Cycling along the “White Villages”

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Type of Tour

,


Difficulty Level


Duration

7 days, 6 nights


Departure - Destination

Ronda - El puerto de Santa María


Number of participants

minimum 2 travellers


Price from

740 €

The White Villages

Between the provinces of Málaga and Cádiz, set in dreamy landscapes of interwoven peaks and valleys, you will find the “Pueblos Blancos” (White Villages) of the Ronda and Grazalema Mountains. These villages constitute gems of popular Andalusian architecture, lodged between the deep green of their valleys and the rocky grey of the mountains. Discover a region and a people forged over the ages in these idyllic, hidden spots.

This gentle Pueblos Blancos (White Villages) bike route from Ronda will lead us to the heart of the region, dropping down from the lofty heights of the Ronda Mountains towards the plains of Cadiz to come to rest on the coast, in Puerto de Santa María.

Cycling from Ronda to El Puerto de Santa María

We set out from the ancient city of Ronda (one-time home to writers like Cervantes or the Czech poet Rainer María Rilke) with its gorge, mountains, and famous bullring (Spain’s oldest). From here we will discover many of the “Pueblos Blancos”: Arriate, Setenil de las Bodegas, Torre Alhaquime, Olvera. From there we take the old “Vía Verde” (disused mountain railway – now reconditioned for cycling) to Puerto Serrano. Then to Villamartín and finally Arcos de la Frontera, a whitewashed farmstead set into an impenetrable peak above the Guadalete River, a splendid viewpoint over the Jerez countryside.

Sherry and “dancing horses”

You continue cycling along fields to the city of Jerez de la Frontera with its world famous sherry bodegas and the “dancing” Andalusian horses. During the last stage you cycle on dirt roads through vineyards to El Puerto Santa María, where you can cycle some more kilometres along the marshes, through the pine forest and along the beach of the Park of the Bay of Cadiz.

Fresh fish and Cadiz

El Puerto de Santa María offers fresh fish every day that you can buy fried in a paper bag. From El Puerto de Santa María it is worth to take a boat trip across to the over 4000 year old city of Cadiz, almost completely surrounded by water. There is a lot to see and do in this charming town on the Atlantic coast. Both el Puerto de Sant María and Cadiz are a great place for a wonderful farewell evening, maybe even with flamenco?

 

Ronda, arrival

Ronda, arrival

Whether you come by bus, train or car, you should try to get to this fabulous town as early as possible. Have a stroll, see the oldest bullfight ring of Spain, and the famous "Puente Nuevo" (New Bridge) and take some good wines and tapas.


Ronda - Olvera (36 km)

Ronda – Olvera (36 km)

We leave Ronda heading northwards and make for Setenil de las Bodegas, one of Andalusia's most surprising villages, a focal point of the Cádiz mountains white villages route. The people here made use of the gorge to build their houses. It is one of the finest examples of this type of architecture, which instead of excavating into the rock simply makes use of natural overhang, with the houses developed laterally along the rock face. Lose yourself in the village's intimate corners and tapas bars... We then follow the Trejo River and soon see the village of Olvera in the distance, with its typical church and 12th Century castle atop a hill.


Olvera - Puerto Serrano/Montellano (40/48 km)

Olvera – Puerto Serrano/Montellano (40/48 km)

Olvera was originally to have been a stop on the Jerez-Malaga train line, but the line was never completed and the village went back to its business of producing olive oil. Eventually, new roads removed the need for a railway; now the railway has been given a new lease of life as one of the first Vías Verdes, or greenways (old re-conditioned railway lines), in Spain. You cycle for 36 km along this greenway (no cars), passing the Peñon de Zaframagón (Nature reserve with one of Europes' largest colonies of vultures). You pass through many tunnels (up to 30) - some up to 1 km in length - where lights come on automatically as soon as we enter!  Follow the Guadalete River as far as Puerto Serrano, where the greenway finishes and where you sleep in a bungalow next to the old railway station, now a restaurant. Or you ride to the village Montellano, where you sleep in a 3-star hotel with swimming pool.


Puerto Serrano/Montellano - Arcos de la Frontera (42/50 km)

Puerto Serrano/Montellano – Arcos de la Frontera (42/50 km)

You leave the hotel and follow a narrow country lane, almost a cycle lane, surrounded by gentle rolling hills covered in sunflowers, cotton and vineyards. You will pass the bodega Regantío Viejo and continue on the same road to get finally to the white village of Arcos de la Frontera. This town is situated on cliffs high above a meander in the River Guadalete. This is a typical defensive hill village with cobbled streets leading up to a castle, built in the 15th Century on Moorish foundations. The view from the castle and village is staggering. You will stay in a hotel in the historical centre of Arcos.  


Arcos de la Frontera - Jerez de la Frontera (41 km)

Arcos de la Frontera – Jerez de la Frontera (41 km)

If you booked the 5 days tour, then it finishes here in Arcos after breakfast.  If you want to ride one day extra, to Jerez de la Frontera,  you will leave Arcos de la Frontera  through beautiful landscapes,  pass the small village of Junta de los Ríos and you will follow a country road almost without any traffic until you arrive in the small and lively village La Barca de la Florida, where you can drink & eat something. The last 28 kilometers you will follow a road with a bit more traffic, which will lead you directly to your hotel in the center of Jerez. Your accommodation is in the historical center of Jerez


Jerez de la Frontera - El Puerto de Santa María (27 of 55 km)

Jerez de la Frontera – El Puerto de Santa María (27 of 55 km)

Today you can still visit one of the many sherry bodegas or the Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre, before getting on our bikes for a short tour half tarmac half on trails, between the sherry-vineyards to El Puerto de Santa María. Here we will be able to discover an authentic Andalusia, enjoy its beaches and promenades, taste its wines, tapas and famous seafood... Or continue biking a short and almost flat route through the Bahía de Cádiz:  around 28 km, completely on the flat, passing marshes, salt-flats and Mediterranean pine forests to end up on a beach with the finest of sands. Or, if you do not feel like cycling anymore, you can go by boat to Cádiz and discover this delightful city.


El Puerto de Santa María, fin

El Puerto de Santa María, fin

After breakfast end of the trip. But of course you can still visit a bodega, or ask for an extra night to enjoy the beach, and visit Cádiz!



Accommodation with breakfast

Included

6 nights


Luggage transport

Included

5 days


Information on the trip

Included


Telephone helpline

Included

7 days

Services not included


Bike rental with delivery & collection

Not Included

225€

5 days


Supplement for single occupation

Not Included

160€

6 nights


Transfer to or from airport

Not Included

155€

Optional transfer organised from airport to departure point of tour or from finishing point to airport. Price depends on amount of people using this transfer.


Extra night (charming Hotel in Ronda)

Not Included

62,50€

1 night

Extra night before starting the tour, in double room with breakfast


E-Bike rental with delivery and collection

Not Included

300€

5 days


supplement high season

Not Included

50€

from 15 March to 3 November 2024

Questions about the travel

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