valley, we really didn’t pay that much attention; we were tired and it was hard to top the beaches we had seen less than a half hour before. However, over the past number of weeks we have spent a great deal of time in this very tranquil, lovely piece of heaven.
There are two ways to reach Rodalquilar. The first way is to drive a few kilometers out of Las Negras and over a small set of hills. Once you crest these hills the wide, green valley is laid out in front of you with the sea to your left and the pueblo of Rodalquilar nestled up against the base of the mountains ahead on the right.On most sunny mornings I make the short drive because the valley is the home of my favorite place to run; a two + kilometer, wide, flat side road (probably the only stretch of flat-ish road for miles and miles) that winds from the main road down to the sea.
I drive the length of this road and park my car near the playa (beach) and just as the sun is peaking over the tallest of the surrounding mountains, I take my jog/run out to the main road and back to the car. The views on this run are nothing short of spectacular! Mi amiga Laura and mi hermano Mark have been with me on these runs and one morning Laura reminded me of a thought I’d had on a few occasions: you need to take a moment to remember that you’re jogging in Spain. Funny how we can take things for granted….also funny is that we’re not immediately reminded of this from the views alone!
At the start of our run, we head out along this road with our backs to the sea. To our left and our right the mountains have been pushed back by the wide valley floor and, a number of kilometers ahead of us…. through the green “bottom land” and rambla scented with wild thyme, lavender and rosemary and spotted with palm trees, as well as the remains of a 17th century watch tower complete with broken stone walls…..we can see the circular expanse of mountains that form the bowl of the valley. At this point the sun has lit the pueblo of Rodalquilar as well as the mountains in front of us but has left the shadows of the other mountains for us to jog through. If I leave my headphones off all I can hear are birds and the breeze past my ears (and of course by the end of the run my pounding heart and my heavy breath!) …..
We usually end the run with a walk and stretch on the beach and we let the gentle surf ease us into the rest of the day. The only thing that would make the morning any better would be hot cabana boys bringing us tea or coffee as we watch the sun continue to lift the shadows.
The second way to get to Rodalquilar is to hike along the sea, over the small-ish mountain that separates it from Las Negras. We had heard about this hike from a friend and we were warned not to take it in the morning while the dew was still on the rocks as it was a bit precarious. We were waiting for the right time to experience this-preferably when guests were here so we could discover it together- when one evening while Ramon was here for an intercambio, he decided I shouldn’t wait to see it any longer. So, at dusk-with the sun quickly fading, we made a very fast hike to the top of the mountain, taking the footpath furthest from the sea. The views from that vantage point and at that time of day were enough for me to plan a hike during the daylight hours.
A few days later, on a brilliant sunny day, and with guests to help us enjoy it, we hiked to Rodalquilar—on the sea side of the mountain!
Only after, did we hear (from locals in the know) how crazy we were. There were places where the footpath disappeared and other places where we had to scale the almost vertical mountainside with the waves crashing below and the seagulls flying at our backs (and some naked French people sunning themselves on the almost-sea-level rock ledges). Always reliable for a good hike, Daisy came along and scaled the mountain right along with us!
After the two plus hours of hiking and clinging to rocks, we had the pleasure of a waiting coach…..earlier that day Laura had taken the rental car to Rodalquilar and hiked to Las Negras so once we reached Playa del Playazo (the beach in Rodalquilar) the car was waiting to take us back home.
And yes….this fortress you see (by the sea) has been restored and it’s a private home--but I like to think it’s a James Bond 007 command post (and maybe even a missile silo….who knows).
As far as the town of Rodalquilar is concerned, besides passing through to see that they had an old gold mine and a small botanical garden, we’ve been to a quaint little pub for tapas and later to the same pub for a delicious meal. How can one resist salmon carpaccio with sea urchin roe?!
(It always comes back to the food!)
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