Spring in Rodalquilar, Cabo de Gata -- a perfect place for blasting away the winter blues and hitting the trails

Spring in southern Spain while it is still winter in northern Europe

After  overwintering in the Dominican Republic I spent a frozen two weeks in northern Germany. Although it was officially spring, it was the coldest spring on record.  Siberian conditions. All my friends were cracking up, desperate to get outside after a long winter spent spinning and doing other stuff indoors for six months.

Rodalquilar in spring

Luckily for me I made it to southern Spain and swapped icy winds for the early spring of the desert of Almeria. Have you ever seen a green desert? For a couple of months this region goes through a metamorphosis, especially the Nature Park Cabo de Gata – Nijar, a paradise for nature buffs into endemisms and niche plant life (check this out) as well as rugged, unspoiled natural beauty.

Cabo de Gata coastline near Rodalquilar

Every day I hit the mountain trails I discover new plants blossoming and blooming. It is a miracle of nature – especially so, as it hasn't really rained here for a couple of years.  Every day and throughout the day the light is constantly changing. And at night, the stars shine so brightly it is even possible to navigate the broader trails. With a full moon visibility is excellent and details are crisp – all in all the nightscape is stunning. The same place yet a different, eerie world. That is what I like about this neck of the woods (or neck of the rocks, given the dearth of trees). 

From September to June temperatures here are great for doing stuff out doors. Day in day out. Admittedly, temperatures can drop to around plus 10°C on those rare days the sun doesn't shine (not many of those either, check out the bit on climate here). This climate is technically known as subtropical semi-arid.  Which translates into outstanding conditions for outdoor activities throughout winter -- unlike in the rest of the Spanish interior let alone in northern Europe.

View of Rodalquilar with defunct infrastructure for leaching the gold

As I am based in the village of Rodalquilar, an old gold-mining village in the heart of the Parque Natural Cabo de Gata – Nijar, this is where I set out on rides and runs. From June to November the sea is warm enough for extended swimming too. A great combination, especially for triathletes.  But from December to May you will need a full body swim suit and cap.

While I am a keen XC mountain biker with a penchant for technical downhill most of the routes I describe here and in later blogs are great for hiking and trail running – if it is hard core technical I will point it out. For road cyclists the roads in the park are in very good condition, smooth as a baby’s bum,  and usually very quiet, which means fun for avid road bikers. Check this out.

A group of mountain bikers on the Cinto to Fraile trail

As my 130 mm front suspension has started bottoming out I am only doing the less technical routes --which are still fun – until I can source a replacement (remember I am in the boondocks and there ain’t a bike shop worth shaking a stick at for miles  -- OK in Almeria. But I source my gear on eBay anyway, so I am looking for good opportunities without spending a small fortune).

There is an active mountain biking club based in Campohermoso (18 kms away, outside the Parque Natural). These guys meet every Sunday at about 8 am for a ride in the mountains nearby. This means that they sometimes venture into the park, but mostly choose trails in Sierra Alhamilla and less frequently Sierra  Cabrera. This is a mixed bunch, but a couple of the guys are as tough as nails, ex-road racers, so not so good on technical ascents and descents but have the leg power to haul ass. All in all a good group to make contact with and to get to know new routes.  Check this out.  On Saturdays the hard core xc bikers in the club meet for more challenging rides. So you can take your pick. They have also posted a number of youtube videos. Like this one: 

I mentioned the gold mines. The gold mines and Rodalquilar go together, and the volcanism which created Sierra de Gata is what lies behind the origin of the gold. Gold has been mined in Rodalquilar since the Phoenicians discovered the metal here thousands of years ago. Early last century saw the heyday of gold mining in Rodalquilar – a British company had the concession before giving up when Franco came to power. As a result of the British presence, the main square in the village is called Plaza el Tenis (that is how it is spelled – the Spaniards have a knack for changing spelling, like wiken for weekend and moden for modem), because the Scottish engineer’s wife and daughter would play tennis there and show a bit of leg to local lads who would otherwise not normally get to see anything in the way of female flesh -- the local lasses and ladies wore full-body attire, although they didn’t go as far as wearing burqas. The legacy of the gold mines and other mining activities riddles the park. It is almost impossible to go on a sortie on foot or bike in the mountains without coming across abandoned galleries and shafts, deserted mining buildings, even chimneys from the furnaces to extract metals.

So although I have probably explored most tracks in the park, every time I take a trail it is still a route of discovery. And in spring the sight of delicate desert flowers making a brief but bold statement is part of the attraction. And then there are the birds. For instance, partridges or woodcocks roam the park in pairs and flocks, making off in a hasty winged retreat when approached. Occasionally eagles soar overhead. Bee eaters with their brilliant metallic blue and green colouring seem to favour the trees near abandoned cottages – perhaps there are more bees near ruined, once-cultivated homesteads.  Another eye catching bird, flashing its marvelous crest, is the hoopoe, often found in pairs in my garden and on the trails.

Where was I? Oh, yes, I suppose I had 

better describe one of my favourite rides.

Track through the mines, with Cerro Cinto in background

Great trail leading to valley of Rodalquilar

This one goes straight past the botanical gardens through the old mining works on the edge of Rodalquilar, opening up great views and vistas of the valley of Rodalquilar before taking you into the craggy landscape of Cerro del Cinto, where most of the gold was mined. This climb is fairly gentle. At the top you are suddenly on the broad valley of Cortijo del Fraile, the real life setting for Frederico Garcia Lorca’s Blood Weddin -- a famous landmark in scandalous disrepair (shame on all parties involved). After Cortijo Montano the route joins the old tarmac road – no traffic thanks to the new road – to Hortichuelas. Here too you are suddenly confronted with spectacular views of the Cerro del Cinto from a completely different angle. After a beautiful and easy descent a right turn takes you along a moderately technical trail. At worst you might have to push the bike a few yards up a small climb.This valley, Rambla del Granadillo, is remarkable because of its lush vegetation along the dry river course. As the name implies, pomegranates grow here and can be picked end of September. After re-emerging in the valley of Rodalquilar there is a short but challenging climb and a mildly technical descent to come out at the back of the head office of the park administration. From here it is a gentle downhill back to the starting point – which surprise, surprise is my house, which you can rent if you feel like spending a week or so with family or with biking or running mates. It goes without saying that I can highly recommend it. But feel free to look for alternative accommodation. I am sure you will come to the justifiable conclusion that my place is still the best deal in terms of facilities, comfort, beauty and tranquility.

Partial view of Cortijo la Negrita

If you want to find more routes in and around Rodalquilar and Cabo de Gata one of the best sites is http://www.bikemap.net/. They have a sister page for runners  called http://www.runmap.net, although in my humble opinion hikers and trail runners can safely use all mtb xc trails listed on bikemap.net.

Remember, if you want to get some decent outdoor stuff in -- running, cycling whatever -- over the shabby winter months, this area is
a great place and there are lots of bargain flights available. Ryanair, Easyjet and Monarch fly to Almeria. Car hire is usually dirt cheap in the off season. If you come as a biggish group, I can arrange for a pick up with a bike trailer for ten bikes. You can also check out my pal Martin’s site, as he not only offers guided tours (I don’t) and bike hire but also parapenting (or paragliding).

And if you want to mix your trail stuff with sail boarding or kite surfing, this is also a fine place. Check out windguru and look for Los Genoveses, Los Escullos, Cabo de Gata.