Morocco

December 2023 - March 2024
A 87-day adventure by NattyE & Craig Read more
  • 47footprints
  • 3countries
  • 87days
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  • 4.4kkilometers
  • 1.4kkilometers
  • Day 1–2

    Arnes

    December 14, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 9 °C

    Arnes is a municipality in the comarca of la Terra Alta in Catalonia, Spain.The most noteworthy building of this town is the Town Hall, an example of Catalan Renaissance art. It was built in 1584 by Joan Vilabona of Queretes in nearby Matarranya. There is a raised area with benches close to the church shaded by mulberry trees with views over the Roques de Benet, among other mountains of the Ports de Tortosa-Beseit. Local people like to sit there in the afternoon enjoying the landscape.Read more

  • Day 3–4

    Parque Natural del Cabo de Gata-Níjar

    December 16, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    The Cabo de Gata-Níjar National Park is a natural park located in Almería, Spain. It is the largest protected coastal area in Andalusia featuring a wild and isolated landscape. Spain's southeastern coast, where the park is situated, is the only region in mainland Europe with a hot desert climate.

    A little cycle in the morning to the coast line and lighthouse. Stunning coastline.
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  • Day 4

    Manilva

    December 17, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Manilva is the westernmost municipality in the province. Its lands descend from the lower Genal to the coast and are formed by small hills mainly covered with vineyards.

    The village is located two kilometres from the coast, presided over by the Church of Santa Ana. In addition, there is a second annex nucleus located on the coast, Sabinillas, where the Castle of Sabinillas dating back to the time of Charles III is located. All along the coast, in addition to the extensive beaches, we find other places of interest such as the Duquesa Marina or the Punta Chullera Tower.Read more

  • Day 5

    Cycle Ride to Casares

    December 18, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    This municipality is located on a hill between the Serranía de Ronda, the Costa del Sol and the Campo de Gibraltar. Its landscape therefore varies between the steepest and most spectacular area of the Serranía represented by the Pic de Los Reales and the cultivated lowlands of the Guadiaro Valley with their cereal fields, passing through a small stretch of coast.

    The village, declared a Historic-Artistic Ensemble, is considered one of the most beautiful in Spain. According to tradition, its origin dates back to Roman times when Julius Caesar had it built to express his gratitude since he had healed himself by bathing in the Baths of the Hedionda; However, the current urban enclosure is of Arab origin.

    Although the village is especially interesting as a whole, we can mention other places and monuments worthy of interest: the ruins of the Castle, the Church of La Encarnación, the caves of Ballesteros, those of the Hedionda, the Sima de los Huesos (precipice) and finally the birthplace of Blas Infante, politician and writer considered the father of Andalusian nationalism.
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  • Day 6

    Beach-Front Walk to Puerto Dequesa

    December 19, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Puerto de la Duquesa is one of the Costa del Sol's marinas that is enjoyed by sailors and tourists alike. Located one hour's drive from the airport of Malaga and 45 minutes form Gibraltar airport. La Duquesa seems like a thousand miles away from the throng of the holiday resorts. It is relatively quiet during most of the year. The restaurants come alive in July and August.

    Duquesa, as it is known locally, enjoys an advantageous location to the west of Marbella . The essence in this distinction is that the area retains a vast amount of unspoiled natural scenery and authentic local character - while sharing the fantastic climate of the rest of the Costa del Sol.
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  • Day 8

    Puerto Sotogrande

    December 21, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Located in the municipality of San Roque, in the province of Cádiz, the port of Sotogrande is an exclusive place with an incomparable tourist attraction. Boasting magnificent facilities, it is surrounded by luxury developments and exceptional golf courses, including the now legendary Valderrama, one of the Ryder Cup venues, and the Real Club de Golf de Sotogrande.Read more

  • Day 10

    Cycle Ride to Gaucin

    December 23, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Gaucín is a mountain village of spectacular beauty located in the west of the Andalusian province of Malaga. One of the first famous White Villages of the Serranía de Ronda, the stunning views to Gibraltar and North Africa have led it to be known as the Balcony of the Serranía.

    At over 600 metres above sea level and nestled in the foothills of the Sierra del Hacho and the mountains through which the Genal river flows, it is the perfect place to experience the beauty and culture of Andalusia.

    Only 30 km from the Costa del Sol and 60 km from Gibraltar, Gaucín is easily accessible via the A377 road and is well connected to the ancient city of Ronda.

    Gaucín enjoys a temperate Mediterranean climate and is blessed with over 2750 hours of sunshine a year. The cooler summer nights offer a respite from the heat of the day. In spring and autumn, you can enjoy the mountain air with clear blue skies and an average of 6 hours of sunshine a day, producing a unique light. During the months of April, May, June and October you are more than likely to enjoy temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius. The warmest time to visit is from July to mid-September when temperatures average around 28 degrees. In winter average temperatures hover around 16 degrees and the rainiest month is December with an average monthly rainfall of 124mm.
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  • Day 16

    Benarrabá

    December 29, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Today, Benarraba is a bustling village which makes its living from woodcutting, agriculture and cattle farming, as well as enjoying deserved renown for its hand-made pork products. In response to the ever-increasing demand for mountain holidays and the peace and quiet to be found in spots populated with chestnuts, pines, cork oaks and gall oaks, the village has opened the Banu Rabah rural hotel, located in a privileged position overlooking the Genal Valley.

    History: Exactly when Benarraba was founded is uncertain, though its origins are thought to be linked to the Benimerines, who may have given the village its name, which means "the sons of Rabbah".
    The present-day village stands on the side of Mount Poron, once the site of a castle which overlooked the localities of Gaucin, Jubrique, Genalguacil and Algatocin. Legend has it that this castle was connected by a series of underground passages to those of Gaucin and Casares.
    One historic event in the village's history is the 1636 visit and overnight stay of the ninth Duque of Medina Sidonia, Don Alonso Perez de Guzman, to whose lordly estate Benarraba belonged, while en route to Montilla to meet his wife, Doña Juana Fernandez of Cordoba, whom he had married via proxy.
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  • Day 18

    Hike to Genalguacil

    December 31, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Genalguacil, with its astonishing urban structure inherited from the Muslims who were at the origin of the village, is arranged in the form of a staircase on the steep terrain that has hosted it for hundreds of years, like a white brushstroke on this green panorama of chestnuts, holm oaks and cork oaks.

    The parish church of San Pedro de Verona and its characteristic octagonal tower dominate this complex with deep Muslim roots.

    History
    Although its origin is undoubtedly Arab, archaeological remains dating back to prehistoric times have been discovered in its municipal territory.
    Its name comes from the Arabic Gema-Al Wacir, which means "the gardens of the vizier".

    Medina Conde, in her "Historical Conversations of Malaga", evokes the existence of gold, silver and copper mines in the past. However, there are still some remains of the exploitation of these minerals at the site known as Los Morteretes.
    Following the conquest by the Catholic Monarchs, its population certainly remained in the village until the time of its participation in the Morisco uprising in the middle of the sixteenth century; According to the chronicles of the time, Don Alonso de Aguilar, a Castilian nobleman, was killed during these clashes by the Morisco leader Feri de Benestepar. The year 1570 marked the definitive expulsion of the Moriscos and the territory was repopulated by native Christians from Extremadura and other Andalusian regions.
    Later, Genaguacil was ceded as a fief to the Duke of Arcos and belonged to this duchy until the abolition of these territorial privileges.
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