Nerja to Málaga

November 9, 2022

Finishing the loop

Wow - is it really our last day of cycling? We woke up to another beautiful morning. I can highly recommend the Hostal Tres Soles in Nerja - wouldn’t have minded another night here. We went out for a tostada breakfast near the Balcón de Europa and enjoyed a great view over the Mediterranean. We watched someone having a morning swim on the beach below us.

We packed up and we’re out the door around 10. We recalculated the route in the morning to stick to the coast and eliminate pretty much all the climbing. To do that, we had to pick ‘bike touring’ instead of 'road biking' in Komoot. Most of the day’s riding was along coastal paths. It was very enjoyable.

Not being in a rush, we stopped for freshly-squeezed orange juice, our first of the trip. The sun was out, so we decided that a last swim was in order. There were changing huts right on the beach, and for once, they weren't locked. The outdoor showers had been turned off though.

The next stop was for a not-very-good lunch in a beautiful location. We had their special, which was glorified fish fingers and a iceberg lettuce salad. I'm amazed that we're surrounded by the greenhouses that supply most of Europe's veg, and there's so much iceberg lettuce. Oh well, that's not much of a problem, is it? A fellow was playing electric violin right in front of us at lunch, much to the delight of a table of women near us.

There were a large number of people out biking and walking. Mostly Northern Europeans visiting to enjoy the nice weather, I think. Are they here for the whole winter, or just a vacation? We passed quite a few chock- a-block campsites (aka parking lots) full of vans.

We also passed some more plastic covered greenhouses.

At one point, it looked like we might have to climb a hill. Horrors. But no, there were three cycle-track tunnels for us to pass through!

Our pathway quality today was variable, but never terrible.

We stopped in Malaga for a beer at the same beach restaurant we’d eaten at before starting our trip. Then we got to the hotel without difficulty and we’re delighted to find out bike bags still here. It's also nice to be back to normal sized pillows after the long tubular ones everywhere else.

Today's route was entirely along the sea shore, mostly on paths. Mostly paved, but sometimes not.

Part of the 'mar del plastico'. This area of Andalucia is home to thousands of greenhouses and fields covered in plastic, growing vegetables and flowers to feed the people of Europe.

In some places, it was slow going on the bike path because there were lots of people out walking and enjoying the cafes. We resisted the temptation to drink a glass of cava for less than 2 euros.

We feared we'd need to climb one last hill. But there were tunnels to save us the effort!

This street is named in memory to the people of Canada, in the person of Norman Bethune, for the assistance to people of Malaga fleeing Nationalist forces in February 1937. Up to 50,000 civilians attempted to evacuate the besieged city via the same coastal route we followed today. Many of them were killed.

And one final beer to celebrate completing our loop.

We had dinner at the same tapas place we’d enjoyed last month - Casa Lola. There was a steady lineup of people waiting for a table, but we snagged one pretty quickly. We enjoyed it as much the second time - I had a lamb and cheese bite, as well as roasted eggplant on a baguette, accompanied by a final glass of vermouth. We also ate roasted padrón peppers.

Today's ride: 56 km (35 miles)
Total: 1,222 km (759 miles)

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Rachael AndersonCongratulations!
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9 months ago