The Rough Road to Córdoba

Friday morning and we took our leave of camping Batan de Monjas and forded the river on route for the small town of Alanis and then Cordoba. There was a scenic drive signed from Alanis which promised 55km of great views across the hills and valleys of the Sierra Norte – the promise was fulfilled but there was a catch!

As we left Alanis the road surface become rather uneven and rutted. We were not too alarmed as the A roads we had used thus far had proved excellent, even if a little narrow, the road surface had always been good. After a few kilometres of rattle and bump, rarely out of second gear and travelling at no more than 15mph we began to lose confidence but as the scenery was spectacular we decided to press on. Big mistake? Well not really.

This was simply the most difficult road we had travelled, the surface was awful, it was narrow, it twisted and turned with no safety barriers and there were rock falls but as we climbed out of one valley and into the next we were treated to great views across the wooded hills of the Natural Parque. It was a little disturbing that nobody else seemed to be using the same road and that there was so little evidence of any civilisation. During the first 40km we saw only one other vehicle, a large lorry, and one other person, its driver. Fortunately we met on a piece of road where passing was possible – the chances of this were very small. After about 25km a sign announced that we now entering the jurisdiction of Córdoba and that the road surface was bad. We laughed saying to each other that it could not get much worse – we were wrong! It was simply an appalling road and nobody in the right mind would use it – clearly they don’t!!!

So that was the catch but after 30km we were greeted by a splendid piece of serendipity and one of the most spectacular sights we have seen. Rounding one the endless bends we saw a flock of 40 or 50 Griffon Vultures circling a nearby hilltop – we stopped to get a better view and saw what we thought were two Black Vultures in the flock - this was a first for us. These birds are one of the largest in the world and are nicknamed the flying planks because of their size and the way they glide on the thermals with massive, flat, outstretched wings. As we started off again we disturbed another group of birds as big as the first which flew off to join them as a single, large, circling flock.

These vultures continued to circle, rising on the thermals and seemed to be following us – perhaps hapless travellers were their preferred source of food. The flock disappeared after a while and as we rounded a bend we saw that they had landed and were grouped together on a hillside just ahead of us. As we stopped to watch we were able to confirm 4 Black Vultures amongst the Griffons.

The hills were becoming less wooded and less mountainous. We crossed and re-crossed rivers but could see that the end of our journey was in sight. Eventually, 40km and 2 hours from Alanis we came to a sign that announced an improvement scheme for the road behind us and were able to enjoy the result of the money spent so far on resurfacing the remaining 15km. Quite an experience.

The rest of the trip to Córdoba seemed rather dull – we travelled across the plains to the North and West of the city which are dotted with volcanic plugs and the occasional coal mine. Eventually, by mid-afternoon, we reach the village of Villafranca de Córdoba and pull into a site which seems positively crowded compared to what we have become used. The sun was out the weather was warm and a bus leaves for Córdoba at 9:30 in the morning - we plan to be on it.