May 19, 2024
Otivar
Otivar
Our hostal in Nerja did not offer any breakfast options but as soon as we stepped out the door, we spotted the ideal cafe to start the day. It was already hopping with locals, ordering churros and cafe con lecche’s. We were served quickly by the waiter, who took the hectic pace in his stride, joking with the patrons all the while. I took a cue from the locals and ordered orange juice, coffee and churros while David spotted huevos on the menu and ordered eggs with ham. It was all very agreeable.
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We nipped back to the room to pack up and get the show on the road. Today, we would be riding some hilly coastal terrain and then hanging a left to cycle part way up a road known locally as the Carretera de la Cabra or, the Goat’s Path.
The highway through this area shunts most of the traffic along a high-speed elevated road and, in so doing, almost eliminated cars from our route. It made for some easy cycling. The temperature this morning by the time we left, was about 11 degrees, which made or a great day on the bike. The total distance was light, at 41km, so we took our time.
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This part of the Spanish coast lies within the region of Granada and is known as the Costa Tropical, so named for the subtropical microclimate. The warm breezes of North Africa keep the area warm and have made it a major tropical fruit producing region. Farmers here grow papayas, mangos, bananas and avocados, the latter being the number one crop these days. In the Muslim period and for centuries thereafter, this entire coastal area was cultivated in sugarcane. The aqueduct seen below was built in 1880 to deliver water from Nerja to a sugar mill in nearby Maro. The Maro sugar mill and others along the coast has long since closed, however the aqueduct is still used to deliver irrigation water.
The coastal terrain is very rugged here and is covered in huge multi-dwelling buildings which look as though they could slip into the sea one day because the slopes they cover are bordering on vertical.
The coastal road wound its way up and over the headlands and plunged down the beach a number of times. Sections of the old highway that were carved out the the cliff’s edge remain and today the each seemed to serve as a place for people to camp in their campervans. There were many trails along the way that people were using to access the secluded beaches far below. You’d need to have your wits about you though as I didn’t see any railings. These were no Canadian trails! You slide off and you’re on your own.
Today being Sunday, the neighborhoods we rode through up on the steep hillsides seemed incredibly quiet. We rode past some very fancy-looking places but it’s hard to know how many are occupied full time. I suspect many are part-time homes.
At Almunecar, we would turn inland and get into the fourth and largest climb of the day, so it seemed like a good opportunity to stop for lunch at one of the many beach restaurants. We had a simple lunch, a ham and cheese bocadillo for me and toast, olive oil and tomato for David.
The final leg of the day was to be 13km, mostly uphill, to the small village Otivar. We would pass through Jete en route.
Here is today’s video to give you an idea of what the riding was like on the Cosapta Tropical.
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We missed the turnoff to our accommodation on the first go, so we back tracked as soon as noticed we had gone too far. Then, we wove our way down the precipitous lanes until we could ride no further and from there, we carried the bikes down stairs the rest of the way to the Villa Otivar.
We accessed our beautiful suite with a key from a lockbox and after dropping our gear, were ready for a post-ride beer so I inquired via WhatsApp. The reply came that Dave would drop by with some cold ones in about half an hour. In the interim, Dave’s neighbour came to say hello and gave us some delicious tangerines to hold us over. What a nice welcome!
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The recommended restaurant for dinner was a half a km walk up the hill, so after a snooze and a shower, we headed off up the hill for a delicious dinner. Tomorrow we finish the climb and we may even see some goats!
Today's ride: 41 km (25 miles)
Total: 348 km (216 miles)
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Terry is very smitten with David’s Go-pro videos, & is quite enjoying them!
6 months ago