Andalucia, April 2018. Day 4

We have decided to visit Ronda for a couple of days and booked an airbnb right in the centre.  We really wanted to do the journey on the train as we enjoy rail travel and feel that it is greener.  However the cost of the train was going to be not far short of 200 euros and we could hire a car for £25; it was a no brainer.  Consequently we were up early and headed for the airport on the bus to pick up the car.  It was already raining hard and continued to do so for much of the day.  Mixed is the word to describe the weather this week.  Picking the car up was easy and went quickly and we were soon on our way.  Despite the rain the roads were quiet and we were soon in the mountains and turning off the main Ronda road to Zahara, the first of the Pueblos Blancos in the Sierra Grazalema national park.  Sadly it was still raining as we explored this beautiful village, its narrow streets winding their way up the hillside.  We managed to appreciate it despite the rain and enjoyed our coffee in a friendly bar at the top of the village.
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The journey from Zahara through the mountains to Grazalema was superb despite the rain.  Unfortunately we saw little of the hills as the visibility was so poor.  We did have a wander round the village but in all honesty the best part was the excellent lunch we had in front of a roaring log fire in the Meson el Simancon.
The Sierra Grazalema is definitely a work in progress and we shall be back for walking and orchid hunting.

The weather began to improve as we drove towards Ronda calling in at Sentenil de Bodegas with its beetling cliffs overhanging the street.  The sun even began to appear and we had good views of a flock of bee eaters - oh for the 500 lens!!
By the time we reached Ronda the rain had stopped altogether and, having parked in the underground car park, we quickly found our apartment.  And what a find.  We had a perfect, modern three bedroom apartment to ourselves in an old building right in the centre of the town; and all for £45 a night.
After a rest we headed into the town to look for somewhere to eat and then enjoyed floodlit views of the magnificent Puente Nuevo bridge spanning the plunging depths of the gorge separating the old town from the new before heading home for an early night.