| The Lighthouse . Landscapes. THE RONDA MOUNTAIN RANGE |
 |
The Ronda Mountain Range - the pecular giant |
MAJESTIC MOUNTAINS, FERTILE VALLEYS, NARROW CAVES, SURGING RIVERS, SILENT WHITE VILLAGES... THIS VAST TERRITORY IS SO DIVERSE THAT ITS CHARACTER IS COMPLETELY UNDEFINABLE. |
Textos / Text: Esteban Montero. Patronato de Turismo de la Costa del Sol.
The Ronda mountain range, strategically located in the heart of Andalusia, extends over 1536 km2 and affords shelter to more than twenty white villages of the province of Malaga. As far as topography is concerned, the Serranía (range) is an enormous meseta over 700 metres above sea level, with some peaks rising to over 1500 metres.Three fertile valleys shape the geography and life in this region: Guadalteba, Guadiaro and Genal.
Because of its vast wealth and diversity, a large part of its territory is protected.The Sierra de las Nieves, Los Alcornocales and Grazalema National Parks are the largest ones. Priceless ecological treasures, like the Blue Spanish Fir, the Golden Eagle and Tawny Vulture still survive here.
The Serranía also has an inestimable historical and cultural legacy.A vast cultural heritage including primitive caves, castles, belltowers, palaces, Moorish baths and roman theatres.To enter the Serranía de Ronda is to encounter life, history, monuments, ecology, good food and even legend in one harmonious whole.
Part of this heritage lies in its villages: Algatocín, Alpandeire, Arriate, Atajate, Benadalid, Benalauría, Benaoján, Benarrabá, Cortes de la Frontera, Cartajima, Faraján, Gaucín, Genalguacil (which we have explored in our “Tours” section of this edition), Igualeja, Jimera de Libar, Jubrique, Júzcar, Montejaque, Parauta, Pujerra and, of course, Ronda.
Sierra de las Nieves
This is one of the most interesting National Parks in Spain, with a fascinating 16 000 hectares that has been given the status of Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. It appears the name comes from the process of cutting and burying snow, carried out by “neveros” who later sold it. This means of earning a living, which disappeared in 1931, was once an important source of income for the region.
This tertiary period coniferous forest harbours the Blue Spanish Fir, undoubtedly its greatest treasure.The most extraordinary fir tree in the world is a living fossil that has survived through to our era after millions of years of hard battles. One of these has lately been against man, who often seems bent on its extinction.
|
 |
|
Its high-mountain, Mediterranean climate favours great botanic diversity. Junipers, furze, barberry, rooted vines, whitebeam, yew, ash, cork, gall oak all take root here. All of this creates an enormous, comfortable habitat for mountain goats, golden eagles, wild boar, otters and trout. Another feature of Las Nieves is the ruggedness of its terrain, punctuated by deep gullies, ravines and gorges and the third-deepest chasm in the world.
Los Alcornocales
Los Alcornocales National Park contains the greater part of a set of mountains of abrupt relief and steep slopes which have a surface area of about 170 000 hectares. Of these, 119 000 grow cork trees. Cork extraction is the basis of the economy in some of its villages. It is estimated that 26 000 tonnes of raw cork are produced in the area every year. Cork extraction takes place from June to mid-August.
There is, however, one type of vegetation, the only instance of its kind in Europe, which better defines Los Alcornocales. This is the “canutos”, the peculiar river-bank woodland found here around the narrowest channels and headwaters of streams.
Grazalema
On this incredible 52 000-hectare mountain, the rain falls heavily with an almost monsoon force. This explains its rugged relief, decorated with canyons, caves, gorges, valleys, cornices and banks. Its impervious resistance is the reason for this ultra-slow geographic violence. Millions of years of perseverant attrition has created a rich habitat, an almost unbelievably safe refuge (considering its closeness to man) for animals and plants. Grazalema, the result of the last westward thrashings of the Cordillera Bética (mountain range), is one of the few pieces of untouched woodland left in Spain.
For a long time, Grazalema was a real physical and sentimental landmark for Spanish sailors as it was the last point of their homeland they could make out as they sailed to America, and the first land to be sighted on their return.At night, out on the ocean, the crews celebrated the appearance of the first lights, twinkling among the mountains. Each village acted as a tiny lighthouse to bring them home.
|
|
Información de interés |
WHAT TO VISIT: In Ronda
In Ronda, Church of Santa María, Mondragón Palace, Giant’s House, Moorish Baths, Felipe V Arch, House of the Moorish King, The Eight Spout Fountain, the bullring,New Bridge, Acinipo (ancient roman town) and the Museo del Bandolero. In the area, Church of S. Antonio de Padua (Alpandeire), church of S. José (Atajate), Benadalid castle, church of Sto. Domingo (Benalauría), Ethnographic Museum (Benalauria), the Caves of La Pileta and Del Gato (Benaoján), church of S. Sebastián (Benarrabá), the Mozarabic hermitage ‘La Casita de Piedra’ (Cortes de la Fra.), the castle, Castillo del Águila (Gaucín), church of S. Pedro de Verona (Genalguacil), church of S.ta Rosa de Lima (Igualeja), church of S. Francisco de Asís (Jubrique), church of Sta. Catalina (Júzcar), church of Santiago (Montejaque), church of La Purísima Concepción (Parauta) and church of the Espíritu Santo (Pujerra).
WHAT TO EAT :
For example, the kid stew, the tomato soup, the “badly-cooked” potage, the sopa hervida (boiled soup), the delicious fig bread or the honey doughnuts.
|
|
|
