Grazalema to Ubrique

November 27, 2021

A very short day

Yes, a very short day. But the next place to stay along our planned route is another 60 km with 900+ metres of climbing so we decided a short day would be the preferred option.

It was a lovely ride, though. Very scenic. And we saw more other cyclists today than we’ve seen since we left the coast. First, a group of women getting fitted out at Grazalema Cycling (just down the street from our apartment, then a small group of roadies meeting in the main plaza. Both groups passed us just out of town when we stopped to take photos; the roadies turned towards Zahara and the women (on mountain bikes) went in our direction. We passed them on the climb out of the valley.

Looking back at Grazalema. It’s obvious why the town is so chilly at this time of year; it’s in a north-facing bowl.

Image not found :( — After climbing out of the valley below Grazalema, we turned to ride along the base of this cliff. Nice and warm here!

Some sheep were driven across the road just ahead of us. They had dispersed somewhat by the time got there (it was uphill).

First live pig I’ve seen in Spain! It’s been four weeks since we arrived and so far, I’d only seen hams. Innumerable hams. We’ve seen other livestock, though: sheep, goats, cattle, chickens, turkeys…

More pigs (same farm). Iberian black pigs, I assume.

After Villaluenga del Rosario (where we saw two groups of cyclists gathering), the traffic got significantly heavier. Not too heavy for comfort, but heavy enough that we didn’t want to stop unless there was a place to get off the road. Which there wasn’t. So you’ll have to imagine the great descent to Ubrique or do it yourself someday.

We figure all the traffic is because it’s a sunny Saturday and everyone wants to get outside. We certainly haven’t seen this level of traffic on similar roads in the past few days.

Ubrique is different than the other places we’ve been lately. It’s a real town, not a tourist magnet, or so it seems because there isn’t an “old town” centre. However, it is a gateway to the Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema and famous for leather products. The main through street is lined with leather goods shops and factories but, off that street, the shops cater to people who live here. Its setting is scenic but not the town itself and now that the clouds have rolled in (rain was forecast for this afternoon), we aren’t exploring.

Ubrique..View from our hotel room, looking northeast (the direction we came from).

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Today's ride: 27 km (17 miles)
Total: 1,149 km (714 miles)

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