Senderistas Hike ~ Coin

November 12th

Our first proper walk with the Senderistas (Hikers) walking group ~ a 4½ hour hike round the steep hills on the other side of Barranco Blanco in glorious weather ~ probably between 8-10 miles. Besides the wild Rosemary, there were many Strawberry Trees with their red and orange fruit and yellow blossom. The strawberries are edible but are not as sweet as our strawberries at home and are quite pippy!

4th Ramble ~ Torre Blanco

Our 4th ramble was with a large group of about 50 people. Started off with a minutes silence @ 11 am and then climbed above the hills above Torre Blanco, a district of Fuengirola, with good views over the city.

Grazalema & Eagles

November 10th

Yet another beautiful hot, sunny day and we drove home over the mountains via the picturesque village of Grazalema, via a mountain pass @ 1103 metres. Over the village, J counted 25 or so Golden Eagles soaring above the mountains, their golden feathers glistening in the sun. C also saw what he thought were a large flock of crows above a high ridge, but on looking at a couple of stragglers through the binoculars, they had red beaks and legs, and were probably Black Kites ~ a missed photo opportunity.

After lunch there watching the Eagles, we drove onto via Ronda and the twisting mountain road over the Sierra de las Nieves via 2 high passes @ 1190 m and 820 m respectively. We also saw our first Ibex, a wild mountain goat ~ camera memory card full so no pic. At Alozaina,, where we had stayed 2 years ago during part of the house renovation, we took the camino road down the valley of the Rio Grande.

The campervan performed surprisingly well over quite rugged terrain and very steep ascents and descents over 2 mountain ranges. ( And J didn’t scream once!!)

Cadiz

November 9th

Another glorious sunny day, and we drove on to Cadiz and explored the old town, the parks and beaches. Cadiz is the oldest city in Europe, founded by the Phonecians in 1100 BC, followed by the Carthagenians, Romans, Moors and French. It stands on a peninsula jutting out to sea, guarded by an imposing fortress (Castillo de San Sebastian) on a promentary and the Castillo de Santa Catalena.

Another feature of Cadiz are its fortified watch towers, and we climbed the Main official watch tower for the city , Torre Tavira built in 1778, with superb views over the city and Cathedral. The tower also features a camera obscura with panoramic views.

Terifa & Africa

On to Tarifa, where we camped in the van, with fantastic views of the mountains of Africa, including the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in Morocco. A beautiful sunset ensuring another lovely day tomorrow. Spain also has another enclave Melilla in North Africa, and maintains both as part of Spain, exposing the hypocracy of their claim on Gibraltar.

Gibraltar

November 8th

We drove to Gibraltar for their Navy Day featuring the aircraft carrier Ark Royal and various other air/sea rescue events and marching bands ~ very English as one would expect. A slight delay getting into Gibraltar as we had to wait for an aeroplane to take off before we could cross the runway! Weather glorious sun and very clear views.