Feb – 2020 – A few words and lot of pictures…
The endless 2019-2020 UK winter, prompted a change of plan. The Scottish Highlands had been hoped for, but not to spend a week there in poor conditions. With Europe being so accessible and relatively cheap ‘we’ – that being my eldest son ‘Henry’ and my youngest brother ‘Ben’ had a re-think and headed to southern Spain.
The sunlight, warmth and mountain solitude revitalised us all very nicely. The trip was a mix of activities and was made all the more fun by meeting a long-time-no-see cousin ‘Dan’, who was road tripping and kitesurfing around Europe …aka Living the Dream!
The Sierra Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas mountains are a deep and forested range, with an ever-changing landscape around every corner.
Their beauty is eye-searing and not expected for southern Spain!
Here are a few pictures and they don’t show everything, like all the wonderful wildlife, the sharp cold night skies, the snow-capped Sierra Nevada and all the wonderful scents in the air. The riding and the trekking in this region is second to none as well, there is a lovely network of old ‘pilgrims routes’.
The end of the Levardas and the start of the Barossa Gorge
Barrosa Gorge Upper.
Beautifully shaped rocks
Soaring eagles and limestone trails
The Long and Winding Road.
Typical ‘Plateau Refugio’ Rambla Seca (not a place of worship)
Viva La Spania!
Apple Blossom, dusty trails and a lovely bike!
Snow capped Sierra Nevada in the far distance.
Stream side cook spot.
The cliffs and castles of La Iruna
Casa Bicicleta
Refugio Azzaro
Special Refugio!
The endless road – 40km of high altitude dirt road. No trees.
The mighty tree
Edge of the mountains camp spot (Nr El Chorro)
Cazorla town – quite easy to spend a day here exploring.
Barrosa Gorge – biking extreme – surprisingly ridable!
Levarda tunnels – fascinating exploring!
Curious / cheeky bothy fox
There is much more to discover in the Sierra Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas National Park and I am sure I will visit again very soon. I recommend it to you. More info for bike-packing is available on http://www.bikepacking.com.
