Tarifa
A day-long beach walk
On the Atlantic coast
On fine white sand
Across ocean-carved stone coves
With a hard wind at our backs
Pushing us
To Bolonia
To the Roman city, Baelo Claudio
To the end of our Andalusian trek
To our next long walk
29/05/19
20.8km/56m ascent/55m descent (more…)
El Pelayo
Down a stream
Down a country trail
To the Mediterranean
(once again, after 19 days walking)
Weaving along the coastline
Dipping down to beach coves
Climbing (slightly) to headlands
Passing gun emplacements from past wars
Following old drovers’ paths
To Tarif
Where Atlantic meets Mediterranean
Where Romans, Moors, Christians fought
Where fishers, wind surfers, kite surfers gather
28/05/19
17.3km/269m ascent/495m descent
My postings have fallen behind schedule. But they will come soon!
In the meantime, a quick report is in order.
Today, Gail and I arrived in Bolonia, the final destination in our Andalucian Coast to Coast walk. After 21 days walking, covering 444 kilometers and many thousands of meters climbing and descending (and occasionally falling), we are both so pleased to have successfully completed our most challenging long distance walk yet.
Here’s to a life on two feet! (more…)
Los Barrios
Gently up
Forest Roads
Cork oak forests
Mountain vistas
Gibraltar
Morocco!
A leisurely climb
Then…
One last kilometre
Down through bramble, thicket
All things prickly
Down unmarked slopes
Lost, scratched, bloodied
Then, finally…
El Pelayo
28/05/19
25.5km/575m ascent/350m descent (more…)
Castillo de Castellar
Hard to leave
But…
Down La Calzada
(a Roman road)
Level paths, dirt roads, paved highways
To Venta Juan Carlos
(a rare restaurant meal at lunchtime)
Gently up quiet roads
(Gibraltar is so close)
Steeply down trails
To Los Barrios
26/05/19
26.9km/379m ascent/620m descent (more…)
Castillo de Castellar
A welcome day of rest.
And what a place to veg out. Castillo is, as you might guess, a castle. One that dates back in its present Moorish form to the 13th Century. Positioned high on a hilltop, with Gibraltar clearly visible on the horizon, the castle has been a strategic point for both Muslim and Christian nations, who battled back and forth for control of this Andalucian frontier. Spain’s Catholic forces won the battle in 1492 but the castle retains its early Moorish underpinnings. The tiny village behind the fort is a maze of crooked streets, all white plaster with splashes of colourful flowers everywhere.
The castle itself is now a hotel and, much to our surprise, our ‘superior double room’ turned out to be a three storey suite with the top level being an open turret-cum-patio with 360° views over all of Andalucia as well as Gibraltar and Morocco.
Take a look Gail’s guided video tour (below) or on YouTube at WalkClickMake.
25/05/19 (more…)
Jimena de la Frontera
A cool, shady start
On a long, flat path
(A prairie-dwellers dream walk)
Train tracks to our right
Farmland to our left
Temperature climbs to 27° C
For a modest climb
To Castillo de Castellar
Beautiful
24/05/19
21.8km/339m ascent/197m descent
