We started the day with breakfast at our Casa Rural at 8am. This small traditional hotel is run by a couple, he being in charge of checking in and she being in charge of kitchen duties. It was a bit of a throwback to the one star hotels we used to stay in occasionally as we cycle toured in France back in the 80’s. The accommodation is simple, clean and inexpensive. Breakfast was extra, but a good deal at 6€ per person. The star of Spanish breakfast is fresh squeezed orange juice, the best OJ in the world. Besides that we had coffee, hard boiled egg, toast with tomato & olive oil, jam & butter, cereal, ham, cheese and fruit.
The view from our room at the casa rural. That’s not the road out of town for us.
After breakfast, Patrick helped us retrieve our bikes from storage, and we were soon on our way. The question was, how do we get out of Alozaina and into the small road that would take us to Coin? It all looked so simple at first glance! David went ahead and took the plunge down a steep side street and disappeared from sight. It was over 25% grade for heaven’s sake, so I needed some certainty it was the right choice. I ventured into tiny store to ask for directions and was told to take the same road, so I said my hail mary’s, gripped the brakes and half rode, half slid down the hill. David was waiting at the bottom.
Then we were off and riding along a beautiful small country road, headed for Coin. The road was very lightly travelled and was largely in good condition. It meandered through lemon orchards and young olive groves and past the occasional farmhouse.
We stopped at one of the lemon orchards to get a closer look at the work being done to clean it up. The trees were absolutely dripping with lemons and the underbrush had grown up all around and between the trees. Crews were chainsawing and cutting large branches and knocking back the undergrowth. In the process, they knocked bushels and bushels of lemons off the trees and had driven the tractors over them. Well, the smell of lemons wafting in the breeze was just heavenly.
Smashed lemons. What a treat for a couple of cycle tourists.
This road carried on through the hilly countrside, gradually dropping in elevation and eventually dumping us out onto a larger road after about 12k. The climbs and descents along the way were pretty serious grades and in a few spots, the surface deteriorated, leaving us navigating enormous potholes and boulders or hand smoothed concrete ‘paved’ sections. This took some serious bike handling skills to navigate. We’re competent on that count but we both agreed that e-bikers would not have been happy campers on this road.
As we finished the climb into Coin, it was time for coffee con leche #2, so we stopped at a cafe and knocked back a couple of coffees. There were two Danish road riders doing the same thing, but they were headed in the opposite direction to us. They were heading to Alozaina after riding from the coast. We bid our good-byes and continued on our way to Malaga.
The scale of the landscape is enormous here and we had phenomenal views, no matter which way we looked. The go-pro footage gives a small hint of what it felt like to be riding through the region.
The route planning for today took many hours of study because it had to be a safe and pleasant way to get into the thick tangle of Malaga where we’d be staying. David had full faith in the route today. I was the doubter and prayed all day that it wouldn’t devolve into an overgrown creekbed or some such thing. It turned out to the perfect route!
The planned route took us on a gravel cycle way around the airport and then onto a paved bike route when we eventually reached the beach. From there, we rode right to our hotel and checked in at 2:30.
We cycled the length of the runway, watching planes take off as we went along.
There is so much to see and do in Malaga but our time is very limited. I managed to book a free walking tour of the old city for 6pm, and then we headed out to look for the Central Market, which is housed in a beautiful building. Sadly, they were dropping the shutters as we arrived so we ordered cervesas and tapas to fill the gap until we were to meet the tour.
Here are a few shots taken as we strolled the old town.
Our tour guide recommended we try the skewered and roasted fresh sardines before we left Malaga, so we headed for a place at the beach for dinner. It was a pinch-me moment. The setting was gorgeous, right next to the lapping waves of the Mediterranesn. We got that last remaining table in the restaurant and were treated to a fabulous dinner, served by an outstanding staff. The sangria’s were excellent, too.
The famous skewered sardines, cooked over an open fire.
Today's ride: 56 km (35 miles) Total: 254 km (158 miles)
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Anne AnastasiouReally enjoyed "the ride" and being able to see all the different terrain you had to ride over today. The music is really fun too. Glad you had a decent breakfast and a fantastic dinner. And, another great day! Reply to this comment 3 months ago
