All the early 2013 tours are now FULL leaving just places on the late spring, with the summer... that’s June, July and August....and autumn offering limited availability. We add additional tour dates during September, October and November.
Remember that our Andalusia Tours are NOT the regular so called Spanish “Highlights”. We do NOT visit the coastal region, many of you have and will continue to do that, or tour the “Big Three” [Granada, Cordoba, Seville] again we think that you can easily visit them yourself should you so wish. Rather, much like our Moroccan Tours, we aim to introduce you to the forgotten and often hidden region via back-roads and unique locations. And remember all our tour staff, as well as ourselves, are based and LIVE in Andalusia.
Our offer of a FREE Wi-Fi booster antenna for all Andalusia tours booked before 1st Jan 2013 still stands.......
AND NOW THE ANDALUSIAN BITS
THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WALKING..................
I stole this piece and photo from a friend’s blog as it covers one of our Andalusia tour route/days/walks and mentions one of our guides, Eva Monika Bratek............
Steep craggy rocks stood at each side of the dramatic gorge, typical of the limestone landscape of this eastern edge of the Grazalema protected Natural Park. Echoing through the wide, sunlit pass was the call of raptors in the sky above. Looking up, Griffon Vultures soared and circled overhead, exploiting thermals to swiftly cover the kind of distances, with barely a flap of their wings that had taken us some hours to walk since breakfast.
It’s an extraordinary experience to be in such a dramatic landscape surrounded by nature; the feeling of freedom that these stunning spaces evoke is liberating. Despite being in such unfamiliar territory, we were in safe hands, as we’d opted to use a qualified and insured walking guide, Eva Monika Bratek, to take us through these staggering mountains North West of Ronda. Eva knows the sierra better than most, and as a qualified ornithologist, her knowledge of the flora and fauna really brings the landscape alive.
We were some four hours into our hike when Eva identified the vultures’ nesting site and the source of the unusual sounds filling the canyon. The high specification scope that she’d been carrying over her shoulder was swiftly set up on its tripod and within moments we were viewing in startling clarity these enormous birds on their stony, inaccessible ledge some 30 metres above. Immense adult birds were regularly touching down and taking off from their craggy cliff face home, whilst some juveniles looked out across the horizon.
The park has a surprising array of raptors, including four types of eagle. In just a few hours we had spotted the short-toed eagle, booted and also a Bonelli eagle, distinctive by its command of the sky with swift and agile movements. To be honest though I don’t think, without the guide’s insightful knowledge, we would have been able to distinguish so effectively between the different birds of prey. At a time when so many large birds are rare or endangered it is a real privilege to see them in such stunning habitat.
Close by on an equally precipitous ledge with commanding views, was a female Ibex, with her calf. Relaxing in the autumn sunlight they were sheltered by huge boulders. Although the mother appeared docile in this safe location, this species of mountain goat, still relatively common in the Grazalema natural park, is highly alert and super agile. They are able to swiftly escape predators along steep, stony and precipitous routes.
Our morning had started early. We met in the modest market square of Montejaque, already busy with market traders and villagers at eight thirty in the morning. A strong coffee gave me the kick start I needed and we were soon heading off to the ‘Cueva de la Pileta’. This protected cave is still privately owned, and worth exploring. There are Palaeolithic drawings and paintings to discover; prehistoric art in charcoal, as well as red and yellow ochre. This is no theme park experience – it is practically untouched, so decent footwear is essential to negotiate the slippery cave floor as you walk through low narrow arches equipped with a vintage gas lamp provided by the owners.
The first autumn rains reignite colour in the landscape, with a mass of seeds and bulbs bursting into life that have lain dormant for months. In spring time the colours are even more vibrant, punctuated with some thirty species of orchid that can be found in the Grazalema Park.
Off season hikes are a wonderful way to welcome the cooler, more comfortable temperatures. All that exercise needs to be rewarded and few things feel as good as a satisfying meal after a day’s walking. Often hiking in Spain’s natural parks means nothing more than a straight forward meal in a simple B&B; but not when you hiking in the Ronda Mountains. Hidden in a river valley in the sleepy village of Benaojan is the Molino Del Santo Hotel.
Molino Del Santo has been one of Andalucía’s best kept secrets for years. British couple Andy and Pauline Chapell converted this ancient mill on the banks of a mountain stream 25 years ago and have been offering friendly hospitality ever since. The rooms have very comfortable beds, an important consideration for any walker, and feature thoughtful touches such as tea and coffee making facilities that go down well with guests.
The period salon with its original mill wheel is a great place to put your feet up and enjoy some of the hotel’s walking and nature books; whilst front desk has details of a number of self-guided and guided walks available for guests.
The country hotel offers the opportunity to enjoy the nature on its doorstep and then return to indulge in local and regional dishes made from seasonal ingredients.
Over dinner we share good humoured banter with Victor our waiter, who is also an expert on local Ronda wines. Before long, much of the health benefits of our hike are being somewhat eroded by another bottle of desert wine that goes so well with the triple-chocolate desert! Breakfast, taken on the river terrace in dappled sunshine certainly is a great way to ease into the day with tired limbs from the walk and a thick head from the night before! Whilst tucking into some buttery croissants a graceful eagle glides overhead, making me want to head out into the park all over again.
FIRE !!!!!!!!..........................
To relive the horror of another forest wildfire within a year of the last one is tough. But with the exceptional heat, dry undergrowth and of course the inevitable idiot a repeat was perhaps inevitable............
This and by far the worst ever fire started near our village of Alhaurin el Grande, in a natural park area just a stone’s throw from where we live. This once stunning natural area, that supported so much wildlife, is now just ash.
Arsonists typically strike on hot windy days, in the evening - knowing hot Terrell winds with make the fires uncontrollable and nightfall means planes and helicopters cannot operate.
The fire took hold and ragged across the sierra, then “jumped” a few kilometres to La Mairena, where two fires now joined, it was clear to all those that watched the flames on Thursday night that La Mairena was a second example of arson in Southern Spain.
At one time we counted over 30 aircraft flying overhead, fighting the blaze.......Two water bombers form Morocco even joined our own stretched teams
After the evacuation, those who were permitted returned home .... did I say home? Some 200 families we were greeted by total devastation.
SCENES FROM OUR TERRACE
Again I have lifted this piece from a friend’s blog........... “Together with neighbours we spent the morning dousing flames and smouldering trees and garden fixtures with hoses and buckets of water from the ash filled swimming pool. Everything on and around the property is gone; cremated. A huge solid teak Balinese daybed is just fine ash. Terrace furniture incinerated; it's steel frame molten into globules that are fused into the broken terrace tile. Even glass has been melted. The window frames are twisted, security blinds buckled. The huge flames went over the house, even burning plants and furniture on the roof terrace.
So we spent the day clearing up debris; on autopilot, not really taking in the true reality of it. The fire service was clearly overwhelmed, so there was no fire fighters in our area throughout the inferno; no one to protect our homes. Neighbours even lost their cars; and a house less those 500 metres away is totally burnt out. I just hope that this time the local authorities do something to help. Since the last fire none of the money raised made it to people affected or was used to reforest the affected land. It was a fire quickly and conveniently forgotten by those not affected. But this time, since the fire has reached suburban areas it's made national and international news and local foreign residents who have not been affected are engaged; although as always it seems that stray dogs seem to top the list of twitter and face book posts, not the destruction of habitat for thousands of wild animals.
Well, since this year the fire has become a ‘cause célèbre’ by the charity junkies on the coast, let's hope this year something is actually done to help those affected and the environment destroyed”.........
A little bitter, but I do understand.
STRANGE WAY TO BUY CAKES................
We had only driven an hour or so after a fabulous 3 night stopover at Metila’s Campsite, south of Cordoba, but this town was just too nice to just pass by.........
The parking attendant greeted us with a warm smile, as we got out of the support vehicle and we certainly weren’t expecting the smile and friendly welcome from someone paid to give out parking tickets. But we’re in small town Andalucía, and here people are especially friendly. We paid our 60 cents parking and took the attendant’s advice and headed up into the old quarter, offering wonderful views across the town and the Seville countryside.
We’re in Osuna, the renaissance gem hidden in the south east of Seville Province. It was once a centre of great wealth and sophistication during the era of Spanish Royal Dukes, when this was just a village and was part of the Kingdom of Seville.
It is home to some magnificent ecclesiastical buildings as well as a stunning university (where the columns of the university courtyard sport graffiti and scratched names from across the centuries) and ancient monasteries.
We had heard about a strange practice “enjoyed by those in the know” so headed off with those of the group who had stopped with us. We were visiting one of the nunneries to buy some homemade cakes, but with a difference. Here you ring the bell, suspended on a long chain and call your order through a rotating door.......As it happens it is actually a quaint custom that still remains in much of Andalucía.
It’s a fascinating place and close to the motorway, so makes for a good place to take a break on the Malaga to Seville route.
All Saints Day - Yunquera and El Burgo, Sierra de las Nieves………….
Today was Dia de Todos Los Santos; All Saints Day here is Spain.......More commonly known as “The Day of the Dead”.
Traditionally this is when everyone goes to the cemetery to remember loved ones. The headstones of the niches (the little ‘slots’ where coffins are placed) are cleaned and fresh flowers are placed, together with candles. It’s a family affair, very sociable. Afterwards many people go to a local restaurant to eat together.
There’s an old phrase in Spanish, ‘El muerto al hoyo y el vivo al bollo’……. when someone in interned. It basically means the deceased in their niche and the living to the bar to celebrate their life’. I think the Spanish have a fascinating and really quite healthy relationship with the notion of death.
Although Halloween and All Saints is becoming more commercialised, in the small villages the traditional ways to celebrate and recognise these dates are still evident and very much an event.
After breakfast in a local bar and visit to the cemetery.......thankfully we do not know any of the residents......... we headed to one of my favourite hikes.......well, sometimes I run this route on my quad bike!...... the route to Los Sauces, near El Burgo.
We were the only one up there and it was quite stunning. The river was alive with clear fresh water after the recent rains, so different to when I was last there in high summer.
There is a possibility that we will include this walk on one of our tours.........but there are so many to choose from that we are spoilt.
Back to our village and we were quite surprised to see how busy the cafes and restaurants were........Spain is supposed to be in the depths of a recession, but then that’s Spain........live for today, tomorrow will take care of itself!!
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