Considering we were going to have a bit of R&R for a few days, it feels like we’ve been quite busy… getting to know the local area around Siete Pilas where our latest accommodation is…

Apparently, there is a spring nearby which is the reason for the Siete Pilas Farmstead being here. The house in which we are staying is probably 1 of around maybe 10 properties which are strewn along the 1km track we travel down from the main road so it’s a bit of a guess! We haven’t gone searching for the spring yet – and it’s not obvious where it is but apparently the place is named after the Pilas de Calabrian (the Calabrian Pools) or Calabrinca, a rest area for livestock, placed around a spring and its drinking trough. The area is well known as a good water-source as it often rains – we haven’t seen any of that either, although we did have a couple of spits yesterday. There is definitely a lot of farm life around us though – chickens, turkeys, horses, cats, dogs, sheep, goats… there’s always something making itself heard! It’s quite noticeable, say in the middle of the day when it’s at its hottest, when every animals seems to be having a siesta and then the peace and quiet is something else – lovely!

The nearest town to us is Cortes de la Frontera – we can see this straight across the valley from us – it doesn’t seem that far away but by car, it’s 11kms – I think that’s probably 3 miles down the hill and then 3 miles up the other side! Where we are staying is at approximately 565metres (about 1850 feet) so there’s still a fairly steep hill to the bottom where the Guadario River… the first river we have seen in Spain with actual water in it! 🤣🤣🤣

Cortes de la Frontera is a small town with approximately 4000 residents – it has two small supermarkets, a church and, weirdly for us but maybe less so for the Spanish, it’s own bull ring… it’s origins date back to the time of the Phoenicians around 12th century BC but it has also seen Greeks, Romans and the Moors pass through and influenced how it is today… according to the t’internet, the town was an important fortress on the border between the Christian Kingdoms and the Territories under Muslim rule (probably why it includes the term “frontera” in it’s name??) and, in the 15th century, after being conquered by Christian troops during the Reconquista, it became a strategic town in the defence of the border between the Kingdom of Granada and the Crown of Castile… so much history – our Aedan would love it!

On our first day here, we had a good look around the town as we stocked up on essential supplies – here’s some photos:

Walks…

We have had a few walks out which have been really lovely… one along a path we found that follows the Guadario River from the small village in the bottom of the valley (Canada de Real Tesoro – approximately 500 residents and where the Cortes de la Frontera train station is)…

Down in the valley, it’s quite luscious and green – they say it’s because of the amount of rainfall that they get in the area and that it’s this that makes it different to other parts of Malaga, which we know from previous visits, is quite dry and arid.

We enjoyed our walk yesterday (17 September) foraging along the way – blackberries and figs (Jane, you were right, the green figs are delicious!) so much we decided to do the same one today but in the opposite direction! Luckily, the last two days have had some cloud cover so the walking has been quite cool. The amount of Cork Oaks (this area is famous for them… had no idea you got cork from an oak but apparently, you can “harvest” the bark of the tree every 9-12 years… who knew!?) also gives much needed shade too and, being fairly close to the river helps…

Earlier today, I had a lovely FaceTime call with my Mum – thanks everyone at the Raikes for making that possible! So here’s some flower pics from our walks for her… love you Mum!

Tomorrow we are off to Ronda on the train! It only takes 45 minutes instead of the 1.5 hours in the car so we thought we’d give that a go – am hoping the scenery on the way will be amazing… more to follow soon! Haste luego amigos! Xxx 😘