I made an early start from Ronda and everybody else, both guests and staff, were still asleep. I was instructed the day before to drop my room key in a letterbox by the reception and that I did. Seconds later I realized that I had locked myself in behind a wrought-iron gate that sat between me and the door to the street. The key for the gate was now without reach for me in a locked letterbox. There was a bell though and I rang it a couple of times and could hear it make a muffled sound somewhere deep inside the hotel. After my third attempt a not too happy person, still half asleep, turned up and he opened the gate for me.
I started the day by walking the remaining eight kilometers of stage 6 of the GR-7 that ends in Arriate. There I took the decision to try to make it to Ardales that day a further 32 kilometers ahead, making it a more than 40 kilometer day stage. It was my seventh day on the road and I felt that it was possible to extend the day stages. The wind was still very strong and steady and as usual it insisted on pushing me back instead of helping me to move forward. I walked mostly on roads all day and unfortunately they were quite busy at times and it is not pleasant being shaken again and again by the turbulent air that is brought upon you by trucks and cars, and the sound from the vehicles gets to you and make you tired and irritated.
But, eleven hours after leaving Ronda I reached Ardales and Hotel Restaurante el Cruce that is situated by a bridge over Río Turón. The hotel had everything I needed and after having made the usual preparations I had a shower and a delicious evening meal before calling it a day and taking a well earned rest.
