Andalusia, White villages

Wichtig: Nur englische Routenbeschreibung.

Level of difficulty: ***/ ****
***: Heavy: sloping landscapes dotted with steeper inclines, but not overwhelmingly so, encompass these 35 to 70 km per day.
****: Steep (and sometimes) long slopes. The landscape has a mountainous character. Daily distances to ± 80 km.

A wonderful trip through the heart of Andalusia, taking in the famous white villages north of Ronda. You will cycle through nature reserves filled with reminders of the Moorish past. We have set out two individual trips, one slightly easier (3*) and a more demanding one (4*), with the same stopping places but entirely different routes. You can decide on the spot which variation you will ride, so each day you can choose how difficult your trip will be.

Highlights
- White villages of Andalusia
- Beautiful nature
- Moorish past
 
Start and end point are in the high and spectacularly situated Ronda, whose townscape is protected by UNESCO. You leave the town on quiet roads, climb out of a beautiful river valley, go past a canyon and then ride through cork oak forests to Grazalema. After this first relocation stage, it is very enjoyable to rest on the lovely town square or in the hotel garden with its swimming pool. The 3* route to Olvera is very lovely: you go past the Zahara storage reservoir. The white village of the same name, with its castle ruins, is situated high on a pointed hill. The 4* trip is just as lovely, but totally different and goes via El Bosque. This village does honor to its name: it is right in the middle of extensive forests. A few sections of both trips take in a national cycle path, the Via Verde, that follows an old railway line, climbing gently through tunnels and over bridges.  After Olvera you head for Setenil, an extremely picturesque village tucked away in a narrow village that still has many cave dwellings. The final stage takes the 3* cyclists past holm oaks and olive groves via Ronda la Vieja, a high Roman amphitheater, back to Ronda. The 4* cyclists have a harder time, for there are two long and at times steep passes on the program. They conclude the trip with the Puerto del Viento, the Pass of the Wind. It is a worthy highpoint at 1100 meters before the descent to Ronda.

Program from day to day + km
Day 1. Arrival in Ronda
Day 2. Ronda, round trip, 45/48
Day 3. Ronda - Grazalema, 44/60
Day 4. Grazalema, rest day or day trip, 38/57
Day 5. Grazalema - Olvera, 50/92
Day 6. Olvera - Setenil, 45/65
Day 7. Setenil -  Ronda, 35/69
Day 8. Ronda, departure

1 km  = 0.62 miles