Ronda | Manifesto

I continued on my way towards Montejaque and went through wide valleys surrounded by mountains. For several hours I walked through vast pasture lands in the midst of hoards of cows and I must admit that every now and then I cast an eye at the area between the hind legs of the animals in order to convince myself that they all had udders and not something completely different that only bulls have 😮 Occasionally I went past very well enclosed fields where large bulls roamed behind fences and sturdy hedges. My guess is that their destiny was to end their days fighting for their lives in some bullfighting arena. The wind was hot and strong and blew in my face all day.

I reached Montejaque in the early afternoon and had a tortilla and a beer and refilled my water vessels. I carried on and soon, at a distance, I saw the characteristic silhouette of the majestic cliff upon which Ronda resides.

The cliff or rock is divided by a deep crack that runs through the city where it creates several magnificent sights and lots of photo opportunities. It still took me a couple of hours before I reached my hotel close to the new bridge in the center of old Ronda.

My room had double doors that led to a large balcony where I could take in the city and it was also an excellent place for hanging my wet laundry to dry.

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.

Manifesto

Tag Archives: Ronda

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