After some months reading the webpage of the Transandalus route, finally we decided to attemp some of their stages.

 

Crossing Doñana Beach. 30 km of sand and see.

 

The Transandalus is a round route arround Andalucia. It is design and organiced by a group of mountain bikers, and as they say, it is tough for lovers of the mountain bike and dirt tracks. It is not an easy route for cycloturist with paniers.

Finding your way it is quite difficult, I would say impossible without a GPS, and in many stretches it uses very narrow paths that can not be cycle unless you are a very skilled mountain biker. It technical and phisically demanding.

 

Therfore, a couple of times, we decided to leave the original Transandalus route and look for local roads. They were not less picturesque and much easier to ride !

 

Even if Andalucia has reasonable good temperatures during winter, in the Aracena mountains you can be close to 0ºC. Close to Jabugo was not only cold but raining, so we decided to shorten our route taking a train to Calañas.

 

En the attached map and in the Google Earth and GPS tracks we have reflected some of the variants that we used rather than the Transandalus original route. This route is more adequate for panier cycloturist, and you can ride at 100% without getting off your bike. Also in the description of the stages we have included some additional alternatives by local routes that would make the travel less hard. Dotted lines in the map mean travel by train.

If you want to see the original Transandalus route, we recomend you to visit their very good web page: http://www.transandalus.org/

 

 

 

 

Stage 1 - Sevilla to Santa Olalla del Cala

 

 

Sevilla is always a good starting point for a trip in Andalucia. It is a city worth to spend a few days.

 

From Sevilla you can follow the "Ruta de la Plata" (another famous bycicle route in Spain)to the North into the Aracena Mountains until you reach Almaden. There you take the "Transandalus" to the West and it will take you to Santa Olaya del Cala

 

Warning: The stretch of "La Ruta de la Planta after Guillena is quite difficult to do by bike. You can walk or take the nearby road, but this alternative is much longer.

 

	After some kilometers of dirt track the route takes a local road, crosses Castillo Blance, and takes a dirt trakc again. If you feel tired or prefer paved roads, you can continue also in the same road to Almaden, and you will not need to climb "El Calvario" hill.   From Almaden to Santa Olalla there is a very nice and quiet local road with good views of the mountains.
Mountains between Almaden and Santa Olalla

 

 

Stage 2 - from Santa Olalla del Cala to Aracena

 

 

From Santa Olalla you have to take the dirt track to the old mines of Cala. You must cross several fences, but don't worry, the fences are there to avoid cattle to move, but tracks are public and you have the right to open the fence and continue your way ahead ... but please, close the fence after you, or farmers will get angry and end closing the fences with padlocks.

 

We had cold and rainy day, with a lot of mud and water, but even tough we enjoy it !

 

Track to Aracena	Close to the Cala mines

 

	After a steep descent, when you arrive to the surrounding of a reservoir, you will find a local road to Puerto Moral, Corte Concepcion and finally Aracena.   Aracene is the capital of the region, and under the town is the famous cave called "Las Maravillas". More them 100 meter depth, it is a remarcable visit. There are guided tours all day long.
Las Maravillas cave

 

 

Stage 3 - from Aracena to Jabugo / El Repilado (and by train to Calañas)

 

 

The Transandalus route leaves Aracena by a complicated path, that becomes even more complicated after Fuenteheridos. Thus, we chosed to take the road to Castaño de Robledo. The road rises more than the original route, but it is very nice and quiet.

 

The same road will take you to the town of Jabugo, that gives name to the best type of spanish cured ham (a delicatesen !!!). The train station of Jabugo is "El Repilado", and it is a few kilometers far away from the town. There we took our train to Calañas

 

Close to Fuenteheridos	Pigs and holm oaks in Jabugo. Secret for the delicious ham is keeping a special breed of pigs free in the countriside and a diet based on acorns

 

Calañas is not a nice town, and there is not much to do there, but at least everybody was friendly and we had a nice dinner there.

 

 

Stage 4 - from Calañas toMoguer

 

 

From Calañas take a dirt track paralell to the railway that will take you into some forested hills. It had been raining in the last days, so we struggle a lot to go uphill in a track full of mud. Afortonatelly, after some kilometers the track ends on a paved road, then you have to turn left. The road was in a very poor condition, but in any case better than the muddy track. The road will take you to the top of a hill from which you have to descent to a reservoir leaving a quarry to your left. Later this road ends into a main road that will take you to Sotiel. From Sotiel you can follow the road paralell to the Otiel River until you reach the Greenway "Los Molinos del Agua", or you can turn left to Valverde, and then take the Greenway from its starting point.

 

 

	The Greenway will take you to Trigueros and then ends under an ugly motorway nearby Huelva city. From there you can cross the Tinto River and in a few kilometers you will be in Moguer. Home of the Novel Price of literature Juan Ramon Jimenez.
Our bikes after a day riden on mud.

 

 

Stage 5- from Moguer to Matalascañas

 

 

From Moguer the route reaches the sea at Mazagon, and continous following a bike path parallel to the coast until Matalascañas.

 

Every few meters there are small paths that will take you the nice beaches and cliffs. Take as many as you can; most of them are worth visiting; Playa del Loro, cuesta Maneli, etc.

 

Surroundings of Doñana National Park	Loro Beach

 

Cuesta Maneli	This part of the Spanish coast is known as the cost of the light !

 

The day ends in Matalascañas, a touristic complex that in winter is a gosht town.

 

 

Stage 6- from Matalascañas to Sanlucar de Barrameda

 

 

In Matalascañas starts Doñana National Park. There are no road and riding inside the park is not allowed. The only route you can follow are the 30km of virgin beach that will take you the the Malagar point, at the estuary of the Guadalquivir.

 

To cross the Doñana beach it is very important to take into account the tide. The best is to start about one hour before the low tide, and ride your bike over the wet sand that is drying. This will give you 4 or 5 hours of decent riding. If you try to cross the beach when there is high tide, you will not be able to ride on the beach sand, and 30km are too much walk pushing your bike ...

 

When you arrive to Malagar point, you need to take a barge to cross to Sanlucar de Barrameda at the other shore of the estuary of the Guadalquivir river.

Remember to ask the day before about the timetable of the barge.

 

This stage is extremily beatifull, but it can be hard specially of you travel with a lot of weight. 30 kilometers riding on sand are much harder than on a road or track, but the remarkable experience it is worth the efforts.

 

REsting in Doñana beach	Doñana

 

Crossing the Guadalquivir in the barge	Sanlucar de Barrameda from the Guadalquivir River

 

 

Stage 7- from Sanlucar de Barrameda to Puerto de Sta Maria

 

 

 

	From Sanlucar de Barrameda we visited the port of Santa Maria. A nice town with an important port, and from there we took a train back to Sevilla.
Puerto de Santa Maria

 

 

Last two days in Sevilla .... without the bike !

 

 

Plaza de Espaņa	La torre del Oro

 

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	por pepefeo	29.08.2009
	Muy bueno el reportaje, me dejais sorprendido de la vuelta tan maja que os habeis pegao. La trasandalus será una de mis primeras actividades una vez que quede libre en la empresa. Si os apetece podemos hacer juntos unas cuantas etapas. Un abrazo y a seguir pedaleando. A ver si coincidimos en alguna por Zaragoza pepe..

 

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