Tag Archives: Ronda Walk

The Serranía de Ronda is a marvellous place to walk, with grades from easy to challenging, and many suitable for all fitness levels. Some of our favourite walks take in spectacular scenery, or pass by historical monuments, or if nature is what you want to see, will allow you to explore the flora and fauna of the district. The Ronda mountains are amongst the most popular in Spain for British walkers, and several companies have regularly scheduled walking holidays that spend a few days passing through.

Ronda

Ronda Walk to Pilar de Cartajima and Roman Aqueduct

This is one of the walks most people want to do because of the Roman Aqueduct you see at the end of the walk, but is also one of the walks in Ronda rarely undertaken by visitors because very few people know the Roman aqueduct even exists, in fact Roman Ronda was a reality for nearly 700 years.

You’ll start the walk at the old entrance to Ronda, the Almocabar Gate which originally was used to reach the Muslim cemetery outside the city walls. In fact the plaza you walk across at the start is where the cemetery was. During the reconquest Spain’s Christian monarchs attacked Ronda from locations near the plaza. Continue reading Ronda Walk to Pilar de Cartajima and Roman Aqueduct →

Nature, Ronda, Walking Tours

Ronda Walk Pine Forest Dehesa del Mercadillo

The park Dehesa del Mercadillo is a pine forest just outside Ronda on the Ronda-Sevilla road, and is very easy to get to, however the direct route doesn’t take in any of the valley below Ronda, but using the industrial area of Ronda as a starting point passes through some gorgeous countryside with mountains on the horizon, along farm roads with numerous horse studs before finally entering the forest from the north. Continue reading Ronda Walk Pine Forest Dehesa del Mercadillo →

Ronda News

Ronda’s Public Access Ways Overturned by Supreme Court

A recent Andalucían Supreme Court judgement has overturned the catalog of public access ways drawn up by the Ayuntamiento de Ronda, which could see many of them fenced in again, and restricting public movement around the Serranía on roads traditionally seen as public highways.

For years land owners have been disputing the right of the public to cross land they consider their own, with hikers and nature enthusiasts often disagreeing over chains, fences, and other obstructions placed on the path to prevent public access.

The latest court verdict is a significant blow to public access after the court found Ronda’s council hadn’t followed correct procedure when creating their catalog of public access ways, with the court describing the approval of the catalog prior to public consultation as more than a little curious.

In late April 2005 the new catalog was announced in the provincial gazette which comprised 500 pages and 250 aerial photomaps of the public highways, however these had not been made available to the public beforehand, essentially meaning the Ayuntamiento breached article 9.3 of the constitution.

Where does this leave public access highways now? Well, essentially in the situation we were in prior to 2005 when landowners would block public access without penalty until a court has decided on the nature of the rights of way, but with Spanish courts being as slow as they are, many of the pre-2005 cases have yet to be decided, so we can expect to see a bunch of new fences and chains erected again as farmers learn of the court decision.