Thursday, 4 February 2010

South-Eastern Spain cycling trip 1: almond blossom and desarollo salvaje

Day 1: Cartagena to Mazarron:

Very early start from Valencia to get train to Mucia and on the Cartagena, fortunately without having to dismantle bike. I had read recently about uncontrolled building not just on coast but some way inland as well, so the rash of hideous villas around Alicante, Elche and in the Huerta de Murcia no surprise. From taking the train this way over 30 years ago I remember the landscape as exotic - looking, oranges, date palms and craggy mountains, but also with a certain messyness to it. It struck me as much the same now but much messier - with the added element of hideous villas seeking to re-define nouveau-riche.

Cartagena: quick turn through old city with its ornate facades, but it was past mid-day and I wanted to push on. The road I took was much more major than I like to ride, but OK, with a hard shoulder. Went inland of the coastal range which lines one of the few undeveloped stretches of coast. All dry-looking but with patches of orange, almond and olive grove, and quite a bit of spring flowers. And still the new villas, which along with the mess of building makes landscape look rather scruffy, past a huge developent called La Hacienda Vieja which was patently neither. Finally got into more mountainous country, over a pass and down to Puerto de Mazarron. Nothing had prepared me for this place: vast sprawls of new houses, some sprouting towers like miniature pagodas, others like witches hats, and all in different colours. It is hidous beyond belief and makes Magalluf look classy. It was a relief to turn inland and pass instead huge greenhouses growing tomatoes, at least its growing food on the land.

Mazarron (7km inland): It seems there was an old town here, at least there are a couple of rather humble churches and some fortifications, but it too has been swallowed by new building. All baffling, as I can´t see anyone much in these buildings and the town seems mainly inhabited by Africans, Moroccans and Latin Americans, the labour of the building boom and the tomato growing.

Found an Ecuadorian-run locutorio with a couple of computers to write up the log. The town itself is really a depressing mess of concrete without any sense of a town as such - nowhere for a paseo, no plaza in the familiar sense, nothing. I was beginning to feel I wasn´t in Spain at all as I know it when I went past the municipal market and saw it was operating, so went inside and found a reassuringly very Spanish market, even if most of the shoppers were migrant workers. Admired the smoked bonito and fresh fish, but just stocked up on oranges and dates for tomorrow´s ride.

Day 2: Mazarron - Velez Blanco.


Leaving the third-world construction site of Mazarron behind, followed roads up a valley where all old building and cultivation seemed abandoned. The odd ruined cortijo surrounded by prickly pear and agave, and abandoned almond orchards. The almonds were to be a constant feature of the landscape throughout this trip, growing in the most dry and desolate spots, right up to around 1,200m in the Betic Cordillera. The current agriculture here close to the coast is greenhouses and fields of vegetables - artichokes, cauliflower, havas, and the people working them all looked like immigrants. When I stopped for a coffee the bar was lined with men (Spanish men, not immigrants who were out doing the grind in the fields and greenhouses), eating men´s food for elevenses: meaty, oily, garlicky concoctions washed down with wine or beer. Felt a bit sheepish ordering a cafe con leche.

Out of that valley, over a pass and down towards Lorca, quite a big place also surrounded by fantastically messy construction, though I assume here not entirely tourist-driven. With its backdrop of arid-looking cliffs it reminded me of aspects of Cairo. Old centre not very big, just a few streets, so after stocking up on provisions (more of those superb oranges) headed on. Gradually through the afternoon left the scruffy, chewedup-looking badlands behind and got into more wooded country and nearer bigger mountains - the Sierra de la Giganta. Reaching the closely settled and cultivated Vega of the same name, Velez Blanco presented an awful prospect to a tired cyclist - ie UP! Finally made it, got myself a very comfortable room and went up to look at the castle - restored and very imposing on a grag above the village. A hard day, 91km and over 1,000m net altitude gain plus another few hundred of up and down.

Day 3: Velez Blanco to Puebla de don Fadrique

Had a good look around Velez Blanco, a town where my mother and I stopped briefly on our trip to Andalucia in 1975. Its nice to be in a place where there seems to be some sense of heritage after the awful mess near the coast.

Took a detour on a dirt track up into Sierra de Maria, involving a bit of pushing, then down to Maria, at 1,200m on edge of altiplano which stretched to next lot of mountains and my destination of Puebla de don Fadrique. Nice ride across plains under a big sky, road bordered with snow markers, passed the tiny and almost deserted village of Cañadas de Cañelpa. Took a detour to photograph some ruined farm buildings and an isolated church near where the mountains rise up at the northern edge of the altiplano.

Puebla de don Fadrique a bit of a wierd place, in the middle of nowhere but astride a relatively major road between Granada and Murcia. From my hotel room I have a fine view of several building sites in various stages of completion.

Day 4: Over the spine of the Cordillera Bética to Nerpio.

Gradual climb out of the almond groves and into pine and encina woods to Puerto del Pinar, at 1,600m the high point of the trip. Left my bike to climb a hill for the view, but all fairly similar to what I could see from the road. La Sagra dominates, at 2,400m significantly higher than anything else around except for the Sierra Nevada, just visable far to the south west. A little further on, turned off towards Nerpio and into La Mancha, and then took another detour off the main road, this time on the bike into what turned out to be the grazing grounds of a very imposing bull. Conscious of my bright red jersey, although I know bovines are supposed to be colour-blind, I edged past it and it fortunately took no notice. More big skies, and a sense of being right on top of the Cordillera Bética.

Road headed down a valley past the odd farm, then at Pedro Andrés entered a gorge, guarded by hilltop tower. By mid-afternoon arrived at Nerpio to find there was a music festival going on - the encuentro de cuadrillas de Nerpio. One group were having a well-lubricated practice session at the place where I waited to get a room, as the staff were frantically serving lunch. Then main event was in the plaza, chairs arranged for the old, of whom of course there were many, space in the middle in front of the stage for dancing. Dancing was for young and old, but very much for those who knew how to - not difficult stuff, but obviously steps to know. But everyone of all ages seemed to be having the most fantastic time, it was great to be there, and the music is so gripping. Really a fantastic piece of luck stumbling upon this event.

Day 5: Day ride from Nerpio via Yetas and Claras

I liked Nerpio, and the Pension El Molino, so much I stayed an extra night and went for a ride minus most of my (greatly reducable) baggage. I went north to se what the country is like and had a really nice but longer (77km) ride than expected. Fantastic area, big, rugged, rather dry, too remote even for the villa rash to have spread - though of course there is building going on, but its more in the nature of re-building village houses and does not clash as horribly with local styles as the suburban villas near the coast.



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