With the temperature expected to reach 33°, we were concerned that 87km would be too far, so we arranged for a taxi to take us to Gomera which would cut 30km, mainly via verde. It turned out to be a good decision, and Christine got a bonus half hour of Spanish conversation with the driver.
The route from there was straightforward, the one road taking us most of the way, a good surface and very little traffic. The scenery was wonderful and varied, such a road would be clogged with tourists in Britain. I’d have taken more photos if there’d been more places to lean my bike and if we hadn’t been anxious to make good progress.
We had a long break in Deza, a small village just up from the road, with a bar attached to a small hotel. They bake their own bread and told us the next batch would be ready in fifteen minutes so we had a drink while we waited, then they were amenable to us preparing and eating our lunch. The bar served as a village meeting place, and was next to a small old palace, now owned by the state and free to enter.
The scenery became more dramatic as we progressed, with rocky gorges and a castle perched atop a high precipitous rock. We had to stop frequently in the shade for respite from the heat, and finally at a service area where we crossed over a motorway, glad of the opportunity to sit down with a cold drink.
It was only a few kilometres to Cetina where we left the road to finish with a six kilometre slow ride along the unpaved Camino del Cid and into Alhama, where we checked into our apartment. It was in a quiet location but close to the basic shop and the village centre. After cooking and eating, we walked into the centre, with its busy bars. There are three hotels here, clearly a popular tourist hotspot.