Steve spent most of Friday at the workshop tidying up, getting the guitar ready to take home and making notes for future reference. Bev did the weekend shopping and went to another great flamenco class. The weekend weather looks hot but we decided to get bus tickets for Malaga on Sunday to use the second part of our excellent value x4 journey passes. Steve went for a dip in the sea but Bev reckoned it’s still too cold. She cooked the rosada for supper, bought earlier from the fresh fish stall, which was delicious while Steve practised some of Albert’s suggestions. Maybe against our better judgement we set out for Nerja by bike on Saturday, 6 April. It was very hot and humid – caused by the return of the ‘Calima’ which brings dust particles from the Sahara. There was no rain this time but very hazy skies and poor air quality. We took the road up over Cerro Gordo again, stopping for a beer at the Mirador then continued down to rejoin the N-340 after the tunnel. This side, the road is in worse condition with ruts and potholes but still a good ride with great views, albeit somewhat hazy, down over the cliffs and gorges on every bend.
The area between Cerro Gordo and Torre Maro is a Parque Natural with several protected beaches. They’re mostly just about accessible via a steep scramble but we continued our ride hoping to find a cafe for late lunch. By the time we reached Maro, it was late afternoon and there was nowhere serving food – we bought ice cream and bananas from a little shop, had coffee at a bar and turned back without riding as far as Nerja. Stayed on the main road and through the tunnel where there’s some excellent long winding downhills on good tarmac (as well as long uphills but the ‘slow’ lane means we’re out of the traffic). It was a pretty exhausting day but an enjoyable challenge: 21 miles and 1600’ of climbing!
We made the early start again on Sunday 7 April, this time in the dark, to catch the 0740 bus from la Herradura getting us into Malaga for 0915. Despite the hazy weather, it was an excellent day out. We climbed the long winding Coracha walkway up to the impressive Gibralfaro Castle, towering 132m. above the city. Now mostly in ruins, it’s a fascinating place to wander round. No longer linked with the Alcazabar we had to retrace our steps down the Coracha to explore the palaces and fortress, parts of which date back to the 11th century. We finished off the day with a fine late lunch and live music at the Kaleido Restaurant on the port catching the bus back at 1750.
Today is our last day at la Herradura and we say cheerio to Stephen, Allesandro and Isaac at the workshop and get everything ready for leaving. Bev goes to her last flamenco class and we’re invited by Andy and Betsy to join an evening ‘gathering’ with Bernd and some of the other German campers. It’s a very convivial way to end our time here, with promises to return and suggestions for places to stop in Portugal from Bernd.