Andalucia: one town at a time

After a few weeks R&R at Casa Campo de la Luz we found ourselves once again on the move.

Waving goodbye to new friends -and what had become our favourite cake shop- we slid down from the Moorish town of Vejer de la Frontera and cranked our way slowly along the quiet roads of Andalucia; back to days of cycling, camping, and pasta!

Before setting off, places like Medina Sidonia, Arcos de la Frontera and Montilla were nothing more than names on our Michelin map -locations to aim for- and as the kilometres rolled by, we saw, reached, re-supplied and passed through these beautiful hillside settlements of Southern Spain, steeped in history of African conquest and European re-conquest: making for interesting conversations on the bike.

Along the way we’ve met friendly people through the cycling network of warm showers. Generous souls who have let us into their houses like old friends, introducing themselves with a smile, hug, and a welcoming explanation of “ma casa, tu casa” – my house, your house, whilst enduring our (initial) smells, muddy bikes and panniers in their home for a night or two.

The sight of peoples’ faces as we’ve risen up onto the plateau has kept us amused (apparently they don’t get many families cycling through here) and on occasions when we’ve been asked where we’re headed to, it’s been met with raised eye-brows, the sign of the cross, and then laughter..

On the quiet roads traffic has been light. During siesta time non-existent. In the evenings when our day’s travel has wound up, we’ve wild camped among olive trees, beneath crumbling Roman ruins, and on the 1000 metre high central plateau -perfect for stargazing.

The flip side to the plateau’s stunning views are the cold nights and mornings. Not that that’s ever too much trouble so long as the boys keep the fire burning – when they’re not out picking wild lavender or finding scorpions!

But now, after 500 kilometres through Andalucia, we’ve reached our next region, Castilla la Mancha. From here it’s all downhill (well, almost!) as we roll further east towards Valencia…