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100 km - 1 1/2 hours
Leave Cordoba
on the NIV motorway following signs for Sevilla. The road climbs
out of the plains of the River Guadalquivir. After 15km take the
right fork N331 for Antequera. This road is one of the last remaining
major routes in Andalucia which is not yet dual carriageway. Take
your time and don't be impatient to overtake!
The rolling hills are farmed with grain,
sunflowers, olives, vines and more sunflowers. May is perhaps the
prettiest month when the sunflowers are in full bloom. If you are
interested in ceramics, visit the village of La Rambla.
If you are interested in Montilla
wine then visit the bodegas in the village of Montilla
which can be seen in a ridge a few km to the east of the main route.
Continue south on the N331 crossing
rolling meadows. Descend and cross the river Anzar. At km 90 look
out for the church of the village of Encina Reales on the skyline.
The main road still passes through this village. Slow down.
You then descend and cross the deep
gorge of the River Genil which is flowing north west (curiously
not south to the coast) from Granada to meet the mighty River Guadalquivir.
A new curved steel bridge whisks us across the gorge.
A little further south a lofty clock
tower breaks the horizon at the village of Aguilar.
The road skirts the town.
After Aguilar only a few km off the
road you can take the C329 to the natural area of the Las Lagunas
de Zonar .
Turn off the road just before Lucena
on the A430 for the village of Cabra where the famous Gipsy festival
is held in May each year. This road leads into the Natural Park
of the Sierra de Subbetica and the town of Priego de Cordoba. Before
Cabra branch of the A340 onto the A316 for the interesting villages
of Zuheros , Luque and Baena.
Lucena
is the most famous town in Andalucia for furniture. Local cottage
industry craftsmanship does still exist but you are more likely
to find modern factory showrooms selling direct to the public at
very reasonable prices.
If you take the A331 you will reach
the village of Rute. Thanks to its abundant supply of pure water
from the hills and "matalahuga" (seeds from the aniseed
plant) the town has developed a thriving aniseed liqueur (anis)
industry. You can find out all about the anise industry at the Museo
de Anís in the town, and get a chance to sample it before
you purchase. The 'aguardiente' is very strong, be careful! If you
are going to put the liqueurs- and there are lots of different flavours,
including coffee, spearmint, cherry, caramel, pacharan (sloe)- through
their paces, you could always book into the charming Hotel Maria
Luisa first. There are two other museums of interest to visit in
Rute, the Museo de Jamon (traditional ham) and the Museo De Dulces
de Navidad (Christmas sweetmeats famous throughout Spain.) Just
outside the town on the road to Iznajar you can visit a donkey sanctuary
set up to try and preserve the threatened giant Andaluz donkey.
The redoubtable Pascual, who's always pleased to see visitors, dedicates
his life to the thirty or so donkeys currently in the sanctuary.
Continuing south on this road, you
will pass the village of Iznajar, which overlooks the massive Iznajar
reservoir. A good road connects the village with the motorway to
the south. On the way we pass the entrance to the exclusive Hotel
Bobadilla, one of the most luxurious in Southern Europe. It was
originally a huge country estate. The drive from the main gate to
the hotel itself is several miles long. A little further south notice
the little aerodrome by the road at km 115.
A very long straight road now leads
us to the A92 Seville - Granada Motorway.
For Seville take the slip road on the
right just before the motorway. For Granada and Malaga take the
sharp turning on the right immediately after crossing over the motorway.
Be careful, as this one is easy to miss particularly at night. Continue
straight on for the town of Antequera
itself.
Antequera is known as the crossroads
of Andalucia. Look out for the so-called Lovers Rock, Peña
de los Enamorados, a striking rocky hill standing alone to the
east of the motorway towards Malaga. The name comes from a local
legend about an impossible love affair between a young Christian
man from Antequera and a beautiful Moorish girl from nearby Archidona,
who were driven to the top of the cliff by the Moorish soldiers.
Rather than renounce their love, they chose to hurl themselves into
the abyss.
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