Andalusia Spain

[mgpaulie]

I'm off to Spain on Sunday 3rd May for 5 weeks and with my X Country. Staying near Mijas. The time will be a mix of chilling, biking, beer, sun & sea.
Have been to this area before but other than a few trips to Ronda, I've spent most of the time near the beach, thus I haven't explored anywhere else.

Looking to explore Andalusia and surrounding areas. Any suggestion of biking routes, places to visit?

TIA Paul

 

[wessie]

For routes, Simon Weir put this together for Ride

RiDE-RiDE Guide to Spain & Portugal

The RiDE Guide to Italy features 23 one-day motorcycle tours, three three-day tours and two two-week tours in Italy with route descriptions, google maps and downloadable sat-nav files. Create your perfect Italian motorcycling trip by following our 12-day routes, or make up your own by linking tog

www.ride.co.uk

There is a specific section for Andalusia
https://www.ride.co.uk/routes-content/andalusia

They provide links to Google maps and GPX files to download. All free.

 

[Mzokk]

Grazalema, and the national park its in Loads of good roads. Teba (Castillo de la Estrella), Juzcar (which is now painted blue for the smurfs movie ), Zahara de la Sierra. El Chorro- Caminito del Rey cliff walk if you don't fear heights (or do what I did and watch other eejits doing it from the safety of the road). A bit further afield and you have Granada (Alhambra Palace), the Sierra Nevada National Park and Seville is within sticking distance if you like Cities. Plenty of Moorish and Christian Castles in the area and beautiful well surfaced roads to get there.

 

[Wapping]

Looking to explore Andalusia

Watch out for Spanish bombs.

 

[Posh Pete]

Grazalema, and the national park its in Loads of good roads. Teba (Castillo de la Estrella), Juzcar (which is now painted blue for the smurfs movie ), Zahara de la Sierra. El Chorro- Caminito del Rey cliff walk if you don't fear heights (or do what I did and watch other eejits doing it from the safety of the road). A bit further afield and you have Granada (Alhambra Palace), the Sierra Nevada National Park and Seville is within sticking distance if you like Cities. Plenty of Moorish and Christian Castles in the area and beautiful well surfaced roads to get there.

The Braveheart connection. The real one. Not Wallace or yon Aussie shortarse in the movie. https://www.andaluciamia.com/en/tebas-douglas-days-to-celebrate-the-andalusian-braveheart/

 

[Mr Bean]

The Braveheart connection. The real one. Not Wallace or yon Aussie shortarse in the movie. https://www.andaluciamia.com/en/tebas-douglas-days-to-celebrate-the-andalusian-braveheart/

Stayed with BMW Motohire a couple of times, renting a GS from Teba - think they may stopped now.

Was good at the time - picked up from Malaga, stay in one of their apartments, offered great routes from the guvnor, and his wife was a great cook to boot. Perfect.

 

[Mzokk]

The Braveheart connection. The real one. Not Wallace or yon Aussie shortarse in the movie. https://www.andaluciamia.com/en/tebas-douglas-days-to-celebrate-the-andalusian-braveheart/

Yip there's a Sir James Douglas day on the 25 August every year. All that's left of Douglas castle in Lanarkshire is a bit of the keep.

 

[Mzokk]

I knew I had a photo of the Granite memorial in Teba.

 

[Asturcon]

After 10 years of doing "The Picos" from Cadaques to Vigo (neither of which are them, I know) and, essentially, the top half of Spain from Madrid up, we have decided that 2027's tour will be an Andalusian tour which, suprisingly for me who has a 60 yr history with this country, I know very little about wit regard to biking. So I'll be keeping an eye on this thread for ideas.

What I do know (I have some esperience, it's just not my regular playground) is that we won't be doing it in the first half of September as is the norm, but rather the last week of that month into the first week of October. I also know to be very careful in the mornings if there's any dew or if it's not rained for a while and it's damp or wet. The road surfaces there are very diffent to those of the north, having a treacherous "sheen" to them which does not lend itself well to grip with cold tyres. In those conditions (and especially after first rains) you have to be very cautious even with warm tyres.

Weather has changed a bit lately and we're seeing quite a few storms affecting that area moving earlier into October. So even though the later you go into autumn, the cooler it is, there's ever more risk of being caught in a weather system the deeper into autumn you go. And as you've probably seen in the news in the past year or two, they ain't minor weather systems!

Big EL NIÑO year this year (allegedly) which suppresses Atlantic storms, but the Med gets warmer ever year.

Ultimately the sea to watch is only partly the Atlantic, it's the MED. If it heats up......RUN!

 

[Ectopic]

Andalusia is a huge region (as I'm sure you know).

Sierra de Cazorla is amazing scenery and fantastic twisty roads.

Jaen has a great castle and Parador and all the surrounding roads through endless olive fields are very satisfying..

Cadiz is a great little city but the roads around it aren't particularly exciting in my experience.

The beaches on the Atlantic coast between Cadiz and Portugal are fantastic.

I was underwhelmed by Cordoba, but the Alhambra in Granada is a bucket list destination if you like old architecture and gardens. It'll be amazing in May.

El Torcal de Antequera is a lovely place to visit with walks round a high mountainous area. You can see Africa from the top on a good day, apparently.

For the love of all that is holy, do not agree to do the Caminito del Rey unless you're very comfortable with heights and not concerned with the only thing between you and certain death being some bits of flimsy Meccano and wooden decking that has been through the heat/wet/heat cycle too many times to retain any structural integrity whatsoever. My wife wanted to see it on her 40th birthday so I reluctantly agreed. It makes my pulse race just remembering it now.

 

[Kitsilano]

For the love of all that is holy, do not agree to do the Caminito del Rey unless you're very comfortable with heights and not concerned with the only thing between you and certain death being some bits of flimsy Meccano and wooden decking that has been through the heat/wet/heat cycle too many times to retain any structural integrity whatsoever. My wife wanted to see it on her 40th birthday so I reluctantly agreed. It makes my pulse race just remembering it now.

History
"Built between 1901 and 1905, it originally served as a, passageway for workers and materials between two hydroelectric power plants. In 1921, King Alfonso XIII walked the path to inaugurate the nearby Conde del Guadalhorce dam, leading to its current name. It fell into disrepair in the 1990s and was closed in 2000 after several fatalities."

"Formerly known as one of the world's most dangerous hikes, it was fully restored and reopened in 2015 as a safe, popular tourist attraction."
Key Information for Visitors

• Location: Ardales, Malaga, Spain.
• Safety:
  The restored, safe path features secure boardwalks. Helmets are provided and required.
  • Access/Booking: Essential to book tickets online in advance (often 1–3 months ahead). Tickets are available on the official website.
  • Experience: The walk is linear, not a loop, and takes about 2–3 hours. A shuttle bus usually connects the southern exit back to the northern entrance (parking).
  • Route: Features breathtaking, vertical views of the gorge, a bridge, and stunning scenery.

Plataforma Oficial de reservas Caminito del Rey

Plataforma Oficial de reservas Caminito del Rey. Compra aquí tus entradas para el Caminito del Rey. Aquí puedes encontrar toda la información del Caminito del Rey y su entorno privilegiado.

www.caminitodelrey.info

 

[mgpaulie]

Thanks for all the replies. Enough there for me to pull together some routes, things to see etc.

 

[harry the cat]

Ronda’s worth a visit and the directish run down to the coast from there is full of bends and nice views. I experienced it last from the back of Magnet’s Canam while recovering from a hangover after a certain Cork couples wedding.

And contrary to another poster I rather enjoyed Cordoba. Each to their own I guess.

 

[luke scott]

Grazalema, and the national park its in Loads of good roads. Teba (Castillo de la Estrella), Juzcar (which is now painted blue for the smurfs movie ), Zahara de la Sierra. El Chorro- Caminito del Rey cliff walk if you don't fear heights (or do what I did and watch other eejits doing it from the safety of the road). A bit further afield and you have Granada (Alhambra Palace), the Sierra Nevada National Park and Seville is within sticking distance if you like Cities. Plenty of Moorish and Christian Castles in the area and beautiful well surfaced roads to get there.

I wouldn't be great with heights but the Caminito posed no real problems. The fence makes it really feel safe.

 

[luke scott]

If you want to leave Disneyland Spain behind, then head to Tarifa. Have lunch in the beachside restaurant of the Hurricane hotel just after Tarifa. After Tarifa head for Zahara de los Atunes. The beach is 10 Kms long with white sand.

 

[mgpaulie]

For routes, Simon Weir put this together for Ride

RiDE-RiDE Guide to Spain & Portugal

The RiDE Guide to Italy features 23 one-day motorcycle tours, three three-day tours and two two-week tours in Italy with route descriptions, google maps and downloadable sat-nav files. Create your perfect Italian motorcycling trip by following our 12-day routes, or make up your own by linking tog

www.ride.co.uk

There is a specific section for Andalusia
https://www.ride.co.uk/routes-content/andalusia

They provide links to Google maps and GPX files to download. All free.

Hi Wessie, can see all the info but can't seem t find the downladable routes - any pointers?

 

[siddo]

Hi Wessie, can see all the info but can't seem t find the downladable routes - any pointers?

Click on the area you want to go to and all the gpx routes are there to download.

 

[wessie]

Hi Wessie, can see all the info but can't seem t find the downladable routes - any pointers?

Click through to individual route, scroll down to find links

 

[Lupo]

Caminito ain’t all that bad to do…..worth doing if you are fit enough, the walk from the top car park to the actual suspended bit is quite far so wear comfy shoes.

Also worth a visit: setenil de las bodegas

 

[mgpaulie]

Click through to individual route, scroll down to find links

Thanks Wessie, all sorted. Me just being doh...