Andalucía and southern Portugal, May 2023

[Phil Magill]

I had decided to go for a tour of southern Portugal And Andalucia , Spain, but my holidays are limited and the thought of spending 27 hours on a ferry from Ireland to northern Spain didn’t excite me, I’m not a great sailor and bobbing around on the Bay of Biscay would be pure torture.

So a call to https://www.overlanders.ie/ and I got my bike booked onto their truck to take my bike to Faro Portugal to pick it up at a storage facility on Sat 13th May.

I know I’m going to get a roasting here for not riding my bike to Portugal but I could only get 16 days off work but shipping the bike is by far the easiest way to get to where I wanted to go.

To ship the bike to Faro cost €725 return to Ireland, the ferry from Rosslare to Bilbao for me, the bike and a cabin was going to cost €784, this is a 27hr sailing each way.

Also it cost £150 for a return flight from Belfast to Faro, which was a 3hr flight.



The bike had to be at Overlanders the week before pick up to be loaded onto the truck.

I had booked the flight to Faro that would arrive around 2pm on Friday 12th and a hotel near to the airport to stay that night and pick up the bike the next morning.

However a few days before the flight the airline had changed the take off time to 5-40am which would get me to Faro at 9am. Oh well possibly a wander around downtown Faro was on the cards.

The roads going over hills north of Faro looked interesting.

Day 1. 12th May.

Arrived at Faro and I was out of the airport at 9am, too early to go to the hotel just up the road, so I called the storage facility on the off chance that the bikes had been delivered and that I could pick it up.



Well the answer was yes and that their driver would pick me up and take me to the storage compound in 15 minutes and the bike would be sitting out and ready to go.



While I was waiting I had a look at my map and decided to go to the town of Mertola to kill a few hours. I set the satnav to go a winding route.

The roads the satnav took me were first class, great surface, very scenic and very little traffic once you got out into the country side.

A lot of these roadside shrines around.

The walled town of Mertola.

After stopping for a snack I headed back to the hotel in Faro.

And I spent a bit of time relaxing in the swimming pool, it was a really hot day.

A nice hotel for €70 per night, room only, 500m from the airport.



To one side of the hotel there is a bar / restaurant and on the other side there is a large supermarket.

 

[Phil Magill]

Day 2. 13th May.



Today I will be travelling east to the Andalucía region of Spain.

It was mostly motorway with some nice twisty roads from Seville to get to my destination of Ronda for a few nights.



The 2* Hotel Berlanga.

A small family owned hotel, where very little English is spoken, it’s clean and the bed was comfortable and the bar & restaurant is very popular with the locals, serving reasonably priced local food.

You can park your bike at the front of the hotel, however the entrance is usually blocked by parked cars, it’s a very busy road during the day.

However the lane at the side of the hotel has a number of small industrial units and the hotel has one which it uses for secure parking which is €4 per day for a bike.

Cost of this hotel was €40 per night for room only + €4 for parking.

It’s on the outskirts of Ronda in a industrial estate which is a 15 minute walk into the center of the old town.

Also there is a large supermarket behind the hotel.



Once I had settled into my room and got changed into more appropriate holiday clothing I went for an evening stroll towards Ronda old town, the hotel receptionist gave me some basic directions to follow and a copy of the town map.



The walk into town was a gentle stroll, with a lot of locals milling around the town some dressed in old traditional clothing, I later found out that there was a religious festival that weekend.



The old town has some lovely old architecture.

And the Police have some fine looking horses.

Ronda old town is built on top of a high hill.

With nice arches.

As a street performer this guy didn’t do much, just moved his limbs occasionally very slowly although fair play to the guy sitting there all day in 30c temperatures.

I love the views of these old towns

 

[Phil Magill]

Day 3. 14th May.



Today was another leisurely stroll around Ronda, the old town was packed with lots of people viewing the religious procession through the town.



Nice shiney cobblestones.

As I was walking down this street I came across 2 German bikers riding Ducati Multistradas, they were going up the hill but were having trouble getting their back tyres to grip onto the smooth cobblestones, the rear wheels were just spinning and they were having some problems getting their bikes turned on the steep gradient, so I helped to push the bikes so that they could get turned.

]

I have huge admiration for the people who carried this religious icon around the streets up and down some very steep gradients for a few hours.

Later on I came across this street performer, who I thought was so good that I sat for about 30 minutes listening to his music.

 

[siwhite]

Nice report - thanks!

 

[Phil Magill]

Day 4. 15th May.



Friends had advised me that the A397 from Ronda to Marbella was a good biking road.

And indeed it was, many bends and a great road surface, however I feel it’s a road that needs to be enjoyed really early in the morning because of the number of trucks and camper vans.



Before reaching Marbella I put a destination of a small village in the mountains to the north and set the satnav to take a winding route.

It took me through a very expensive looking residential area just north of Marbella then along some lovely winding roads with next to no traffic into the mountains.

A lovely single track road over the ridge of some hills then the tarmac stopped for about 10km then reappeared again but lovely scenery all around.

This is a large reservoir which has a very low level of water, locals told me that there hasn’t been any rain since November 2022.

I will pass a lot of reservoirs with very low levels during this trip in Spain.

I have a stop in the small village of El Chorro for a snack, a lovely little place.

 

[Phil Magill]

Day 5 16th May.



Time to move on, whilst traveling along I happened to spot this stunning looking town on the hill, with a beautiful church, the town of Olvera.

I decided to stay 2 nights at this little Hostal, El Cruse in Ardales, a basic, clean and comfortable room for €30 per night. The hotel has a bar and restaurant serving local dishes and there is no English spoken at this hotel. The hotel is on the edge of the village.

Once settled in I decide to have an explore around the village. At the top of the hill there is a fort amongst the trees.

Lovely houses in the village

After much puffing and wheezing I get to the top of the hill and find the fort is closed for renovations.

Still, some lovely views from this vantage point.

And it’s nicely illuminated after sunset.

 

[Wapping]

I know I’m going to get a roasting here for not riding my bike to Portugal but I could only get 16 days off work but shipping the bike is by far the easiest way to get to where I wanted to go….

It makes perfect sense to fly drive.

Gold report. Thank you

 

[timeandtide]

Very enjoyable - thank you!

 

[Phil Magill]

Day 6. 17th May.



Today was an early start, I had booked a guided tour for 9-15am of the Caminito Del Rey https://www.caminitodelrey.info/

It’s a gentle walk of around 10km, the rock formations and scenery are outstanding and I would advise anyone to take the guided tour, €18 well spent.



I parked the bike across from the El Kiosko entrance which is a tunnel leading to a track through the forest to the start point, this is a good 20 minute walk.

Getting to the start point there was around 100 people there already.

You are split into groups of English speakers and Spanish speakers and then into groups of 20 people, introduced to your guide and then you are issued with your hard hat and your intercom receiver and headphones. The groups set off at 10 minute intervals.

Lovely rock formations.

Even a railway line cut through the mountains.

The Kings bridge. Built for King Alphonso XIII to open the first path along this gorge in 1921.

Some history https://www.caminitodelrey.info/en/el-caminito/history

The guide told us that this bush is highly poisonous that grows all around Spain, the Oleander bush, eating one leaf could kill a small child.

Apparently during the Peninsular War of 1808 – 1814 Napoleon’s troops marched into Ronda and the local women made them a hearty stew containing many Oleander bush leaves which caused a lot of French soldiers to die or become very ill.

More jaw dropping rock formations.

The railway line.

The old path below the new path.

Part of the old path.

The end of the walk takes you to El Chorro and a bus will take you back to the start of the walk at El Kiosko with various drop off points along the way. The cost of this bus is €2-50.

I really enjoyed this walk and the tour guide was very informative and answered any questions.

If you are going to do this walk I would strongly advise that you take some water and some snacks and there are no public toilets until you get to El Chorro.

 

[Phil Magill]

Day 7. 18th May.



Time to move north west to Portugal, again a destination was put into the satnav and it was set for a winding route.



Another Spanish reservoir with very low water level.

I travelled along almost traffic free minor roads.

The wind and bird song are the only sounds.

I eventually made my way to Evora in Portugal and got a room in the 3 star Hotel Dom Fernando for €70 per night B&B.

I wasn’t expecting much for the price of this hotel but wow, just outside the wall of the ancient city with a swimming pool, Spa & Wellness center and the breakfast was a eat all you can see buffet which was very good.

Bike parking is on the footpath outside the front of the hotel or a large carpark across the road.

Time for an evening stroll around the old town and find something to eat at one of the many restaurants.

We will see more of this church tomorrow as it houses the Chapel of Bones.

 

[Phil Magill]

Day 8. 19th May.



Today will be a walk around the ancient town of Evora visiting churches and museums.



The Church of Bones.

The remains of up to 5000 people stuck to the walls.

There is a large collection of Nativity scenes and figures from around the world in the attached museum.

This display was carved out of cork.

I sit in the main church and I’m in awe of the architecture and wonder how hundreds of years ago how the tradesmen were able to move and build the large stone work in the columns and the roof.

Remove all the trappings of modern life and you could be back a few centuries.

The Romans even visited here.

Another museum with a lot of religious carvings.

I love the skill of the people who can produce items like this.

The Tax collectors money chests.

And some lovely carving on these two tables.

Although I’m not too impressed by this piece of modern art, just looks like someone’s spilled a tin of paint and tried to clean it up.

The main square in the center of Evora.

A lovely old town with plenty to see and do.

 

[Phil Magill]

Day 9. 20th May.



Time to move on heading north, again another destination entered into the satnav set to a winding route along almost traffic free roads.



I seen a sign for Castelo de Monsaraz so decided to have a look.

Wow. A lovely little walled hilltop village with stunning scenery all around.

The old bullring, don’t think it’s been used for a long time.

Finally stopped in the hillside village of Manteigas at the SerraVale – House & Nature, http://serravale.pt/home/ a lovely old converted barn for €60 B&B per night with the breakfast consisting of all locally produced items.



The owner Elsa greeted me like a long lost friend and told me to put her phone number into my phone, telling me if I ever need help anywhere in Portugal to give her a call and she would try to sort things out. Wow.

During my time here Elsa was very helpful to me and the other guests, this area has many trails for walking and nature, Elsa would advise where to go depending on the expected weather conditions and for places to visit.



Even had my own entrance into the building.

The downside of parking my bike here was the sap dripping off the tree.

The view from the garden.

The view after sunset.

 

[Phil Magill]

Day 10. 21st May.



Today I will be exploring some of the twisty roads around the Serra Da Estrela, Elsa told me that the glacier road was still closed due to a large forest fire in 2022 so I would have to go up over the mountain on the twisty roads, Ho Hum.

Above Manteigas, you can see how close the forest fire in 2022 came to the village, Elsa told me that everyone was terrified and that every able bodied person helped to fight the fire.

Looks like I could be in for some rain.

Get to the old cold war radar - listening station and there is lots of bikes and cars, lovely road to get here though.

I liked the look of this Guzzi.

Just after this video torrential rain fell and I had to take shelter in the tacky gift shops for around 30 minutes.

Decided to move on and ride some of the brilliant twisty roads lower down in the area.

 

[Oldrat]

Great trip report Phil, and nicely put together.
I’m looking forward to the next instalment

 

[Phil Magill]

Day 11. 22nd May.



I awoke this morning to torrential rain but waited until 12-30 to see if it would ease off, went out for an hour or so but it still pissed down and visibility was poor, so returned to the B&B and had a long conversation about life and stuff, over several cups of coffee with Elsa.





Day 12. 23rd May.



Time to start moving south again, the weather had dried up and it was nice and cool.

Again the satnav was asked to take me on a winding route through lovely countryside on traffic free roads.



More evidence of the 2022 forest fire.

The route took me along roads along the border with Spain, crossing back and forth several times.



I stopped off here for a snack over looking the hydro electric dam at Alcantara, Spain.

The old roman bridge at Alcantara.

Eventually made it to my 1 bed apartment, Casas da Saibreira, about 3km from the center of Elvas, Portugal.

A compact, clean and comfortable apartment with full cooking facilities for €50 per night.

The owners house next door. No English spoken here. Isn’t Google Translate a great invention.

 

[Phil Magill]

Day 13. 24th May.



Elvas is just across the border from Badajoz Spain and a history of being attacked many times and these forts were a line of defence from the Spanish.



Some History.

“Guarding the key border crossing between Portugal’s capital Lisbon and Spain’s capital Madrid, in an undulating, riverine landscape, the Garrison Town of Elvas was fortified extensively from the 17th to the 19th centuries to become the largest bulwarked dry ditch system in the world, with outlying forts built on surrounding hills to accommodate the changing needs of defensive warfare.

The town was supplied with water by the 7km-long Amoreira Aqueduct, built in the late 16th and early 17th centuries and a key feature enabling the stronghold to withstand a lengthy siege. Within the walls, the town contains extensive barracks and other military buildings, as well as churches and monasteries, some adapted to military functions. The property includes seven components: the Historic Centre, the Amoreira Aqueduct, the Fort of Santa Luzia, and the covered way linking it to the Historic Centre, the Fort of Graça, and the Fortlets of São Mamede, São Pedro and São Domingos.

The historic centre with its castle, remnant walls and civil and religious buildings demonstrate the development of Elvas as three successive walled towns from the 10th to the 14th century and its subsequent incorporation into the major fortification works of the Portuguese War of the Restoration period (1641-68), when a wide range of military buildings were built for its role as a garrison town.

The bulwarked fortifications of the town and the outlying Fort of Santa Luzia and Graça and fortlets of São Mamede, São Pedro and São Domingos reflect the evolution of the Dutch system of fortification into an outstanding dry-ditch defence system.

These surviving fortifications were begun in 1643 and comprise twelve forts inserted in an irregular polygon, roughly centred on the castle and making use of a landscape of hills. The bulwarks are battered, surrounded by a dry ditch and counterscarp and further protected by a number of ravelins. The fortifications were designed by the Dutch Jesuit Cosmander, based on the treaties of fortification engineer Samuel Marolois, whose work together with that of Simon Stevin and Adam Fritach launched the Dutch school of fortification worldwide. Cosmander applied the geometric theory of Marolois to the irregular topography of Elvas, to produce a defensive system considered a masterpiece of its time.

In the 18th century the Fort of Graça was constructed in response to the development of longer-range artillery, as well as four fortlets to the west.

As the remains of an enormous war fortress, Elvas is exceptional as a military landscape with visual and functional relationships between its fortifications, representing developments in military architecture and technology drawn from Dutch, Italian, French and English military theory and practice. Elvas is an outstanding demonstration of Portugal’s desire for land and autonomy, and the universal aspirations of European nation States in the 16th-17th centuries.”

On the top of a steep hill the narrow gateway and the thick walls would make it very hard to over run.

The Governor’s residence at the very top of the fort has 360 degree view of the landscape.

The narrow gate with a drawbridge leads to a maze of corridors with interconnecting rooms to make a formidable defensive position.

If the enemy do get in then the overhead defensive position covers all the corridors.

They must have been really skinny soldiers to get through that opening to get onto the ramparts.

With very steep stairs to get up.

The Governor’s residence at the very top.

Views across to the walled town of Elvas.

And the aqueduct that supplied the town with water.

A model of the fort made from matchsticks.

Moved to have a look at the smaller fort on the other side of Elvas, Saint Luzia fort.

The fort had all the modern conveniences.

A view to the larger fort overlooking the town of Elvas.

 

[Phil Magill]

Day 14. 25th May.



I wake up to a lovely sunny morning, so for breakfast I walked to the supermarket not very far away and I was amused by the contraption displaying the bread rolls and other baked goods.

A great invention to stop people from fondling the baked goods and putting them back into the display, as you regularly see people doing in supermarkets.



After breakfast I walked into Elvas for a look around, a lovely little town, not at all a tourist trap, the place was very well looked after.

A nice fountain dedicated to the Fire Service.

And a closer look at the aqueduct that supplied the town during it’s many sieges.

The drawbridge gate into the old town.

I’d seen on Google maps that there was a military museum in the town and seen these old armoured cars.

But as I was taking these photos a chap in military uniform stopped me from taking any more photos because it was in the area of a active military base and also told that the museum which is inside the gate to the base was closed, oh well.



The town has a lot of nice old buildings.

I took this photo and didn’t realise at the time that the pattern of the cobble stones in the square had a 3D effect.

The original Elvas castle.

Spent most of the day just mooching around the back streets and little shops, all very nice.



Back at the apartment and it was time for a coffee and some pastries.

 

[Phil Magill]

Day 15. 26th May.



The last full day of this trip, which was a meandering route back to the hotel that I stayed in on the first night to sort out my luggage and wash the bike to return to the storage facility in the morning.

When I booked into the hotel I found out that the Portuguese Easyjet cabin crew had gone on strike and a lot of flights were canceled, but after a look on the Easyjet app I was pleased to see that my flight home would be leaving as normal because it was crewed by UK cabin crew, Phew.



Day 16. 27th May.



Up at 7am for breakfast, loaded up the bike and took it to the storage facility for 9am, the truck and trailer were already there to start loading up for the return trip to Ireland.

Got a lift to the airport, which was very crowded but the flight left on time and I was back home in just over 3 hours.



I had a great time meandering around the back roads of Andalucia and southern Portugal, the roads were mainly in brilliant condition and had very little traffic on them and some stunning little villages along the way.



Collected the bike from Overlanders the following Saturday.

They have a really smooth operation here and I will no doubt be using them again in the future.

 

[Wapping]

Tiptop report, thank you.

The value in using the fly-drive (saving maybe two days down and two days back or maybe more) is clear to see.

It also shows (as if it were needed) that you don’t need an uber-BMW or a trip to Hilltop (what happened to that craze?) to have a good time.

 

[timeandtide]

Great pics and report - very enjoyable, thanks for posting