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Spain - Ronda - Route 8 - To the Virgen De La Cabeza and El Lourdes (The route of local pilgrimage).

Zuz
2006-02-16 19:59:16

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Introduction
An easy and attractive route visiting places of religious interest. We can also connect with nearby paths with a surprising variety of plantlife.

Description
Taking Torrejones street from the San Francisco district we head towards Algeciras. Once outside Ronda, just past a group of houses known as La Pila of la Tia Gaspara, we take a track on the right marked by a signpost to the mozarabic church Virgen de la Cabeza. Along this path thousands of Ronda people pass every second Sunday of June on pilgrimage in honour of this virgin, whose statue can be seen throughout most of the year in the church of Santa Maria of la Encamación la Mayor.

700 meters after starting the track we pass the ruins of the once luxurious house of Arrúa. Still standing, the tower is now a training ground for climbers. We ignore a track on the right at 1.4 Km. Wild pistachio trees and zumach grow by the wayside. Eventually we come to a fork in the track. Both ways take us to where the romeria (pilgrimage) is celebrated. These celebrations are highly festive with women in their Andalucian dresses and men on horseback. People dance Sevillanas, eat, drink and pray in harmony together.

Leaving behind the giant nut pines that overlook Ronda at 2.1 Km. we descend a pronounced slope leading to the hermitage and remains of the recently restored mozarabic church. It is worth visiting and the guide is very informative.

We return to the top of the path down to the church and doubling back we take the path on the left of a gate which makes a steep and stony descent passing a ruined stone farmhouse and entering in Holm Oak woods with their typical undergrowth. We come to the crest of a hill near to a stone threshing ground, overgrown with weeds. Here we take a path which descends on the right meeting another one where we turn left.The tracks may get confusing due to motor cross enthusiasts practising here but we aim to keep on the shoulder ...

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