A Day in the life of a Llanito: A day in La Sierra

After talking so much about how cold it is and the possibility of snow close to Gibraltar, we decided to go for a drive through the Sierras to enjoy a bit of country life a la Española. The day started a bit earlier than normal for one our friends who came with us on this trip but even though this was the case she still joined us anyway. Our first stop was at a nearby castle in Castellar de la Frontera, where the views from this vantage point are very impressive and the village inside the castle walls is very typical of the area. As you walk through the gate-house of the castle you are transported back in time to a village that has been stuck in time since the medieval times. The narrow streets, full of white washed houses, gives it a very Andalucian feel of time of old, peaceful and tranquil life. Most of the town has been restored to keep the original features of a walled village and many of the houses are for rent as holiday homes.

After enjoying the peace of Castellar, we set off on our way to Ronda which was our final destination with its impressive bridge and vistas - but more on that later. I decided to take the more scenic route and took the road through Cortes De La Frontera. The road is small and winding that creeps up the mountains and offers views which are unparallel in the region. We stopped for lunch just before Cortes, the restaurant is an old floor mill where the stream still flows underneath it and its original water wheel can still be seen under the building. We had a lovely lunch of typical country food of soups, meats and country bread whilst overlooking the valley below us.

We carried on our drive up through the mountains and enjoyed the spectacular mountain scenes under the beautiful Andalucian sun. As we approached Ronda we made a short stop at the site of La Cueva del Gato (the Cave of the Cat). This area has always been a favourite of mine as I have always come to the cave to enjoy picnics at it entrance or taking a plunge in its clear water during the summer months. When I was much younger the only way to reach it was by crossing the river at whichever point you could, as there were no bridges at the time. This would, of course, make it quite difficult sometimes. But a few years ago the area was developed and a bridge was built across it to make the access easier.

Unfortunately 2 years ago the heavy rain made the river flood and it destroyed the bridge and has not been fixed since. Although the bridge collapsed, you can still walk across it as long as the river level is lower - if not, the bridge would be underwater. The area is lovely for picnics and spending summer days on the grass and enjoying the pool of water, in the summer it is also possible to go inside the actual cave with a guide and climbing gear but under no circumstances go into this cave with out a guide or the proper equipment.

When we arrived in Ronda it was very cold and there was even ice on one of the fountains, we went and had coffee at one of the nice cafés in the area with some amazing cakes.

We visited the Tajo which is Ronda’s biggest landmark. The Tajo is a narrow gorge which splits Ronda in two halves the old town to the west and the new town to the east and has a beautiful and magnificent bridge built to connect it.