Sometimes you wish you’d given yourself more time in one place and less in another and this was certainly the case with Cazorla - I could have done with at least another night. Of course the weather can rubbish any changes you think you have made for the better, 24-7 weather forecasts notwithstanding. Setting off for the modern parador in Cazorla we knew we were in for a more upmarket experience than we’d had so far. What I didn’t entirely expect was how far from Cazorla the Cazorla parador is – a very squiggly squiggle on the map doesn’t mean that much unless you’re an expert in map scales.
In fact, if we’d been able to run down the hill, Cazorla probably wouldn’t have been that far away but it was not a hill you’d want to run down under any circumstances. So as you can imagine the drive up to the parador was spectacular and almost alpine. But first things first.
After leaving Guadix, our first rest stop was at Embalse de Negratin, one of the many large reservoirs we flew over/passed in Andalucia that are an amazing bright blue-green colour as a result of invasive algae if Richard’s reading of Spanish is correct. It looks like these dams might function to supply both power and water for agriculture – note to self: must check on return.
"Grande" landscapes
The scenery on the way to Cazorla was “grande” as one might imagine given that it is close to a Natural Park (there are also National Parks). Cazorla itself is a pretty, whitewashed town perched on the mountainside and overlooked by a ruined castle in a most precarious position above it. We did not climb to the castle (La Iruela), excusing ourselves on the grounds of being of official retirement age. But I do marvel at the engineering construction and wealth that seems to have been part and parcel of the various waves of development in this region of Spain. So much is still standing and looks as if it’s been cared for over the centuries.We sat in the main plaza under the trees below the castle and in the shadow of the Moorish Castillo de la Yedra) and learned valuable lunch lessons. Just because the individual dishes seem reasonably priced and you’re having the ½ raciones, don’t assume the quantity of food is small. A portion of Jamon is a plateful of ham often large enough for a group of six or eight to share as a starter. Vegetables often come with eggs so I thought I was ordering asparagus (a crop of the region) but in fact I was ordering a major portion of scrambled eggs with a little asparagus.
Wild animals roam free
High overhead above the peak, you could see the lammergeiers circling and it is a tribute to Spanish eco management that they have returned to the area after facing complete extinction.After lunch we continued on to the Parador de Cazorla winding around the mountain on a route that took us through more villages perched on steep hillsides and gave us spectacular views and panoramas of the surrounding countryside and rocky peaks and villages or farmhouses in the valleys below. There is plenty of scope for hiking and they have several of what they call refuges (shelters for hikers to stay in overnight). Wild animals in the area include mouflon, wild boars and ibex.
The Parador de Cazorla is one of those old-fashioned country hotels that is clearly best in the cold weather when wood panelling, log fires and early nightfall lure guests into the cosy sitting room and bar. The dining room was country elegant and the food and service good. The Swiss might feel reasonably at home here.
FitBit: not happy
We set off to do the two-hour walk up the mountain in lovely natural pine forests but had only gone about half a kilometre when large raindrops, heavy grey skies and the distant rumble of thunder were enough of a warning to us not to risk a Roger and Dorothy experience with only a Mars bar and bottle of water between us.I was very sorry to leave the next morning but we had another opportunity to take in the splendid panorama in full sun and a moment watching the lammergeiers soaring overhead. The wild flowers were glorious and in fact there have frequently been meadow flowers including bright red poppies along the way. I love the Spanish countryside.
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