Andalusia: A Cyclist’s Paradise
The Atlantic Coast Route (EuroVelo 1)
The small historic town of Aracena, about 90 km northwest of Seville, lies in the heart of the Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Arcoche Natural Park. Beneath the high-perched medieval castle lies one of Spain’s most spectacular cave systems. The bike-friendly and beautifully restored convent from 1662 will be our base for a few days. The white villages with their narrow cobblestone streets and the vast meadows dotted with holm oaks, gall oaks, and cork oaks, as well as olive groves and chestnut trees, are typical of this region.
Once the lifeline of a bustling network
The old right-of-way of the Minas de Cala railway line, which was in use from 1905 to 1955, winds its way from the dilapidated station building near the village of Santa Olalla del Cala through the picturesque landscape of the Sierra de Aracena. To our right lies an impressive castle. Between the stacked stone walls, we continue on to the ruins of the Cruce de Vías station. There, we leave the old railway behind for a dirt road through the meadows of the nature park and enter the Sierra Morena, a reserve designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO. The rain has created a fresh green environment with plenty of blossoms. You can hear the bees buzzing and the water cascading down in a stream.
Lead, silver, mercury, and many other metals were once mined in this area. This has caused serious damage to the natural environment. Directly along the route below us lies the gaping, deep wound of the Mina de Teuler quarry. It was closed in 1982, but nature is only very slowly reclaiming the protected area.
Face to face with the world’s most famous pigs
The Dehesa, a unique Mediterranean forest ecosystem, can only be found here. In this beautiful natural setting, the oohs and aahs are endless. The life of the world-famous Iberian pigs is a joy. They can graze freely over a vast area, a far cry from life in the cubicles back home. Their diet consists of the acorns (bellota) from the various species of ancient oak trees in the pastures. Suddenly, we find ourselves face to face with a whole herd of these small black-and-gray animals.
Quiet villages
In the village of Cala, located near the border with Extremadura, there is also a large castle that once served as a defensive stronghold. A small railway cart serves as a reminder of the once-prosperous mining past. During the typical Spanish siesta, the village is completely deserted. At the mines, abandoned since 2010, it still looks as if operations only stopped yesterday. In the tiny village of Corteconcepción, a short distance away, lies the artisanal ham-processing company Jamones Eíriz, dating back to 1842. Here we learn everything about the iconic Iberico ham and, of course, get to taste it. A family member, who lived in the Netherlands for a while, does her best to speak to us in her best Dutch. A lovely way to end our first day.
Heaven on earth?
South of Aracena, near Peña del Hierro, mining has been taking place along the Rio Tinto River for thousands of years. Here, too, nature has not fared well. But every effort is being made to restore the landscape through reforestation. The yellow-red color of the river doesn’t bode well for the water quality. Because the extremely acidic environment here is the closest to that on Mars, NASA also conducts experiments here. We stop for lunch at the beautifully restored Nerva station from 1904, which now houses a restaurant. The accompanying hostel (A Hostel 84) is ideal for cyclists. As evening falls, we realize that it’s not always the beautiful nature that makes our mouths water; the feeling of stepping back in time is also more than fascinating.
The world’s largest open-pit mine
Via the tourist mine station, where you can check in for a 22-kilometer ride along the old mine tracks, we drive past the remains of the massive mining operations that took place here from 1873 to 2001. An old steam locomotive built in England adorns the roundabout near the village of Minas de Rio Tinto. After a short climb, we look out from the mirador at the mining operations that resumed in 2015. Colossal trucks haul away large chunks of rock for further processing.
Remnants of the British presence
Starting in 1880, a separate Victorian-style neighborhood was built in Minas de Rio Tinto for the English engineers and their families, known as the Barrio Inglés. They did not want to mix with the local population and wished to maintain their own lifestyle. The former Presbyterian church has since been beautifully restored. The house known as Casa 21 has been converted into a museum. For those who wish to experience the atmosphere of the past, there are also two lovely accommodations. Unfortunately, however, most of the neighborhood still gives a somewhat dilapidated impression. Nearby is also the museum housed in the old English hospital—which served from 1873 to 1954—that tells the history of mining in this region.
The English Club in Barrio Inglés introduced typical English sports to the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the 19th century, including soccer, tennis, golf, and polo. A small, almost forgotten village that made a big impact. Here, in 1888, a revolt grew into the world’s very first environmental protest. Thousands of miners rose up against low wages and persistent heavy air pollution. They had seen nothing of the promise of a better life. The contrast between the Barrio Inglés and their housing was stark. This demonstration, in which 13 people were killed, led to the founding of an ecological movement ahead of its time.
After exploring the inland, we’ll also explore the coast (EuroVelo 8).
Cádiz, located 100 km south of Seville, is the oldest city in Western Europe. At the km 0 sign of this route, we begin our journey along the coast toward San Fernando. On the kilometer-long path over wooden boardwalks through the dunes, there is sometimes so much sand that we occasionally have to dismount. In the marshland landscape of the Bahía de Cádiz Nature Park, the rising tide flows in with great force.
Getting to Know Flamenco
San Fernando is the birthplace of one of Spain’s most famous flamenco singers, El Camarón de la Isla. In this part of Spain, this music and dance are so deeply ingrained in the culture that they move the locals to tears. As we traverse the beautiful nature park, we wind our way along unpaved paths and brand-new bridges on the EuroVelo. A man searching for shellfish has sunk knee-deep into the mud. Occasionally, we also see that salt is still being harvested here. The pink flamingos scan the shallow water in search of food. We ride along the Rio Iro into Chiclana de la Frontera. After that, the route heads back to the coast.
A stone’s throw from the African continent
On the cape of the same name stands the impressive Trafalgar Lighthouse. The name immediately brings to mind the Bee Gees’ song. The naval battle fought here in 1805 between England and France marked a significant defeat for Napoleon and paved the way for British dominance on the world’s oceans. England’s greatest naval hero, Admiral Nelson, lost his life in this battle. The route takes us further toward Tarifa and Gibraltar. The roads here wind up and down quite a bit. At the Mirador Camarinal, you can almost touch the African coast with the white city of Tangier.
The most beautiful part of our route
High above the Pinada Duna de Bolonia in the El Parque Natural del Estrecho, we have a beautiful view of a sand dune 30 meters high and 200 meters wide. We conclude our journey at the Roman ruins of Baelo Claudia from the 2nd century BC, one of the most important and best-preserved Roman archaeological sites in Andalusia. The sheltered bay was an ideal location for this fishing village, where the famous Roman fish sauce, Garum, was also produced.
Conclusion
Both EuroVelo routes in the Seville area pleasantly surprised us. A great deal is being done to make cycling as safe and enjoyable as possible, including dedicated bike paths. After Seville, we enjoyed the lush green and peaceful Andalusian countryside, the beautifully situated old city of Cádiz, and the rolling route along the Atlantic Ocean and the Strait of Gibraltar with views of Africa. It’s the ideal way to explore southern Andalusia.
Text and Photos: Rens Klaasse
