Tapp's Travels

Sadly, the weather is looking wet, wet, wet for several days!  Gordon and Pam, our Scottish neighbours have decided to turn tail and head for Portugal.  We’re going to tough it out.  We want to see Cordoba.

But first we have the chance to revisit Sentenil.  There are two roads into the village.  The long, sensible route round the outside, and the shorter, less sensible route which leads inexorably (for about a kilometre) through the very middle, ending up emerging through a tunnel under the cliffs at what at first sight appeared to be a dead-end.  The reason I know this may be obvious.  Yeah, yeah!  We took the short route!

On the plus side, we didn’t hit any walls, cars, vans or people, and, as we emerged we lucked into an easy parking space right in the centre.  But, getting around the village was definitely easier on foot!

The next day, we visited Zahara.  Quite ironic really, as EVERYTHING around here is plastered in fine red dust – from – you guessed – the Sahara.  So while we went to Zahara, the Sahara came to us!  The air quality has been listed as “extremely unhealthy” for several days.  Now we know why we are seeing people walking in the country wearing masks.  Forget Covid, they are keeping African sand dunes out of their lungs!

Zahara de la Sierra is situated above a large, nearly empty reservoir.  With memories of Sentenil deeply ingrained, and with Glenda forbidding any further upward travel, we parked at the bottom – the VERY bottom – of town and walked up – past several large easily accessible carparks.

… to the Iglesia Santa Maria de la Mesa and what would have been a fabulous view from the mirador – if we weren’t in a cloud!  Glenda got chatting to an ex-pat lady who had lived in the village for 10 years.  She recommended a restaurant in the next village – Grazelema.  The Restaurante Torreon.  17 kms away – so why does the sat nav say it will take 45 minutes?

Is it a duck or is it a kangaroo?  No – it’s a plan of the road as it reached it’s summit at 1,180m.

So now we know.  The road is a continuous bend.  In places, it’s just wide enough to squeeze past on-coming traffic of which there were just two bits – both small cars, fortunately.  The outside edge is a 17 km row of concrete blocks to discourage off-road travel!  We won’t be coming back this way, Barry!

The only other things we met on the road as we rounded a blind bend were two Iberian Ibexes.  Not sure who was more surprised – them or us!  But they scarpered over the edge like greased lightening.  (Clearly not my photograph!)

The meal at the Torreon was superb.  We had one meal of the day at an attractively priced 12€ plus items of the menu and shared (as normal!).

Home via the (relatively) easy lower road to find our now nearly deserted hill-top campsite was exposed to devastating winds.

One of our neighbours suffered somewhat.  An hour later and it was totally calm.  Weird!

Now to the bauxite.  This mineral contains 10-20% aluminium.  It’s mined at great expense transported at more expense and then smelted at even more expense.  I have an alternative plan.  Sweep the deep gutters along miles of Spanish roads and collect zillions of discarded drinks cans. These are nearly 100% aluminium and easily recycled.  Just a thought!  It must be a national sport.  Drink a soda while driving and lob the tin.

We are off for a couple of cans of Coke right now!