Andalucia – 6 Nights White Villages of the Ronda Mountains
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Telephone: +44 (0) 1722 322 652 Email: [email protected] Andalucia – 6 nights White villages of the Ronda Mountains https://www.onfootholidays.co.uk/routes/andalucia/andalucia-6-nights/ page 1/9 Route Summary At a glance Andalucia 6-night version (5 days walking) - with just one night each in Montejaque and Ronda (OK if you can spend a little of the following day exploring the town). How much walking? Full days: 11-15km per day, 4-5 hrs walking. A medium length walk, though Spanish eating habits (supper not before 9pm) mean you can take as long as you need for each day’s walk. Using shortening options: None, except to ride with the luggage Max. Grade: A lovely walk in the still unspoilt mountains to the west of Ronda, culminating in a night in the Moorish cliff-top bastion. The ‘pueblos blancos’ or white villages contain some of Spain’s most distinctive ‘popular’ architecture. Narrow streets of whitewashed houses, most of them with wrought iron ‘rejas’ drop steeply down the hillsides. Your stays in these villages, perched on the slopes for defence, are interspersed with glorious hillside walking through the dramatic limestone scenery of the Grazalema National Park. Ibex, eagles and griffon vultures are there for the spotting. Your walk will take you over wild mountainsides and along lush river valleys to Ronda, scene of some of the last battles of the Reconquista. Your final day is free for you to explore this fascinating town. Route Highlights ● The rugged hills of the Grazalema National Park ● White Villages with traditional “Hostales” ● Flower meadows and mountain pastures ● Ibex, deer and griffon vultures ● The Moorish citadel of Ronda page 2/9 We Recommend Note the option to visit the Cueva (cave) de la Pileta with its extraordinary cave paintings (a walk or a short taxi ride from Benaojan). Previous walkers have happily combined this walk with a trip to Seville (easy access by bus or train) or Granada. Grading Full days: 11-15km per day, 4-5 hrs walking. A medium length walk, though Spanish eating habits (supper not before 9pm) mean you can take as long as you need for each day’s walk. Using shortening options: None, except to ride with the luggage Medium: Although at the top end of the grade, the relatively short daily walks brings this into the range of the average walker. Mainly gentle terrain on marked paths, with occasional scrambles. Highest point on route: 1,350m. Average cumulative uphill stretches (CUSs) 570m per day (530m-780m). GPX file available for handheld GPS or smartphone App for complete route. Important note: Times given for each day are walking times for an “average” walker and exclude stops. “CUSs” stands for “Cumulative Uphill Stretches” and measures the aggregated ascents in each day, expressed in metres of climb. See “Walk Grading” for more information. When to go Please note that the 5- 6- and 7-night versions have a longer winter season than the 8-night variant, which has a different season due to hotel closure. The best months to walk: March, April, May, October Other possible months: September to February Andalucia offers ideal conditions for walking throughout the autumn, spring and winter months when many of our other routes are not available. However, rain can come at any time during the winter months, rendering dry streams impassable and severely thwarting the walking. For best walking conditions try April, when the flowers will be out and the temperatures not too high. Use the calendar below to see in more detail the best times to walk. Please note: date ranges shown are for a 'normal' year. While Covid-19 restrictions remain, please contact us to discuss your plans and availability. page 3/9 Itinerary Day 1 - Arrive in Zahara One of the finest white towns, and a chance to explore its narrow streets and the old castle atop the crag (taxi between Ronda and Zahara included in holiday price). Day 2 - Zahara circuit An easy but memorable first day’s walk, which takes you to the heart of the Sierra. You follow a narrow path up the beautiful valley of the Parralejo stream. There are views into gorges, home to Europe’s largest colony of Griffon Vultures. (Medium: 14 km, 5 hrs, CUSs 520m). Alternative: Stroll around the village, visit the castle and relax! Day 3 - Zahara to Grazalema The day starts along the lake before a hillside track (again with wonderful views) takes you into pine woods to the Gaidovar valley and a final rise up to a viewpoint before dropping down to the area’s most famous white village ( Medium-hard: 15 km, 4½ hrs, CUSs 780m). Alternative (medium) - 3 hrs plus short taxi ride. Day 4 - Grazalema to Benaocáz (or rest day) A morning walk is best along this high ridge to an abandoned farmstead in remote isolation before dropping into Benaocáz - try lunch at one of its terrace restaurants with views towards Ubrique, before getting the afternoon bus back to Grazalema (Medium: 11 km, 4 hrs, CUSs 600m). Alternative - have a look around Grazalema and its surroundings. Day 5 - Grazalema to Montejaque (or Benaoján) A gentle walk in some of the most remote parts of the Grazalema park, through fantastic scenery and quiet meadowland, before arriving at Montejaque, perched on the rocky mountainside over the Guadiaro river valley (15 km, 5 hrs, CUSs 530m). Or why not take an upgrade and continue a little further to the village of Benaoján and spend a night in the Molino del Santo (March to mid-Nov only)? (18 km, 6hrs, CUSs 530m) Day 6 - Montejaque (or Benaoján) to Ronda A varied day of drovers’ paths, with an early prospect of Ronda on its clifftop, and at the end of the day, an entry into the citadel itself. (Medium: 14 km, 4½hrs, CUSs 670m -11km, 3½ hrs, CUSs 670m if staying in Benaoján). Or why not visit La Cueva de la Pileta, a short there-and-back walk from Benaoján to one of the most fascinating underground excursions in Europe. (Easy: 2 hrs, 8 km, CUSs 240m), then train on to Ronda. page 4/9 Travel Information ARRIVING BY AIR The best ‘local’ airports are Seville and Malaga. Intercontinental flights use Madrid (overnight in Madrid advised) then train (c. 2 per day) to Ronda and taxi on to Zahara de la Sierra. Land by: Malaga 14:30; Seville 15:00 for public bus connections. Final stretch from Ronda to Zahara by taxi (included in holiday price) (total c. 2.5 – 4 hrs). Return flight earliest: Malaga 14:00; Seville 15:00 for connections from Ronda (c. 2.5 hrs). Land by/ earliest return flight times not applicable if using pre-booked taxi. Flight information can change rapidly and not all flights run daily. Please do check directly with the airlines’ websites or Skyscanner (see below) before finalising any booking with us. Do not book your flights until we have confirmed that we have provisionally reserved accommodation for you. For up-to-date schedules and flights from all airports check Skyscanner. See “Getting to start” below for transfer information ARRIVING BY TRAIN Nearest railway station: Start: Ronda (pre-bookable taxi to first hotel in Zahara included in price) Finish: Ronda The train journey from Malaga to Ronda is recommended by Guy if your arrival/departure times permit. There is one direct train per day, others will require a change at Bobadilla. Contact On Foot for more details. Sample journey by rail: Via Paris and Madrid: Overnight (not every night) train from Paris Austerlitz to Madrid-Chamartin, easy transfer to Madrid-Puerta de Atocha. (Possible to leave your luggage there, and spend a few hours in Madrid). Take the ‘Altaria’ train to Ronda. ~15 hrs excluding time in Madrid. From Ronda: Reverse of journey above ~15 hrs. We suggest thetrainline.com for times, ticket booking and other information. ARRIVING BY CAR page 5/9 Your car can be left at the start point in the Hotel Los Tadeos car park if staying there. Taxi back at end. No supplement. Getting to the start of the walk The first hotel is in the village of Zahara and the last in the historic town of Ronda. Transfer times and methods are suggested for the three ‘local’ airports below. From Madrid (main train station) allow 4 hours train journey plus local taxi. For train arrival transfers see below. SEVILLE AIRPORT: Outward: Taxi, bus, then taxi – 3 hrs OR pre-booked taxi transfer from Seville airport to the first hotel – 2 hrs. Return: Ronda to Seville airport by bus then taxi – 3 hrs OR pre-booked taxi transfer from Ronda to Seville airport – 2 hrs. MALAGA AIRPORT: Outward: Bus then taxi – allow 4 hrs OR pre-booked taxi transfer from Malaga airport to the first hotel – 2 hrs. Left luggage facilities available at Malaga bus station. Return: Ronda to Malaga airport by bus – 2½ hrs OR pre-booked taxi transfer from Ronda to Malaga airport – 1½ hrs. Transfers from Ronda train station: Outward: Pre-bookable taxi from Ronda to Zahara (included in holiday price) Return: Local taxi from hotel There are left luggage facilities available at Ronda bus station should you arrive early. We recommend the pre-bookable taxi from Ronda to Zahara as buses onto Algodonales are few and far between. For all pre-bookable taxi prices, see “Prices”. Full transfer advice, including timetables, is provided in your Walkers’ Pack. Contact us if you would like additional pre-booking information. page 6/9 Where You'll Stay Mainly small, locally-owned pensions and hotels with a typically Spanish feel.