Zuheros sits at the northeast border of the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park, a UNESCO-designated Geopark in the Sierra Subbética range that includes a central limestone massif and characteristic karst-like features such as caves, cliffs, steep hillsides and narrow valleys. In addition to Zuheros, a number of other interesting “white-villages” are found bordering the protected areas of the park, including Cabra, Rute, Iznájar, Luque, and Priego de Córdoba, my destination for today. I had originally planned to follow a route to Priego similar to that ridden by Team Anderson in 2004 and Jacquie and Al in 2021, one which curves around the western edge of the park to Cabra before cutting east through the heart of the park to Priego de Cordoba. It looked to be a stellar route, one enthusiastically endorsed by Scott, but given my weakened condition I opted for a shorter route that skirted the eastern edge of the park, similar to the one taken by Betsy Evans in 2021. I don’t know what I missed on the western route, but my ride today was spectacular.
Before getting to the actual ride, I'd like to comment on the patience of the Andalusians, in particular the drivers. As you may gleaned from your readings thus far, the streets of these wonderful white hill towns are steep, and often so narrow that pedestrians must flatten themselves against the wall should a car approach. When cars traveling these streets need to stop, for a pick-up or delivery perhaps, any tailing car must wait for the task ahead to be completed. I’ve often been behind a line of three or more cars, each waiting patiently while a grandmother, a case of wine, or a sack of garden mulch was delivered to one of the residential or commercial establishments that line the narrow thruways. There is no honking, no admonitions to hurry it along, just a patience that I rarely find in my hurry-up world back in the US. And so I too wait, patiently – after all, when in Rome…
I was loading up Vivien George when this car stopped in the middle of the street to deliver garden supplies to a house down the small alley where my apartment was located
Now back to the ride – another wonderful Andalusian day with blue skies, moderate temperatures, and low-traffic roads through olive groves. I started the morning a bit achy – “flu-like symptoms” that quickly receded as I relished the open road and broad vistas. I’d planned to avoid the ascent into Luque, but the route had a backdoor climb that sneaked up on me and I was soon in the middle of town mingling with tractors. It was the briefest of visits – a couple of photos and then I was off, skirting limestone cliffs, snaking through arroyos, and still entranced by the rolling groves of olive trees that stretched out almost all directions.
Keith AdamsI wonder whether that's a giant mobile "mister" for olive trees? A big tank of water to be gradually blown through what looks like a large fan at the back? Reply to this comment 11 months ago
It was a short ride from Zuheros to Priego de Cordoba, only 18 miles. And though there was climbing, I arrived shortly after one pm and soon thereafter entered my guest house, located on one of the main streets in the old town district. The Andalusian Palace lives up to its name – a large two-story residence whose architectural style was quite similar to the many of the riad palaces I’d seen in Morocco. It was quite opulent inside, with furnishings and accessories purchased over the years by the family patriarch, who had passed away a few years ago. His wife, daughter and son-in-law still live in the residence and have only recently begun to offer rooms to paying overnight guests. The son-in-law Luka was my on-site host who gave me a tour and lots of information on the art of producing award-winning olive oil, which remains the primary family business. They still have some kinks to work out on the art of hosting, but it was a pretty amazing place to stay.
Arrived in Priego de Cordoba and waiting to contact host for early check-in
The benefit of these short-mileage days is not only preserving my energy for the ride (and hopefully recovery), but also arriving at my destination town in time for lunch. I found the restaurant recommended by Sally and Charles, the British couple I’d met on the road, and enjoyed a hearty dish of black rice with calamari and octopus. I even splurged on a couple of scoops of ice cream for desert. Afterwards, I took a very short stroll around town, but skipped the sightseeing in favor of rest and journaling – though I was foiled in the latter effort due to poor internet. It was a bit of an annoyance, but not enough to spoil what had been a great day.
