Spain
by Road Bike

The afternoon was spent in Mijas — a whitewashed village above the coast with narrow cobbled streets and sweeping views toward the Mediterranean. Lunch was over open flame: chicken and pork skewers grilled on charcoal, served with vegetables. That evening, a proper introduction to Andalusian food culture — a tapas spread of shrimp, spiced potatoes, octopus, and chicken wings, shared at a table and eaten slowly. The right way to start.

After seven hours on the bike, the evening asked for very little. A short walk through Mijas, a look at the town's well-known donkeys, and an early night. Conversations with the Switchbacks group over dinner gave a window into their enduro riding day — which sounded exceptional. There was a faint sense of missing out, balanced entirely by the satisfaction of what the road had delivered.

A stop in Marbella for coffee and a chocolate pastry offered a brief window into the city's atmosphere before pressing on. The day ended measured and unhurried — both the rider and the Switchbacks group returning visibly tired — leading to another quiet, recovery-focused evening.

After the ride, Málaga offered a welcome change of pace. A pizza instead of tapas — a deliberate break from the pattern. A visit to the Picasso Museum added a cultural counterweight to the physical effort of the day. The evening finished at Bun and Coffee — exceptional doughnuts that stand as one of Málaga's clearest recommendations.

Post-ride, a meal of salmon with vegetables and potatoes near Málaga Cathedral — quality food in a setting worth sitting in. The afternoon included Bioparc Fuengirola, a wildlife park with a genuine conservation focus. The evening back in Mijas brought the Switchbacks group together for a final shared dinner — duck with vegetables, stories from the trails, and an easy end to a well-balanced day.

The ride finished in Málaga, where a traditional plate of octopus with potatoes provided one of the trip's better meals. A short walk through the city followed, and a return visit to Bun and Coffee confirmed its consistency. A quiet, deliberately low-key evening — the right close to the solo riding phase of the trip.

The morning in Mijas brought goodbyes as the Switchbacks group packed bikes and headed for their flights. Then a drive to Málaga Airport to collect my wife — and with that, the second chapter of the trip began: a road trip across Andalucía. The first stop was Nerja: coastal, unhurried, built around the Balcón de Europa — a clifftop promenade with exceptional views over the Mediterranean. Tapas in the evening included the classic Padrón peppers. The day closed with a drive up to Frigiliana — one of Andalucía's most beautifully preserved white villages, with narrow cobbled lanes, Moorish architecture, and panoramic views over the coast. Quiet and genuine in a way that the more tourist-heavy towns never quite manage.

The day opened at Herradura Coffee & Fruit Farm in La Herradura — a working plantation growing coffee alongside tropical crops including bananas and avocados, a genuinely surprising find in southern Spain. Lunch in Granada at Aylin Art Cuisine was a quality meal before heading into the mountains. The rest of the day was kept deliberately relaxed, focused on settling into the city and its atmosphere.

Loja exceeded expectations: a four-star hotel at an honest price and a town with genuine local character rather than tourist polish. With Iznájar as the day's centrepiece, little else was needed — the ride and the landscape said enough.

The evening before had included a visit to the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba — arguably Andalucía's most architecturally striking landmark, where Islamic and Christian elements coexist in extraordinary detail. We stayed right in Córdoba's historic centre, next to the cathedral complex, which made the entire experience feel fully immersive rather than merely visited.

A full day in Seville, dedicated to recovery and culture. Plaza de España delivered on every expectation — its semi-circular colonnaded design and tiled canal system one of the city's most photographed settings, and rightly so. Metropol Parasol, the striking modern structure rising above the old quarter, offered panoramic views over the city from its upper walkway, while the market beneath it served some of the trip's best tapas. The day finished with a flamenco performance — authentic, energetic, and the right cultural close to a day spent entirely on foot.

A rest in Zahara de la Sierra's central square — tapas with views over the reservoir — offered a natural pause before the afternoon. A stop at Setenil de las Bodegas followed: a village with houses and bars built directly into the overhanging rock face, unlike anything else encountered on the trip. The day ended in Ronda, with dinner at a restaurant overlooking the Puente Nuevo. First encounter with oxtail — rich, fatty, deeply flavoured, and entirely worth it.

The Caminito del Rey walk was one of the trip's defining experiences: roughly 7 kilometres of suspended pathways, narrow canyon trails, and elevated bridges pinned to steep rock walls — visually unlike anything else on the itinerary. Afterward, we moved to Torremolinos for the final days of the trip. The evening brought a DJ party on a catamaran out of Málaga — sunset, music, a good send-off for the active phase of the journey.

The morning was spent in Torremolinos with a relaxed walk along the beach and a coffee by the sea. Around midday, lunch at Tela Marinera Chiringuito — traditional grilled sardines, fresh and simple, and highly representative of the local cuisine. After lunch, the afternoon shifted to Málaga for city exploration, including a guided visit to the Alcazaba of Málaga — a Moorish fortress with strong historical context and impressive views over the city.

Afterward, a drive up to Mijas — where the trip had begun. My wife saw the place for the first time while I packed the bike for the return flight. The day finished with dinner at Koco Bistro — the best meal in Mijas across the entire stay, and a good note to close on.

The last morning. Bags loaded, bike in its case, and a drive to Málaga Airport. Sixteen days, eleven on the bike — Andalucía delivered everything the original plan had promised, just on different roads.