October 31, 2013
Zahara de la Sierra
We have an issue with superlatives
We've run into a problem with this trip - not every day can be the best day of the trip, but we've got another one. Our plan is to change our rating system to open more slots, and designate best of tour, country, state and province. Updated ratings will follow, but first on to our new leader for best of tour - today!
The day began routinely enough, with a fast ride southeast to El Coronil along highway A-375. This a major east-west connector and carries quite a bit more traffic than we have grown accustomed to, but it has a good shoulder and feels safe. The views backwards to the west across the empty basin are quietly dramatic and lovely.
At El Coronil we left A-375, and rode the remainder of the day on very quiet country lanes until rejoining the highway a few miles from Zahara. The entire ride was exceptional, but two sections really stood out. Road SE-438 cuts across the south side of a small peak near Moron De La Frontera. We found this to be a stretch of epic beauty, passing through a series of painted rolling hills that rose up next to us in waves of color. It was very quiet - I think we were passed by only two cars and a tractor its entire length. If its beauty wasn't enough, we had the for us unique experience of cycling past a small herd of about eight free range donkeys ambling down the road. They were really lovely animals and we loved getting to see them up close, although we took great care to not startle them - they looked very calm and peaceful, but then I'd never done this and didn't know what to expect. It would be interesting but unfortunate to cut our trip short because we were kicked by mules!
We stopped for lunch in the village of Coripe. After checking in at three different bars to see if they were serving food and being referred across the street or down the road, we ended up in a spot that served us up one of our favorite midday meals - breakfast for lunch! Scrambled eggs, ham and chorizo. Totally great.
After lunch we went through the next exceptional stretch - a gradual climb over a small pass through the range that separates the Guadalporcun and Guadalete rivers. From Coripe we first dropped a few hundred feet to the Guadalporcun, crossing it over a striking high bridge. We stopped along the way to admire another very tempting route - there is a via verde that passes through here, following the Guadalporcun. The stretch we could see far below us followed the bank and then plunged into what looks like must be a quite long tunnel. As we watched, a group of cyclists disappeared into it. This is one of the better known and developed routes, and extends all the way northeast to the town of Olivera. We added it to the wish list for a possible tour in the future. Our route though went up, steadily and gradually, climbing about a thousand feet and cresting at about 1600. It was beautiful and open all the way - almost like a ridge ride - and gave us ever more dramatic views to the north as we ascended. On our way down the south side, we were startled to see a collection of hang gliders hovering vulture-like far above us.
We got our first views of Zahara de la Sierra a few miles away, shortly before reaching the dam across the Guadalete. This dam, and the reservoir before it, brought back memories for us. It is quite new; so new, that it did not appear on the maps we carried years ago on our first visit to Andalusia. Our planned route included a visit to Zahara, arriving on a minor road to the east. We were more than chagrined when, after dropping very steeply to what we expected to be a bridge across the river, we were dead ended by the new lake. Not the most pleasant occurrence on an already long ride on a very hot day.
Zahara has a reputation as one of the prettiest small villages in southern Spain, and we were anxious to see it (we've been waiting about 15 years for this actually, since we never made it here the first time). It is a well deserved reputation. It is in a very dramatic position, draped across the shoulder of a small peak topped by a small castle keep. Behind it loom the much higher and jagged peaks of the Sierra de la Grazelema: below is the reservoir, brilliant blue in the late day sun; and across the water are another pair of colorful peaks. The village itself is a uniformly brilliant white. It was a delight to walk through its streets, alleyways and steep staircases, pausing for dramatic views at various viewing platforms.
Too many great things to fit into one day, really - but wait, there's more! It's Halloween, and the streets are full of little witches and goblins running around grinning or howling spookily. Wow.
Elevation log: 4400' today, 43,500' total.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Today's ride: 55 miles (89 km)
Total: 899 miles (1,447 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |