We were lucky to find a nearby bar open for coffee and toast, then packed up and hit the trail, stopping briefly in the small, central park to finally fix our poles which have been clicking again. We never remember when we’re stopped so decided just to take care of it then and there with cardboard and duct tape doing the trick.
The day started with a descent with a view towards a ruined convent, past some incredible cave formations (we’d heard containing Mozarabe era art but we didn’t see anything), then over a medieval bridge and up to the town of La Atalaya.
From there the day continued among the groves with a very steep climb to reach the 700 metre summit of the day. There was a spectacular viewpoint with all the peaks and towns named on a placard along with a picnic table and benches. It was excellent for getting a sense of where we were going today and tomorrow and beyond. From this viewpoint you see parts of Málaga, Córdoba and Sevilla provinces.
Then on the way down you pass the hamlet of El Cedrón, once a Jewish settlement, where you can see the restored community oven. And then onto La Moheda, a Moorish town with its communal well. We didn’t linger in Cuevas Bajas, though it looked lovely, pushing on the last five kilometres or so to Encinas Reales. I was getting hot and tired from another steep climb on the road, when the town came into view.
I had seen conflicting information on whether there was an albergue in town so was relieved to find there was, since there were no other options. We had a comfortable one hour wait in a cafe enjoying icy glasses of tinto de verano along with a free tapa of potato salad until the local police officer could sign us in and give us the keys to the municipal albergue. The albergue was a little ways from the centre of town, in a park near a hermitage. It didn’t have any kitchen facilities, but did have a place to do laundry and a rack for drying which was welcome.
The tiny town didn’t have much in the way of restaurants, and nothing that would open before 8:30, so we were happy when we found a fairly hidden grocery store and were able to buy enough to call dinner. Olives, sandwiches with cheese, tomato and avocado and cheesecake cups for dessert. Quite delicious! We’re the only ones here so perhaps I’ll even sleep tonight.