After a day in Doñana National Park we moved on to the Via Verde de la Sierra for a long weekend.
On Thursday, 13 February we set out from the campsite to ride the trail down to el Acebuche then to Matalascañas on the coast. We were a bit disappointed to find so few birds though. The lakes and streams are all so dry compared to our visit two years ago. Riding the gravel/sandy trails was quite challenging in places, but we enjoyed a lovely day out in the sunshine despite the lack of wildlife. Arriving at Matslascañas, a beach resort with the derelict Torre Higuera on the shore, we found the excellent Bar Tabau. A most welcoming waiter responded to Bev’s request for ‘helado’ with an amazing concoction of ice cream, sorbet and fresh strawberries and offered Steve some very good tortillas de camarones. Suitably refreshed, to save our legs and get back before dark, we returned to the campsite along the tarmac road which made the round trip just over 30 miles.
At noon on Friday we left the campsite and retraced our route back to Matalascañas and up the A-483 to Almonte. En route, we stopped to buy a Valentine’s Day palmira at the panaderia in El Rocio and parked up on some waste ground for lunch. Leaving the parking place was a bit problematic as we’d ‘run aground’ in the sand – luckily we carry some so-called traction mats we’ve never used . . . they certainly did the trick and we were off again!
On the main road to Seville we were caught in the roadworks once more, but there’s really no way to avoid them since it’s a major bridge being repaired. At least it was sunny this time as we sat in the traffic jam. We’d planned to follow the scenic route to Arcos de la Frontera, the A-376 to Utera then to Villamartin on the N4 & A-371. It was all very pretty up in the mountains but scouring the various apps for somewhere to stop (on a Friday night), Arcos did not look like the best place to head for. Steve found a tiny place, Coripe which seemed to have some municipal parking so we headed up the amazing winding A-384 & A-8126 into the mountains. Glancing down as we rounded a hairpin bend, Bev noticed camper vans parked up in the valley . . . sure enough, just below Coripe down a dirt track there’s a recreation area where overnight parking is allowed, between the historic Chaparro de la Vega and tiny church. We join several Spanish vans, an English couple and a Dutchman to park up at about 6pm. It’s on a slope but there’s clear skies and silence.
