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
