October 3, 2022
Olvera to Ronda
Long Hills Quiet Highways
We had a wonderful stay at the No. 31 Bed and Breakfast. We were introduced to a great Spanish breakfast tradition this morning too. Tostada con tomates. It is toast drizzled with olive oil, spread with tomatoes and sprinkled with salt. Nom nom! After breakfast we went for a walk to see more of the town.
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We loved our B and B, which was situated on the steepest street in Olvera. In fact, when we were leaving, our host directed us in a way that would avoid the steepest of the steepest street. As it was we coasted down with one foot off the pedal, ready for a quick halt. I had a lovely moment on our way out of town, on a short, steep pitch. Three elderly Spanish men became my personal cheering section. I haven’t a clue what they said, but it was definitely encouragement.
Then came a long descent from Olvera. The views were amazing, but the dusty skies which remained from yesterday’s wind made them less photogenic. We were grateful for the haze to a certain extent. It was hot today and we think it helped somewhat with the temperature. Of course, what goes down must come up, and then we had a long ascent. We saw Torres Alháquime as we rolled through.
We stopped at a pull out for a brief break and noticed that Setenil de Las Bodegas was 1.3 km down a steep hill on a side road, and 1.5 km uphill on the highway, the way we had planned to go. That’s 200 m folks! It felt a bit risky to plunge downhill having just worked our way up, but it was absolutely the right call. We arrived at the top of the town, rather than the bottom. It really gave us an opportunity to see the whole spectacular town, and to have lunch as well.
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What a sight it was! Setenil de Las Bodegas is unusual among the Pueblo Blancos for being situated along a river gorge. It is famous for the houses built into the rocky overhangs and caves. It was a fantastic place to explore and we took our time. Our lunch was at one of the restaurants that is built into the cliffs. The bathroom was a hoot. Rock on three sides and overhead. I tried to take a picture but the room was too tiny.
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Then it was a long, steady climb out of the gorge. The road was lightly travelled and the driver’s were great. Very cautious and respectful around us. We were both commented that fun as the descents were, we knew it meant going back up. Ronda is a hilltop town of course. They weren’t thinking of touring cyclists when they built these towns. It is great for the quads though!
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Our arrival in Ronda was a bit uninspiring, after days in tiny towns and villages that were gorgeous and didn’t have those strips of services to cycle through. Our host yesterday described Ronda as over touristed, but then said there is a reason for that, and soon enough we were in the tourist zone. It is lovely. So many people. We are hearing English for the first time in days, and there are restaurants that open before 9 PM.
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Our hotel, the Hotel San Francisco, had us at hello. The man at the desk saw us, ran out, confirmed we were checking in, and opened an immediately adjacent garage door. Full size floor pump, all the bike tools you could ever want, proper bike racks, a bike stand and (can you believe it) a bike wash station. At that point we really didn’t care about the room…the bikes were happy. As it turns out the room is just fine too. We will take pictures of the bike accommodation before we go.
On our way back to the hotel we had a real treat. Flamenco lessons we could watch through an open window. So loud! So much fun! I was trying to follow along. Not all that successfully I might add. Tomorrow we will do a better explore. We are here for two nights.
Today's ride: 35 km (22 miles)
Total: 1,079 km (670 miles)
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