After the Maratón de Estepona: Ronda
The Route: Estepona → San Pedro de Alcántara → Ronda → Málaga Airport Logistics: Coastal bus to San Pedro, then the Avanza mountain bus to Ronda. Two nights, then a bus to Málaga and the train to the airport. Marathon Month: October Duration: 2 nights
Estepona ──(about 20 mins bus)──> San Pedro de Alcántara ──(about 1 hr 10 mins Avanza)──> Ronda (2 nights)
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Málaga Airport (AGP) ◄──(about 12 mins Cercanías C1)── Málaga ◄──(about 2 hrs bus)────┘
The Maratón de Estepona is run at sea level. Ronda sits at about 750 m in the mountains behind the coast, 50 km inland, on a plateau that the Guadalevín river has cut in two with a gorge called El Tajo. The road up from San Pedro de Alcántara climbs through the Serranía de Ronda in a long series of bends. For a runner, the good news is that the parts of Ronda worth seeing are on top of the cliffs, and the tops are flat.
October in Ronda is one of the best months to visit. Afternoons are usually in the low twenties and much fresher than the coast, and evenings are cool enough for a jacket. The summer day-trip crowds have thinned, although the bridge is busy at midday. The first autumn rain can arrive in late October.
From Estepona, take a coastal bus east to San Pedro de Alcántara, about 20 minutes. Avanza runs a few buses a day from San Pedro to Ronda, taking about an hour and ten minutes for a few euros; departures in recent timetables were late morning and late afternoon. Plan the connection the day before, as there are only four or so each day.
Night One: The bridge and the clifftop
The Puente Nuevo spans the gorge between the old Moorish town, La Ciudad, and the eighteenth-century Mercadillo quarter. It was finished in 1793 after four decades of work and stands on piers rising from the bottom of the gorge, more than 100 m below. The best views of it are from the paths along the cliff edge on both sides, which are paved and level.
The Alameda del Tajo, a park on the Mercadillo side, ends at a railed balcony hanging over the drop, with a view across the valley to the mountains. The walk from the Alameda along the Paseo de los Ingleses to the bridge is flat and about a kilometre. It is the recovery walk.
The Plaza de Toros of the Real Maestranza, opened in 1785, is a few steps from the Alameda. It is one of the oldest bullrings in Spain and has a museum in its stands; the visit is on the flat.
Where to stay: The Parador de Ronda, in the former town hall, sits on the edge of the gorge beside the Puente Nuevo, with rooms looking down into it. Hotel Catalonia Ronda, near the bullring and the Alameda, is on level ground close to everything in the Mercadillo.
Where to eat: Tragatá, near the bullring, is the tapas bar of the chef Benito Gómez: small plates, a counter and no fuss.
Night Two: The old town and the way down
Crossing the bridge into La Ciudad, the old town, the streets become narrow and uneven, with slopes and few steps. The Palacio de Mondragón, a Moorish and Renaissance palace, and the Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor are within a few hundred metres of the bridge.
The paths down into the gorge, to the Arab baths at the bottom or the viewpoint below the bridge, are steep with long flights of steps. On the second day after a marathon, many runners will manage the walk down but find the climb back up hard. Take a taxi back up if needed, or save the gorge floor for another visit.
Where to eat: Bardal, the same chef's restaurant near the bullring, holds Michelin stars and serves a long tasting menu of mountain produce. It needs booking weeks ahead and suits a final-night celebration.
Getting Home
Buses run from Ronda's bus station to Málaga, taking about two hours. From Málaga's centre, Cercanías line C1 reaches Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP) in about 12 minutes. Alternatively, retrace the route to San Pedro and take the Avanza airport bus along the coast. Allow the best part of three hours door to door.