to be called forward I turned off the engine and removed the key. The engine kept on going! Now the motorhome is a Mercedes Hymer. Both renowned for quality and extras. However I felt this was not one they had intended. I found that if I had the side lights on and brake pedal pressed the engine would continue running after I had removed they key, until I took my foot off the brake! Still we managed to board the train and make the crossing OK. Once on French soil I found the cruise control was not working!
It was at this point I had a ‘light bulb’ moment and noticed the offside brake light was permanently on…. and remembered that about a year ago I had an issue with a dickie earth on the brake lights.
So the next morning with a screw driver and a piece of emery cloth I, again, saved the world. Well saved a good amount of Euros by fixing it my self.
We got away to the Caravan and Camping Club site near Devizes for Easter and it was ideal. Not only did we manage to get away with friends but it was a great way to shake the van down for our Spanish trip at the end of April.
Nice little pitch
The site backs onto the Kennet and Avon Canal which offers a couple of good walks, via pubs of course.
Outside the site are bus stops for routes inot Devizes or Bath. As you would expect the site is clean and tidy with quite a few hardstanding.
Today was always going to be a day of shopping. We started off at the Complexe D’Artisanat in Rue de la Kasbah. This is one of the few places in Morocco that you don’t barter. The prices are fixed and for some that is a real help. Personally I love a good bit of barter banter. Leaving surprisingly empty handed we headed to, via a coffee stop of course, to the Ensemble Artisanal on Avenue Mohammed V.
On the way to work
This is where June had seen a hat before and today was decision day. Having watched how the hats are made a purchase was completed.
The hat maker
From there we headed off to the Photographic museum and back to their roof top restaurant. Today was so much clearer than our last visit so much so we could easily see the beautiful snow covered High Atlas to the south..
In the afternoon we managed to tick all off the shopping list but were still on the look out for a pair of ear rings to match the neckless June bought on the `kasbah trip. One of the guys in the souks, on hearing what we were looking for, took us for a hike (probably a bit longer than we needed) to one of his mates. He didn’t have what we were looking for so he took a neckless apart to make a pair. Not sure we would get that level of service in the UK.
During one of todays wanders through the main square we saw this a guy wearing pink wings and selling toys. So the next time you think your job could be better just remember the photo of this lad.
Today was another day to just wander around this glorious city. We started off by heading towards Jewish quarter. We dropped by Dar Si Siad which is former palace / royal house that now houses Moroccan arts. The building itself is along the same theme inside as the Kasbah at Telouet and the Alahambra with ornate stucco that the crafts men carve while still wet. The design are very detailed and must take an age to complete.
Dar-Si-Sai
After a quick coffee we wandered around the old Jewish Section, While trying to find the entrance to the El Badi Palace we bumped into Mustapha, a 19 year old who is studying to become a motor mechanic. He started to take us to the palace when we realised that it would closed in a shortwhile. Mustapah then offered us tea at his house. We took him up on the offer and although the tea wasn’t the best we have experienced but it was a little different. We never did get to see the view of the palace from his house that we were told was ‘very very good’. We dropped him a few Dirham for his time and headed off to the Kasbah Cafe, which was nearby, for lunch.
Street-Market
It was only a short walk…well about 3 km, to our next venue. The Jardin Menara. We had seen a few photos of the lake there with the High Atlas in the distance. Ever the keen photographers we aimed to recreate this image. Well the view of the snow covered mountains was stunning but sadly the lake was a little choppy to get the reflections we had hoped for.
Jardin-MenaraJemaa El Fna
Back to the main square for a bit of people watching while we drank mint tea… well this time our eyes were caught by a couple of 5 or 6 years olds who were busy trying to sell cakes. There clearly was a bit of a turf war between them and it was a little sad to see young children, the same age as my grandchildren, having their childhood stolen.
The Cake Seller
Mint Tea in Jamaa El Fna
This evening we returned to the square to eat at stall 118. Abdul recognised us straight away. The guys who are enticing potential customers to pick thier stall are all real characters with all the patter and banter. If you join in the whole experience is more enjoyable and they really don’t mind if you say no. It is a very similar scene to that of parts of France, Spain and Greece….but with more humour and fun.
Today was a later start… We updated yesterday’s trip on the blog and then just bimbled into town
Jemaa El Fna often has crowds of folk just watching performersOnly four on this one
A lunch at the main square was followed by a wander around the parks.
Koutoubia Mosque
We managed to grab another geocache and a coffee…. it was all very slow and full of people watching.
Evening time took us back into Jemaa El Fna to eat at another stall. We had been told to try number 14. Walking past it was full of locals, always a good sign and it didn’t dissapoint. As we left 14 a guy from stall 118 started chatting up June. Result is that we will probably go there tomorrow night.
Walking back through the souks, where some were totally deserted, it struck me that we never felt unsafe, not once and having adopted the plan of turn left, turn right, turn left, turn right, etc we actually got back to the riad without getting lost!
An early start today as we were heading over the a High Atlas and back again in a day; luckily we were not driving but were able to book a car and driver for the day at a very reasonable rate. Younes from Ecovoyages Marrakech arrived promptly and by 7.30am we were clear of the city traffic and heading towards the mountains. A quick stop for coffee after a couple of hours before we hit the Tizi-n-Tichka pass, the highest pass over the High Atlas.
The High Atlas
Tizi-n-Tichka Pass
Our first destination was Kasbah Telouet and a real gem of a place and well worth the long drive along a road which in parts lacks any Tarmac. At first the place looked nothing more than a pile of ruins (the whole site is actually three kasbahs in various stages of decay) but there was a surprise awaiting in the form of four rooms almost exactly as they were the Kasbah was built in the 19th century. Our guide Rasheed was very knowledgeable and well worth his tip as he explained the history of the site. The family who lived here made their fortunes from the caravans passing through from the south to Marrakech, exchanging salt for gold and sugar for marble.
Telouet Kasbah
Inside the Telouet Kasbah
Inside the Telouet Kasbah
From there we continued along the same road following the Oued Mellah (literally translated as river of salt. Lesson learned today was that Morocco had salt mines!) and on to Ait Benhaddou whose claim to fame is to have appeared in numerous Hollywood films: Lawrence of Arabia, Jesus of Nazareth and Gladiator but to name a few. We didn’t have a guide, despite their best efforts for us to hire them, and were happy to wander around the place on our own.
Ait Benhaddou
Ait Benhaddou
Ait Benhaddou
People still live in the kasbahs which make up the area and to get to the highest point you have to run the gauntlet of several shop owners trying to entice you to view their wares. We did give in on the way back down and took tea with Hachim whilst negotiating on the price of a silver necklace and an “antique” wooden spoon….. Bob retained his reputation of bartering like a Berber and we were all happy in the end!
Hachim
Then began the long drive home and this is where the 20,000 photos comes in. Having got a new toy after a last trip here (thank you Colin!), Bob had attached his GoPro to the outside of the vehicle and recorded time lapse photos of the routes we were taking. The plan was now to record the journey back over the Tizi-n-Tichka pass. The camera stayed in place but we won’t be able to post the short video until getting home to the UK.
Sunset
The long day ended with a spectacular view of the sunset in the mountains and home to Jamila’s wonderful cooking…
Having visited most of the major sites in a Marrakech during previous visits, today we decided just to walk and see where we ended up whilst heading generally towards the east of the city. Things didn’t quite go to plan when we got lost in the souks but as there always seems to be a sign pointing towards the main square we followed one of them to get our bearings and start again! This time we got it right (eventually…) and arrived at the Museum of Marrakech. Not the largest museum we’ve been to but being located in a restored palace makes it worth a visit.
The Marrakech Museum
The Marrakech Museum
From there it was a very short walk to the Medersa Ben Youssef (combined admission with the museum of 60Dh each – under £5 at today’s rate) which was a former religious school. To quote from our guidebook “It displays all the fine decorative detailing that characterises what was the golden age of Moroccan architecture.” and that pretty much sums it up! If you like architecture head here. Point to note here, we were approached by a young man who was trying to get us to visit the tanneries and told us that the Medersa was closed due to a religious holiday – it wasn’t!
Ben Youssef Medersa
Ben Youssef Medersa
Ben Youssef Medersa
A lot of walking usually involves geocaching for us, and although there are not too many caches in Morocco, we were not too far from one so it was off down the alleyways in search of it. The Moroccans are born traders and (sorry, spoiler alert) what better way of getting someone into your shop than by putting the cache there! Worth pointing out though that there was no pressure for us to buy anything and we had a very friendly chat with the shop owner.
Leather in the street
As we mentioned we were off the main tourist track today so our next stop was the Maison de la Photographie de Marrakech, which houses a collection of photographs of early 20th century Moroccan life. Entry was 40Dh (£2.80 ish) but we can visit as often as we like which given the great little cafe on the roof terrace we will probably take advantage of!
The view from the cafe at Maison de la Photographie
Berber Omelette
Being on the east side of the city and despite what we told the young man earlier, we had always intended to visit the tanneries. We were approached by a “guide” who offered to show us around and despite being a little sceptics it was actually quite interesting! However having visited the tanneries at Fez, the ones in Marrakech were a little disappointing and of course the visit ended up in a shop which sold a variety of leather goods.
In desperate need of coffee (no surprise there!) we made our way back to the main square and one of the many roof terraces providing the best places just to sit and watch the world go by. Feeling suitably refreshed it was time to head back home but managed to take the wrong turn again which also happened when we came back in for dinner and then on the way back again….. By the end of the week we’ll have it all worked out…..we hope!
Having stopped at the Gatwick Hilton, with no free wifi in the room I may add, it was an early start to Marrakech taking off at 8.00. Made good time though arriving at 10.50, ahead of schedule.
Through passport control and onto Dar Romarra, the Riad we had used for a long weekend in October. We felt that with June’s arm recovering we needed a little haven in a mad mad city….
At 14 C it was a little cooler than last time….but warmer than the freezing UK we had left behind.
Dar Rocmarra
After a bit of a kip we wandered through the souks to the main square, Jamaa El Fna. It was far busier than October and a real hive of activity.
A quick coffee on a roof top terrace gave Bob a chance for a bit of timelapse ( will be posted once we get home). Then down to the food stalls. We were bombarded with requests to eat here and here….. they all knew too much about our TV adverts. Quotes like, ‘ this isn’t just any food…it’s Marks and Spencers food’ and ‘cheaper than Morrisons’ were everywhere. One of the guys thought from something June had said she was from Scotland and then started quoting East Enders. He knew more about the story line than either of us.
