The Trip
I (Peter) will start my cycle from Faro to Alicante in May '23. Leaving Faro airport , the trip will see me cycling towards the Spanish border. Once in Spain, I will follow mainly a coastal route taking in cities like Huelva and Seville
From Seville, I will head inland and start climbing gradually towards Granada taking in towns like Arcos de La Frontera, Ronda, El Chorro, Montefrio,....
Visiting natural parks and monuments, I will climb high into the Sierra Nevada visiting the many white-washed towns.
From Almeria, I will follow a coastal route towards Cartagena, a city i wanted to visit for a long time.
From Seville, I will head inland and start climbing gradually towards Granada taking in towns like Arcos de La Frontera, Ronda, El Chorro, Montefrio,....
Visiting natural parks and monuments, I will climb high into the Sierra Nevada visiting the many white-washed towns.
From Almeria, I will follow a coastal route towards Cartagena, a city i wanted to visit for a long time.
The Stages
Day# 1 (30 Apr '23): Faro Airport to Monto Gordo (64.16 km - 247m elevation gain)
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Day# 1 is arrival day in Faro.
It will be my first decent cycle in 2023, so I am really excited about getting back on the bike. I have decided to take my first trip on the "easy" side to get back used to the daily distance. With more adventures planned later in the year, this is almost seen as a training. As my plane arrives around 12pm and i need to prep my bike, my first day will only see me cycle 65km. I will visit coastal towns like Olhao and Tavira with as end destination Monto Gordo. As a youngster, we stayed one Christmas in the Vasco de Gamma hotel in Monto Gordo, this time around I have decided to stay there again. |
Day# 2 (1 May '23): Monto gordo to Aznalcazar (141km - 652m elevation gain)
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On day# 2, I will leave Monto Gordo behind and cycle to Vila real de Santo Antonio where I will take the ferry across the Guadiana.
Cycling towards Huelva along mainly flat country roads, I will visit the town of Niebla where I will visit Castillo de Niebla. Taking a detour, I will also visit El Rocio, a small beautiful village which during the El Rocio pilgrimage attracts nearly a million people from across Andalucia and from across Spain. |
Day# 3 (2nd May '23): Aznalcazar - Arcos de la frontera (134.91 km - 695m elevation gain)
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Leaving Pilas behind me, first stop is Seville where I will visit El Arenal and Parque Maria Luisa.
After lunch, i will cycle through the flatlands towards Arcos de la Frontera. Although flat, I am expecting this to be a difficult section during the trip solely because of the heat and the lack of shadow. Arcos de la Frontera is my end destination for the day. One of Andalucia's most dramatically positioned white villages, the town balances atop a rocky ridge, its houses balancing on the cliff face which plunges down to the river below. |
Day# 4 (03rd May '23): Arcos de la Frontera to Ronda (107 km - 2607m elevation gain)
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The cycle from Arcos de la Frontera to Ronda will be a spectacular stage. From El Bosque, I will head into the Parque Natural Sierra de Grazelema.
The area has one of the largest colonies of Griffon vultures in Europe. The highest point of the day will be Puerto del Boyar which with its 1103 meters will be a fun climb. From Grazalema, i will be heading towards Setenil de las Bodegas, famous for its famous for its dwellings built into rock overhangs above the Río Guadalporcún. End destination is Ronda where I will visit some of the towns tourist locations |
Day# 5 (04th May '23): Ronda to Antequerra (109.73 km - 2324 m elevation gain)
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Another though cycle will see me climbing towards towns like El Burgo and El CHorro.
The latter one is famous for one of the worlds most spectacular walks , the Caminito del Rey. El Chorro is also a rock-climbers paradise where many climb the surrounding cliff faces. Leaving El Chorro behind, next stop is the spectacular Parque Natural Torcal de Antequera. Declared a World Heritage Site by unesco, this unique natural site has spectacular rock formations. End destination of the day is Antequera. |
Day# 6 (05th Jun '23): Antequerra to Priego de Cordoba (89.1 km - 1514m elevation gain)
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Day# 6 is a short day in the saddle where i will visit the beautiful white-washed towns of Iznajar and Priego de Cordoba.
I will cycle through the rolling hills of the Parque Natural de las sierras Subbeticas. For the night, I will stay in an old convent which is now the towns hotel. |
Day# 7 (06th May '23): Priego de Cordoba to Granada (110 km - 1676m elevation gain)
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Day 7 will see me cycling towards Montefrio. Montefrio is internet famous for being selected by National Geographic as a village with one of the top 10 views in the world.
From here it is a quick cycle towards Granada where i will spend the afternoon visiting Alhambra. During the evening, I will enjoy the many tapas on offer. |
Day# 8 (07th May '23): Granada to Laujar de Andarax (122.01 km - 2271m elevation gain)
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First part of the day will see me cycling along the foothills of Sierra nevada towards the town of Guadix.
Guadix is famous for its cave houses. Leaving Guadix behind, I will climb through the Sierra Nevada towards the small town of Laujar de Andarax. In the afternoon, I will cycle over the Puerto de la Ragua which with its 2000m will be the highest point of my trip. |
Day# 9 (08th May '22): Laujar de Andarax to Rodalquilar (119.92km - 1251m elevation gain)
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Day# 9 will see me decending rapidly towards the sea. Taking a detour, i will visit Cabo de Gata . The Cabo de Gata-Níjar National Park is a natural park located in the province of Almería, Spain. It is the largest protected coastal area in Andalusia. (https://www.cabogataalmeria.com/en)
With stunning beaches and coves, it will be the perfect location to go for a swim and cool down. |
Day# 10 (09th May '23): Rodalquilar to Mojocar (68.76km - 1033m elevation gain)
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Day 10 can almost be seen as a rest day. With a shortish cycle along the coast, i will cycle further through the natural park stopping along the way to go snorkelling and swimming. This area is Europe's only sand and rock desert where annual rainfall is just 200mm. So it will be hot and sunny. The afternoon will be spend cooling down nearby Mojocar. |
Day# 11 (10th May '23): Mojocar to Cartagena (123.36km - 1299m elevation)
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A longer cycle will see me cycling along the coast to Cartagena.
Where I always wanted to visit Cartagena, i am excited visiting this ancient city where i will visit some of the Roman historical buildings,... |
Day# 12 (11th May '23): Cartagena to Mula (109.56km -1677m elevation)
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On Day# 12, I will say goodbye to the coast and head inland wards towards Parque regional de Sierra Espuna, a cycling and hikers paradise.
A good bit of climbing towards the end of the day will test the legs again. |
Day# 13 (12th May '23): Mula to Santa Pola (149.59km - 792m elevation)
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Last day in the saddle will see me cycling through the Sierra de la Abarda towards Santa Pola.
I will also cycle through the fertile valley of the Segura and the flatlands around the coast. |
Day# 13 (13th May '23): Tabarca
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The last day in Spain will see me taking the ferry to Tabarca island where i will spend a couple of hours hiking, swimming,...
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