. . . 🚶🏿♀️🚶🏼🚶♂️🚶🏿🚶 . . .Walkabout with 5 participants
Ronda and Gibraltar are two beautifully situated cities in southern Spain. Before the lockdown, thousands of people visited these cities every day, by car, bus, train or plane. After the lockdown, we visited the cities again, with less traffic noise than before the lockdown. And we contributed because we were on foot! The track between the two cities is very beautiful with a great variety of landscapes. We were 5 people, and we all enjoyed the Walkabout.
About the monkeys: "Originally from the Atlas Mountains and the Rif Mountains of Morocco, the Barbary macaque population in Gibraltar is the only wild monkey population on the European continent. Although most Barbary monkey populations in Africa are experiencing decline due to hunting and deforestation, the Gibraltar population is increasing. As of 2020, some 300 animals in five troops occupy the Upper Rock area of the Gibraltar Nature Reserve, though they make occasional forays into the town.[...] As they are a tailless species, they are also known locally as Barbary apes or rock apes, despite being classified as monkeys (Macaca sylvanus). The local people simply refer to them as monos (English: monkeys) when conversing in Spanish or Llanito (the local vernacular)." (Wikipedia)
Wednesday, 17 June:
Break in Ronda
View of Ronda. On the left side the cliff with gap of the canyon that divides Ronda in two parts.
Impressive rocks
I like to discover caves.
Sleeping place close to a dry river bed
Thursday:
Napoleon in a river bed of Spain!
Walking through the river bed, sometimes with a bit climbing
Poppies in the river bed
Strange unfinished construction. The water is warm, we are going to swim.
Jean Claude in a cage? No, it's a cattle barrier we have to pass!
Our hiking trails are really varied!
Santolina, helps against inflammations and is beautiful
Mirador del Fraile, a beautiful old display board made of tiles
We find 3 of such old display boards. Mirador de "Cañada Honda"
Mirador de Atajate
View towards Atajate
Abandoned cherries
Sleeping place with view to Benadalid
Friday:
We start the day usually with an "om-circle" in rainbow tradition.
Benalauria in view
Beautiful green area before Benalauria
Benalauria is a beautiful village. In the shops we have to wear masks.
Mirador area recreativa Bailadero
The trail GR-249 is wonderful at the Río Genal
After this source we leave the GR towards south.
We're back at Río Genal, preparing the sleeping place. No mosquitos here.
Saturday:
Here the oak bark is used for the cork production.
Casares in view - and in the background the rock of Gibraltar.
Special rocks behind Casares
Sunday:
The "Baños Romanos de Hedionda", a sulfur source, where already the Romans built a bath.
The water has about 20 degrees. Because of the sulfur it smells like old eggs - no problem!
We hide our backpacks and walk in the dry river bed upwards, to see the special rocks from down.
Climbing into a cave
I walk alone more upwards and find, after some climbing and passing brambles, water to drink.
After the Baños Romanos, we take a beautiful path westwards...
...the "Ruta 11" in the Sierra Utrera.
There is also a cave, "la Cueva Gran Duque" we didn't know about. But it's anyway only accessible with a guide.
Sleeping place, 3km from the coast
Monday:
Aim'jie and I enjoy to walk barefoot along the water. For the other it's very tiring.
Sleeping place at the beach, south of Sotogrande
Tuesday:
A long secluded beach between Sotogrande and Linea de Concepción.
We reach Gibraltar. Everywhere noise.
On the mountains of Gibraltar, we see several monkeys.
After making this photo, Aim'jie is slightly injured in the arm by another monkey. But usually nothing happens if you don't feed them.
The mountain is very green and has some beautiful paths.
We enjoy to sit on top of the rock. We're lucky, there's no wind.
On the southeast side of the rock there's a nice calm path.
At the "Devil's Gap Footpath" we find a mulberry tree. The people are friendly.
Sleeping place, free from monkeys. But the mosquitos and the noise of the birds are bothering us.
Wednesday:
This mosquito doesn't suck blood - but water melon 👍
Last sleeping place at the beach, in Spain again.
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