 Breakfast.
Transfer (20mins.) to the Pradollano
area of the ski resort. Today
we ride westward into an as yet unseen
area of our few days in these mountains.
After crossing through the ski resort
we follow a gradual descending contourline
on dirt trails taking us past countless
gulleys and small streams. The track
commands
views across the steep sided peaks of
the Pico del Tesoro & Trevenque.
The barren high mountain gradually
turns into
a stony landscape studded with broom,
juniper and wild herbs. We stop for
a
picnic lunch at the Cortichuela mountain
refuge and then continue down gradully
joining the old 'Bakers Trail' so called
because it was from this area that
the
bakers in La Zubia collected the juniper
wood that gave their bread its distinctive
flavour. A fast trail winds its way down
into the valley farming town of La
Zubia
where once again we meet up with the
support vehicle. The second part of
the days ride
is a tour of the hills & valleys
around the Alhambra Palace. We ride
up towards
the Generalife gardens and after a coffee
up to the the old fort at the 'Silla
del
Moro' ('the Moors Seat') with impressive
views across the town of Granada and
the
gipsy caves. The trail here winds through
avenues of cypresses & poplars,
the Monastery of Sacramonte dominating
the
skyline. Some of the trail is singletrack
and we take our bikes right into the
famous
Sacromonte Caves district. Here gipsys
still live in caves carved out of the
bare rock & dirt, chimney stacks &
television aerials poking mysteriously
out of the barren hillside. Some caves
are whitewashed and as perfectly equipped
as a modern house with telephone lines
and water services coming to the door!
The days ride ends with a beer in the
bustling Plaza Nueva at the foot of the
Alhambra after riding down the mysterious
Paseo de las Tristes almost unchanged
since the middle ages. Drinks, return
transfer (25min.) & dinner.
SV 30%.
Bakers Trail - 25km. 100% off road.
Alhambra ride - 18km. 20% off road.
Altitude descent: 1,600m.
For more detailed itineraries please
contact
us.
|
