Spain Leisure Cycling Tour - 'Ronda to Granada'

Self-Guided Cycling Tour in Spain 

Andalucian White Village Bike Tour

Enjoy self-guided cycle touring in Spain; cycle at your own pace through beautiful, unspoiled countryside between two of Andalucía's most iconic towns. Experience the charm and character of Ronda, then ride through pretty white villages and hilltop towns before finishing in Granada, the must-see city of Andalucía.

Ronda is set on a clifftop above a dramatic gorge, spanned by a 120-metre high bridge. It is surrounded by olive groves, oak forest and vineyards and is a rural idyll with a truly Spanish feel. Riding eastwards, you pass through the towns of Antequera and Alhama de Granada before arriving at your final destination, Granada, UNESCO World Heritage Site and the last Muslim city to fall to Queen Isabel and the Christians in 1492. Its most famous sight is, of course, the Alhambra but there is much more to enjoy here - the Cathedral, the Moorish quarter, the Sacromonte gipsy caves, the bustling city centre, dramatic views of the Sierra Nevada mountains and free tapa with every drink!

Your cycling tour will be filled with beautiful scenery, stunning views, hidden canyons, traditional pueblos blancos and historic sights. Each day you will enjoy cycling on quiet roads, with numerous opportunities to stop to relax and try out the delicious local food and drink. This self-guided cycling tour will give you a delightful experience of all aspects of Andalucian life and culture. 

Summary

START:  Ronda     FINISH:  Granada

Duration *	7 days	6 nights	5 cycling days
Distance	258 km total	51 km daily avg     ( max 62km : min 42km )
Grading	Moderate-Challenging - Ascent varies 660m-952m per day. Route uses a mix of quiet roads, unsurfaced roads and tracks (occasional bumpy sections) to keep you away from traffic and past hidden places. Daily distances are longer than our other leisure cycling tours, so riders need to be used to cycling over a few hours per day.
Availability **	All year-round. Choose the dates which suit you. Start on any day of the week. N.B. Supplements may apply during Easter week due to inflated accommodation prices.
Price ***	€975  per person based on 2 people sharing a double or twin room (en-suite)     ( €1075  with e-bike )

* N.B. Travellers who wish to spend more time in Granada can request additional sightseeing days at the end of the cycling tour. Visits to the Alhambra must be booked directly via the official website - book as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

** Check out the local annual weather conditions here. 

*** Solo traveller and single occupancy prices are available upon request.

Itinerary

Arrival in Ronda

Check in to your hotel and enjoy the sights and sounds of the beautiful clifftop town of Ronda. Briefing and bike set-up will take place on your first evening.

 

Spain Bike Tour Day 1 - Ronda to Ardales

56km +660m

Leaving Ronda, you are soon on easy tracks which lead eastwards, via olive groves and holm oak forest. You pass through the village of Cuevas del Becerro (a good lunch-stop) and then via Serrato, a sleepy village, before your only notable climb of the day. You then enjoy a terrific track descent all the way to Ardales and your overnight accommodation. If you still have some energy, take a walk up to the remains of the hilltop fortress before dinner in one of the cafes or restaurants on the main plaza. 

Spain Bike Tour Day 2 - Ardales to Antequera

45km +769m

Your day begins with an undulating road ride that heads up to a scenic area of blue lakes. You will ride across the historic King's Dam, opened in 1921 by King Alfonso XII, before climbing steadily up beyond further lakes into the hills. Beautiful views abound as you ride on tracks through remote, forested landscapes. We recommend you take a picnic lunch today, as there is little civilisation after the dam and you can make the most of the peaceful environment. Your day ends with a pleasant ride into Antequera, a lively town which is dominated by a striking hilltop Moorish fortress, or Alcazaba. Plenty of options in the town for post-ride relaxation and dinner. 

Spain Bike Tour Day 3 - Antequera to Alfarnatejo

54km +952m

Exit Anteuquera via a track past abandoned water mills, once the heart of the town's thriving textile industry. The track heads deeper into the countryside, through grazing lands for agile goats and sheep, before joining a mix of quiet country roads and riverside tracks to the villages of Villanueva del Rosario and Villanueva del Trabuco, both with many options for lunch. From here you take a steady climb into the hills to the Fountain of One Hundred Pipes, a delightful spot where rows of spouts gush with water from natural sources in the mountains above. Follow the road steadily up into the mountains before another great descent, past the oldest roadside inn in Andalucia, the Venta del Alfarnate, said to date from the 13th century. From here it is a short distance to your accommodation in Alfarnatejo, with dinner overlooking the valley.    

Spain Bike Tour Day 4 - Alfarnatejo to Alhama de Granada

43km + 753m

You begin the day with a spectacular road descent through the mountains into a river valley. From here it is a long, steady climb, past the sleepy village of Guaro and along the route of an old railway line which cuts a high track through the hills, with spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. You pass a strange bridge (a suspected folly), ride through a long tunnel and on to an established cycling route, with traces of the old railway tracks. Stop for lunch in Ventas de Zafarraya before riding mainly on small tracks through an agricultural plateau, where fields of crops extend in all directions. Then take a charming track descent through forests and alongside a stream to arrive at a lake and dam. From here you enter the gorge of Alhama de Granada, a narrow channel through the mountains, formed by the Rio Alhama, where a path takes you to the base of the cliffs upon which sits the village and your overnight accommodation.

Spain Bike Tour Day 5 - Alhama de Granada to Granada

62km + 737m

Take a steady climb out of the village to look back down into the Alhama gorge. Then enjoy a 10km descent which takes you along the ridgeline of the little-known but spectacular Cacín river gorge. You pass the Roman bridge which spans the gorge before a climb takes you onto a stretch of a new road for a fun, fast descent. You rejoin tracks which head steadily downhill until a riverside path takes you right into the heart of the city. A 5-minute section on the road is followed by a final 100m on foot, passing through the old Arabic street market, where metalwork, leather goods and ceramics are still sold from tiny shopfronts before you finish your cycling tour in front of Granada's impressive Cathedral. Enjoy a final evening in this atmospheric city. Extra sightseeing days can be added on request.

Day 6 - Depart Granada

Check out from your hotel and have a safe trip home or to your next destination.

We can provide transfers to your next destination or airports of Sevilla or Malaga. POA

We hope to see you again in the future.

FAQ's

 

INCLUDED IN OUR PRICES 6 nights accommodation on B&B basis  Luggage transfers Quality hybrid bike or e-bike Optional seat-post rear bag and/or handlebar bag for your daily needs (we recommend travelling light) Helmet & water bottle (or bring your own) Route GPS (phone App with daily routes, profiles and maps, no Data-usage required) or GPX files Anotated route maps  Briefing Pack, incl tips, advice and day-by-day route notes Briefing meeting on arrival   See our suggested KIT LIST for cycle touring in Spain.

WILL I BE FIT ENOUGH? Our self-guided tours are designed for leisure cyclists rather than cycling experts or people looking for large daily mileages. There are hills throughout the region but we keep daily distances manageable, particularly on days with more hills. The longest day on this tour is riding into Granada, but the hills are dealt with in the morning, with a relatively easy ride into the city. Anyone who is reasonably fit and happy to be on a bike for 4+ hours a day will enjoy this tour.  Remember that in summer, higher temperatures can make cycling seem harder so we suggest starting soon after 9am and aiming to finish before 2pm.

WHERE WILL I BE STAYING? Your tour goes through a mix of large and small towns and more rural areas, so the accommodation style and standard will vary greatly. In the larger towns, we usually book 4**** or 3*** hotels; outside of these you will stay in countryside haciendas, boutique B&Bs or traditional-style village hotels. All rooms have en-suite facilities. Our selections are based on clean and comfortable accommodation (if sometimes quite simple), friendly owners and staff, a warm welcome, bike storage and sometimes a swimming pool too. A highlight on this tour is the clifftop terrace hotel in Alhama de Granada.

WHERE WILL I BE RIDING? Our cycling tour routes take you on a scenic journey away from traffic as far as possible. You will cycle mainly on quiet country roads and unsurfaced tracks. Daily distances vary according to the tour you select. We design all our routes so that you will have time after your cycling to relax and enjoy each overnight location.

WILL MY LUGGAGE BE TRANSFERRED? No need for panniers or trying to pack light and risk leaving important items behind. We transfer your main luggage for you so you just take a few items for each day – water, snacks, sunscreen. We provide an 8-litre capacity rear trunk bag.

HOW WILL I NAVIGATE THE TOUR?   We have 3 options available: Ride with a GPS application on your mobile phone.  We give free access to the application which can be used in offline mode for each day's ride.  The application shows maps and the route in great detail.  We also supply quality phone holders on the bike to keep your phone safe. Garmin GPS Device supplied by Hike and Bike.  This is a simple device which shows a breadcrumb trail for each day's ride.  Very reliable and simple to use. Upload route files to your own GPS device.  We will forward files for each day riding in the format needed for your device. We also provide a large-scale, annotated map, designed specifically for your tour by Hike and Bike, giving you a perspective of where you are at all times.

Route Map