ROUTE 6 (SL-A 41)
RONDA-PARQUE PERIURBANO
Distance: 3,3 km
Level of Difficulty: Low
Type of route: Circular
Mode: On foot or mountain bikeDowload: PDF
- gpx (GPS) & kmz (Google Earth)
This circular route starts in the street ‘Carril Camino del Cuco’ (Track of the Cuckoo’s Way), in the industrial estate ‘El Fuerte’. The Hotel Berlanga in the street ‘Genal’ serves us as a reference point. After leaving various industrial buildings behind on our right the path start to descend, taking us past a builders merchants. The track continues between stone walls that separate it from the cultivated zones, mostly olive groves. We soon meet the railway line and leave the ‘casa del Cuco’ (Cuckoo’s house) behind us on our left. In its gardens we can see large pines, cypresses and palm trees growing. We cross the railway carefully then descend to a flatter zone where we can see another house. We soon pass below a bridge taking us under the Ronda ring road. Once we reach the other side there are various turnings. The first on the left leads to the roadway, we want to take the following one.
From here we have a stupendous view over the valley of the river Guadalcobacín, with the picturesque village of Arriate situated where it rises. On the other side of the valley we can see the long range of hills known as Los Frontones, covered with woods of holm oaks, although some zones have, unfortunately, been devastated by fire. We continue descending following the path to Setenil, passing through a countryside that is typical of Andalucia, where olive groves mix with almond trees and scattered holm oaks, remnants of the original vegetation of this zone. Fig trees grow out from the stone walls at the side of the path accompanied by broom and other smaller plants, offering a colourful spectacle if one does this walk in the spring months.
We leave the Aguadulce estate behind us on our right and arrive at our next point of reference, the entrance to the Majuelo de San Francisco estate. From this point the track is concreted until a little further down where it passes some houses and becomes asphalted. In front of these houses and at the side of the pathway we find the fountain of Don Pedro, with a fig tree growing from the masonry. From here there are tracks leading off towards the estates of El Vicario and El Aguardientero. Our path turns abruptly left here, abandoning the path to Setenil which heads downhill and becomes a dirt track.
We continue past residential estates in a somewhat deforested area. In front of us, on the nearby horizon, we can see the pine trees of the ‘Parque Periurbano de la Dehesa del Mercadillo’ (Suburban Park of the Little Market Pastures). A few metres further on we come to a crossing of paths. The one on the right goes down to the Llano de la Cruz (Plain of the Cross), and the left hand pathway leads uphill, parallel to a wall where a line of high hackberry trees grow. We take the remaining, asphalted track that forms part of the GR-7 E-4 Tarifa-Athens footpath. A few metres further on we can see the Ronda Municipal Equestrian Centre on our left. This, amongst other functions, serves as stables during several months for the studs that are brought to sire many of the mares of the Serrania.
From here onwards we can see the ancient and majestic holm oaks that are scattered throughout the ‘dehesa’ (pasture land) surrounding Ronda. Unfortunately many of these trees were destroyed in a recent fire. When we arrive at the A-374 Ronda-Algodonales road we can see the information panel of the GR-7 and part of the old road, forming a curve that we follow until we come to a wide, earth path that leads us into the Parque Periurbano, a protected area that forms part of the Network of Natural Spaces of the Junta de Andalucia.
We start a gradual uphill climb and on our left we can see the chairs and tables that are set between the oak trees. A little further uphill the track turns right and we pass the Centre for Forestry Defence, where the fire engines and fire brigade are stationed, better known as the ‘bomberos forestales’ (forest firemen). It is pleasing to see that the areas recently reforested with pines and holm oaks are prospering well between the gorse, broom and daphne gnidium. The next section of path takes us around the outside of the pine wood, which, like the rest of the park is property of Ronda town council, although the running and maintenance of the woodland areas is the responsibility of the Consejería de Medio Ambiente (Department of the Environment) of the Junta de Andalucia. Looking west from here we can see Libar mountain range, the most westerly of the Natural Park of the Sierra de Grazalema, as well as the Sierra del Pinar, where we find the peak of Torreón (1,654 m), the highest in the neighbouring province of Cadiz.
In the last stretch of the path the track turns to the left and starts uphill, leading through the pine wood till it reaches the ring road, which is the end point of this route.
