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Holiday property to rent in the countryside, white villages and towns

El-Andaluz House Rentals and Sales
Self catering Watermill and village houses in the white village of Grazalema, at the heart of the Parque Natural "Sierra de Grazalema". Stunning country side. Selected houses also for sale

Casa Andaluz
Simply Spanish accommodation in Western Andalucia. Bed and Breakfast, optional vegetarian/vegan meals and spacious comfortable 2 bedroom self-catering apartment in a traditional village house. The white village of El Gastor near Ronda.


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Welcome to the on-line guide to the Sierra de Grazalema, Sierra de las Nieves and los Alcornocales natural park areas.

This web site is part guide, part web log and is designed to help resident and visitor alike find out more about this amazing part of Western Andalucia. From where to walk and cycle to where to eat, sleep and visit.

The White village of Montecorto

The white village of Montecorto with the peak of Lagarin in the background

Below you'll find the latest entries on our blogs with regards to what's happening and when, general observations and day trip reports... Please feel free to leave a comment on any of them, feedback is important to us. If you are after a specific subject then click the individual blogs in the left column or use the search box.

Andalusian River Walk In August PDF Print E-mail
General Nature
Saturday, 11 October 2008 13:43
Iberian water frog in algaeAt the beginning of August, when the heat was turning up towards its maximum for the year, Clive and I decided to walk for a couple of kilometres up one of the smaller river beds within the Sierra de Grazalema natural park to see if any small pools lingered through the summer and just what treasures they would hold, we were more than pleased with the results.


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Andalucian Cycling Experience Las Palomas Challenge Update PDF Print E-mail
Road Cycling
Thursday, 09 October 2008 19:37
AshleySunday 5th October 2008 was a day I'll never forget. As the sun was rising over the lake at Zahara, in the heart of the Grazalema Natural Park, I set off to see how many times I could ride the Category 1 climb up and over Las Palomas in one day. The climb starts below the pretty white village of Zahara de la Sierra at 471metres above sea level and 13 kilometres later you're at the top, some 1357metres above sea level. My circuit, of 39 kilometres, takes me along the lakeside to Zahara, over Las Palomas down into Grazalema before descending back to the lake for the next lap.
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The Andalucian Cycling Experience Las Palomas Challenge PDF Print E-mail
Road Cycling
Thursday, 02 October 2008 00:00

Puerto de Las PalomasThe idea to do this, first struck me about a year ago and keeps coming back to me on a regular basis, especially when I'm riding up said mountain. So, I am now actually going to do it and put my mind at rest, although my body may not entirely appreciate the jesture. October 5th 2008 is the date of the first 'Andalucian Cycling Experience Las Palomas Challenge'. This event started as a personal challenge to see how many times in one day (day light hours only) I, Ashley, could ride up to Puerto de Las Palomas, a category 1 climb in both the 'Vuelta de Andalucia' and 'Vuelta España'. It is on this climb that the local road bike club holds its annual time trial, with my fastest time being 47m 41s, however, this will be a totally different event with endurance being key.

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A walk in the Garganta Verde (Grazalema) PDF Print E-mail
General Observations from the Sierras
Friday, 26 September 2008 18:10
View from the gorge base (Garganta verde)
After recently enjoying a family holiday in the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, Steve has written this article to share his experiences:
As part of our week at the end of August with Clive & Sue (of  The Grazalema Guide and Wildside Holidays) we had permits for a visit to 'La Garganta Verde"' a “must do” for the more adventurous visitors to the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park.
The 'Garganta Verde' is a 400metre deep, limestone gorge with a Griffon Vulture colony at the top, 'La Ermita' a pink cave at the bottom and dramatic landscape at all points in between.

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Zahara- La Playita-The Beach in the Mountains. PDF Print E-mail
Places to Visit
Wednesday, 03 September 2008 11:26

Splashing in the waterIt's another perfect day in paradise, which for me is the Serrania de Ronda and Grazalema Natural Park, with deep blue skies a few fluffy white clouds, the temperatures around 30 degrees and we are off to the beach. Luckily, we do not have to spend over an hour in the car getting to the Costa del Sol, oh no, 10 minutes from Montecorto and Zahara de la Sierra and about 25 minutes from Ronda and Grazalema is 'La Playita' (The little beach) at Arroyomolinos.

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Sierra de Grazalema in August PDF Print E-mail
General Nature
Sunday, 31 August 2008 16:29

River view at Cueva del GatoEven the lightest breeze is appreciated when you are out and about in the sierras during August. We set off with sun cream, hats and plenty of chilled water, even late into the afternoons the sun showed little desire to lower in the sky. The brilliant blue skies could be relied upon to form a beautiful backdrop to most of our images with occasional pure white clouds offering an interesting colour contrast.

 

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Alcalá de los Gazules-El Aljibe Botanic Gardens PDF Print E-mail
Places to Visit
Saturday, 09 August 2008 19:17
Walkway in the Aljibe Botanic GardensPart of a network of Botanic Gardens in Andalusia, aimed at preserving the local endemic flora, ‘El Aljibe’ specialises in the plant-life within the Los Alcornocales Natural Park and the southern tip of Spain. This is a small and informative garden covering about 1 hectare on the western edge of the Los Alcornocales oak forest easily accessed from the newly upgraded A381 dual carriageway. The gardens, which were begun in 2003 and inaugurated in July 2008, are well labelled with information not just about the plants but also the rock structures and terrain that support them.
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Los Alcornocales-Cueva del Tajo de las Figuras PDF Print E-mail
Places to Visit
Saturday, 09 August 2008 13:01
The rock which contains Cueva Tajo de FigurasTo the south west, inside the Los Alcornocales Natural Park there is an outcrop of rock that I doubt would receive a second glance were it not for a small shelter carved out by natural erosion in the rock face. The interior ‘room’ is no more than crouching space for a handful of people but the curved sandstone wall carries an extraordinary number of cave paintings dating back to Neolithic times into the Chalcolithic or Copper Age, (beginning of the Metal Ages).

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Los Alcornocales PDF Print E-mail
Natural Parks
Monday, 04 August 2008 10:53
cork oak treeIn the south west of Andalucia, southern Spain, one might expect to reach dry sandy arid areas given the proximity to the African coast but in contrast to this vision there is an evergreen oak forest which cuts a swathe from north to south covering some 167.767 hectares. The parkland is roughly 35 Km at its widest and around 80 Km from north to south. Most of the land is privately owned and harvests are still taken regularly, the main crop being cork - a spongy bark, which is stripped from oak trees of one species, Quercus suber. This forest, the densest of its type in Iberia, plays an important part in the world market of cork based products.
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Sierra de Grazalema-Zahara de la Sierra PDF Print E-mail
Towns and Villages
Sunday, 03 August 2008 18:07

Moorish Castle at ZaharaZahara de la Sierra which means “Flower” so named due to the abundance of citrus blossoms (azahar) also the village was known for a time as Zahara de los Membrillos (Zahara of the Quinces). It is situated at the foot of the Sierra del Jaralin, the heart of the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park in the extreme north east of the Province of Cádiz. The history of Zahara dates back to prehistoric times with silex (flint) tools used for domestic tasks found in the Garganta and Arena caves. Its origins may be found in the Chalcolithic (second millenium B.C.) or the Neolithic periods, based on the polished hatchets used for agriculture found in the inflow of the Arroyo Bocaleones with the Guadalete River and also the Covatillas Cave.

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Where to Eat

The best places to eat in Western Andalucia!
Restaurant Al Lago, Zahara de la Sierra
A relaxing setting in which to enjoy a leisurely lunch, dinner or innovative tapas. Chef Stefan Crites, who trained in New York for many years, re-interprets some of Spain’s culinary classics with a creative and exotic touch using local organic vegetables, top quality meat and fresh fish from the markets in Cadiz.
Molino Del Puente, Ronda
Beautifully set around an open central fireplace and featuring much of the original mill machinery. In the summer months there is also dining on the riverside terrace.International menu using only the finest of fresh local produce and seafood.

Hotels in the Area

Guest houses, Hotels and b&b's
Cortijo de las Piletas
A country hotel located in the heart of Andalucia. Only 12km. from the picturesque town of Ronda, in the Natural Park of Grazalema, the Cortijo allows visitors to explore a great variety of natural environments, both on the property grounds as well as the surrounding areas.
El Gastor village lodgings
Friendly, relaxed, family run B&B in the beautiful white village (pueblo blanco) of El Gastor in the heart of rural Andalucia, southern Spain. We also have available a fully renovated rustic village house and a separate studio apartment for those who prefer self-catering.

Hotel Molino Del Puente, Ronda
Beautifully renovated 17th century olive mill converted into a small and friendly country hotel. Set in beautiful countryside just 5 minutes from the historic town of Ronda in the heart of rural Andalucia.

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