Tour of Andalucia - ATS2403

So today we are welcoming our guests but some have arrive a day early in order to take a tour of Malaga. We head out first thing in the morning and our first stop is the Mercado central right in the heart of the city. It's early morning on Saturday so whilst the market is open it is far from full so we can stroll around and take in the sights and smells of this wonderful building that used to serve as a storehouse for the port during the times of the Nazrid dynasty. From the market we head to Calle Larios the main shopping street in Malaga and then we head towards the port through the park alongside the waterfront while taking a quick detour to view the city hall. A quick coffee break is in order now, but we can't stay too long as we have to pass by the bullring on our way up to the Castillo Gibralfaro - the views from up here are amazing! We make our way down into the city centre and head into the Alcazaba, a beautifully restored Muslim palace. Lunchtime calls us to the Plaza Merced which is also where Pablo Picasso, the citys most famous son, was born. We have a delicious lunch of some mixed tapas and want to stay longer but time is passing us by so we have to leave. There is a huge queue to enter the Picasso Museum, so we decide to give that a miss and instead head to the Manguita (one armed lady) which is the nickname given to Malaga Cathedral due the one missing tower at the front of the building. The cathedral itself is huge and the decor and detailing inside is totally impressive and has to be seen to be believed and we are just soaking up the atmosphere. Afterwards we have a short walk back to Calle Larios and from there a taxi back to the hotel giving us just enough time to relax for a bit before the welcome briefing.

Well, we really had EVERYTHING today. It's a glorious morning to start as we head out of Malaga. We first head up to the Montes de Malaga, but we take it nice and easy as the roads are still a bit damp from the previous nights rain and there are tar snakes everywhere. We take a quick coffee in Colmenar and then start to head back towards the coast again. It has warmed up nicely now, the roads are dry and we can have a little more fun. We are making good progress and make a reasonably early stop for lunch on the coast just before Nerja - so far so good. After lunch group one group is taking a slightly longer route while the group two takes a quicker route to arrive earlier in Granada to try and see something of the Alhambra. We can see already dark clouds in the mountains and group one does it's best skirting along the coast trying to keep ahead of the rain, but eventually we stop to put on our raingear. Shortly afterwards the heavens open and we can see and hear the thunder and lightning and all of a sudden the road is covered with hail and there are torrents of water cascading down from the mountainside. We stop for gas and shelter but then in the distance can see blue skies so head out and it turns into a glorious afternoons ride through the mountains, only dampened by another torrential downpour of hail shortly before we reach Granada. Group two went from the lunch spot along the coast to the turn off into the mountains accompanied by dark looming thunder clouds on the mountain side and bits of sunshine coming through over the ocean. At the turn we could hear the rumbling in the distance and decided to wait a little for the worst to pass. So when we did head into the hills the roads were soaked but we only had some light showers. Enjoying the panorama we didn't expect much when unfortunately one of the bikes diced it had enough. We only lost time and managed the situation very well as a team. However, in the end the rain got us just before Granada, which meant we had simply had to endure it a little knowing the destination was not far. In the end we only arrived at the hotel a few minutes before group one! We all arrived safely and still have time to take a nice warming shower and freshen up before we head into Granada for dinner.

After a hearty and delicious breakfast, where everyone could feast to their heart's content, we gathered for the exciting welcome briefing, which was the prelude to our day's stage. Afterwards, one part of the group, accompanied by our tour guide Maik, set off up into the majestic heights of the Sierra Nevada. The other group, on the other hand, headed west with tour guide William, where breathtaking landscapes and unforgettable experiences awaited them. Although the temperatures at this time of year were not quite what we are used to in Andalusia and the air was a little fresher, we were lucky that it stayed dry. The weather was simply ideal for an exciting motorcycling experience - the perfect opportunity to enjoy the roads and breathtaking nature to the full.

What an adventures ride we had today! But let's start from the beginning. The weather forecast wasn't great and so we had 4 riders who decided to go straight to the hotel in Arcos and to enjoy the day in the picturesque town. The rest faced the odds and made their way into the mountains. By the time we climbed up El Torcal a light rain had turned into a full on thunderstorm. We took cover under the roof of the visitor center and had a little look around. The question came up once more if we should under these circumstances go straight to the main road heading for our destination. But our group was still in high spirits and wanted to keep going. So, off we went and here is were the adventure came into play. We faced streams running over and on the road, stones and earth were washed onto the tarmac to a point were local farmers came out in force to do their best to clear the road and from above we could witness some impressive lightning display. This was exciting and everyone rose to the occasion. And I am sure our adventure bikes didn't mind a bit of dirt either. However, this all took time and we made very little progress and in the end we decided to go back the way we came to join the mainroad. I am sure we would have made it through the mountains but nobody knows at what time we would have reached the hotel. Additionally, everyone had a good test of their rain gear, with better and worse results. Most impressive was when Betsy turned her brand new BMW boots upside down and a gush off water came out! On the whole it was a tough day, but it was also a great story and we do have the photos to prove it!

Well the DANA (Detached Atlantic North Airflow) that is currently sitting over the southern half of Spain continues to wreak havoc across the area. The forecast today is again grim with the afternoon scheduled for very heavy rain. The group decides to try and minimise our exposure to this so we wait until the rain has subsided a little and then head directly to Ronda. We arrive after about 1.5 hours of wet riding but we have some luck - we can park directly at the hotel and do not have to walk from a nearby public car park. We are again lucky as most of the rooms are available so we can shower and warm up a little. In the afternoon we head into Ronda and manage a little sightseeing and some nice tapas for lunch.

So Dana continues to plague is but seems to be slowly receding. It is still raining this morning but 7 brave souls decide to venture out on a ride to Gibraltar. We head down towards Marbella and then across to Gibraltar with rain accompanying us most of the way. We cross the border and park up and it has finally stopped raining. We take a minibus tour around the rock with Malcolm (very english sounding name) driving us around and providing some commentary and history whilst also being very entertaining especially with the barbary apes (he let one steer the minibus!) It's all over far too soon bust it's good because we still have to get back to Ronda. It has stayed dry so we decide to cut back across country after gassing up and fixing a puncture in John's tyre! It ends up being a great ride across the mountains and we don't see a drop of rain and we even manage to dry out on the way back. It was a great day out and at the end of it big smiles all round :-)

Everything has to come to an end at one point and so we started for our last day of riding. Finally, we had the weather gods on our side and ventured off into the hills around Ronda heading towards the coast. We had a fabulous dry and twisty run that couldn't have been more fun. It took us all the way to Estepona, only for a short time coming down the mountains we had to tackle a bit of fog. And because this was great we did head back towards Ronda on another winding road through the hilly scenery. Just before Ronda we went for a little lunch and with new strength we on our last stretch south east to Malaga. We could enjoy some more curves and switchbacks before we hit the motorway into the city. Due to the extreme and unusual weather we encounter this week our riding trip was a mixed experience, but I like to point out that the spirit of the group was unbroken. Everyone made the best out of the situation, many rose to the occasion and riding in this heavy rain definitely broadened our skill set as a rider. We hope we will see you again at another tour. Safe travels home! Will, Maik and Franzi