Tabernas to Los Albaricoques:
Check out my ride on Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/844948853/shareable_images/map_based?hl=en-GB&v=1485446518
Tabernas is renowned for being in the heart of the ‘Badlands’ of Almeria, alledgedly Europes only area of true dessert and best known for Sergio Leones famous Spaghetti Westerns. There isn’t much obvious evidence of this legacy in the town but there are a couple of western themed tourist attractions nearby, Mini Hollywood and Fort Bravo. I can’t report on the quality of either.
From the Hostal we had to retrace our steps for a few miles on the busy N340. This road was in an appalling state 5 years ago when I first used it, it has clearly deteriorated since. Our delicate isues were excaserbated. Spanish roads are generally excellent and it’s odd that this national road is in such a poor state when roads to nowhere such as El Chive yesterday are perfectly smooth, recently laid tarmac.
We turned off on a side road heading via the inevitable climb to the village of Turrilas. I’d done this climb once before but as a day ride without the burden of touring panniers. I’d also continued on to climb further to a summit called Colatavi, a grand and lofty viewpoint down to the Mediterranean. I offered this extension option to Nick but it was too chilly to be going even higher and then there was the issue of our sore bits. The extension was declined.
Turrilas is the tiny slash of white high up on the hillside:
Looking towards the Sierra de Los Filabres from Turrilas:
We were ready for a coffee and a bite to eat, a small tostada for breakfast does not suffice for hungry touring cyclists. I’d called in a bar on my previous visit, alas it was closed on this dank January day. I popped in to the pharmacy on the village square to ask if there was another bar in town. On entering I was choked by the cigarette smoke, a local was in there chatting to the pharmacist. Only in Spain!
The nearest bar was around 8km away in Lucianenaa del torres , fortunately it was mostly downhill so we were soon fed and watered.
Beyond the village with a long name there was a further big climb before dropping down to Nijar and on to the market garden of Europe. Almeria apparently had the largest area of greenhouses on the planet. My GPS for once navigated us through an impossible maze of poly tunnels and brought us to our accommodation in Los Albaricoques. Now this really is the epicentre of Spaghetti Western memorabilia with streets named Calle Clint Eastwood, Calle Lee Van Cleef and Calle Sergio Leone. The Hostal was ‘tastefully’ western themed and we were treated to clips from classic Spag West films during our evening meal.
We were whisked away into a cinematic fantasy and then reality hit home!
Even Cowboys need to wash their smalls:
2 Wheels and a Walking Stick 