Ronda to Ardales

December 3, 2021

Once we escaped Ronda’s bit of urban sprawl, the ride was very nice. The climb over Puerto del Vento and especially the descent into El Burgo were, well maybe not as spectacular as previous rides, but definitely high on the scale. As for weather, there was frost beside the road at higher elevations. We were riding through the Sierra de las Nieves, after all.

Approaching El Burgo, though I think we’ve been in the park for most of the ride so far.

After El Burgo, we were on a minor road that didn’t have a green highlight on my Michelin map. It was still pretty scenic to my eyes.

I didn’t realize Ardales had a (ruined) castle. We discovered later that it’s normally open to visit but currently closed for maintenance.

Our hotel here is at the highway junction just out of but very close to town. It was while searching for accommodation in Ardales that I learned that ether Caminetto del Rey isn’t closed for the season; it’s closed while new owners take over. Sadly it won’t reopen for another couple of weeks.

After a mediocre but cheap menu del dia at our hotel, we cleaned up and walked into the town for a look. I was impressed by this little town. We walked up to the church, beside the castle, and there was a small group in there decorating it for Christmas. I didn’t take any photos because it felt intrusive. Then we saw more town spirit…

Yes, that’s a granny-square Christmas tree.

Maybe the “Mediterranean diet” isn’t the whole story. I think living in a town with streets like this is a big part of it.

This street has great spirit! Those are all handmade decorations.

There’s even a nativity scene. The boy at the far end isn’t real; it’s a life-size mannequin.

It seems this particular street makes a habit of decoration.

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Today's ride: 48 km (30 miles)
Total: 1,356 km (842 miles)

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