Two stages ago we had the longest stage so far, today we are going for perhaps the shortest. It's only a short stretch of about 11 kilometers from Montejaque to Ronda. We leave the village after a leisurely breakfast. This is another Pueblo Blanco andso we walk from the village square, lined with orange trees and palm trees, through the crisp white streets in the bright morning sun. There's a market today so it's pretty busy for such a village. After descending a bit, we face a zigzag path up to the last mountain pass before 'the depression of Ronda'. This is a large valley with the town of Ronda on the rocks on the opposite side. At the other side of the valley the mountains of Sierra Grazalema end and the landscape becomes more expansive with farms, villages and farmland. But before we get there, we walk up to Ermita de Montejaque, a chapel at the top of the pass. From there, the route leads us further past meadows and olive groves between the last mountains. We have great views over the sloping valley and can already see Ronda from a distance. Among these fields we see and hear numerous birds such as goldfinches, stonechat and many birds of prey. It's hot today with temperatures well above 25 degrees and there's little shade. Next to the path is a large oak tree where we take a quick break.
We come across more and more hikers and exchange experiences with a Dutch couple who are also here for the first time and, a little later, an English couple who walk a GR route and do a lot of wild camping. They pitch their tents outside the villages without any problems. Only getting enough water is often a challenge. It's nice to exchange ideas.
The kilometers go fast and it's not long before we are in front of a gigantic cliff of yellow/grey rock. On top we see beautiful, classical buildings, stately cypresses and a number of viewpoints. This is all that can be seen of Ronda from here at the bottom of the cliff, but it already looks impressive. We walk a bit below along the wall until we can see into a narrow ravine, with Puente Nuevo above. The magnificent new bridge over the ravine from the 18th century, connecting the old city that has already endured many conquests (by the Greeks, the Romans, the Moors, the Nasrids and later the Christians) with the new city from the 15th century.
It's one of three bridges, but the most distinctive and a stunning sight. A place that appeals to your imagination. And we are not alone. After the quiet of the mountains, where almost no tourists come, it's quite crowded here. With beautiful views of the bridge, we walk steeply up to the city where we hear lots of Chinese, Dutch and English. Arriving at the top in the new part of town, this turns out to be really worthwhile as well. Big buildings, squares with trees, views over valleys and mountains. With the sun shining and all those tourists, it seems like high summer! We walk from the new to the old part of the city where there are even more cosy streets and squares. We quickly check into our hotel and, after catching our breath from the walk and climb, check out the city. So lovely in summer time! ;-) Tomorrow we have a longer trip ahead of us.
