ANDALUSIA - STAGE 1 - EL ROCIO / DONAÑA

¡Por demanda popular, por mis amigos, en serio!

Tour of Andalusia 2022 - racing what racing!? That hole that needed filling, had gnawed away for a while…racing has been great, unplanned and the results I suppose unexpected, initially..but it was never enough….there was always an emptiness, those close to me knew…but that DNA kept me persevering and of course the success did….

To fill that hole is quite multi faceted, first easy, “release, release”, pack in racing, done ✅, and then two, certainly was getting back to a more diverse way of life….so first stop to my second ( first?) home in Mallorca, 2 weeks planned was perfect…catching up with friends, making new…beer, scuba, beer, hiking, kayaking, beer, “tried” running (jogging)…oh, and some cycling and even a date! Vida Perfecto! 

Then COVID hit…fvcker….delayed stage two by two weeks, annoying and dispiriting at the time, after such a great start….we have these dips, life’s generally good, sometimes we don’t think so though….

I’ve always had an urge to travel…initially Central America was the goal…but firstly cost increased (thanks Liz Truss) and that confidence, travelling solo! So the plan was a test…much cheaper, more local and as such, an easy escape home if required, and then the World?

So a single ticket to Sevilla, with no immediate end date - a tour of Andalusia, the best climate in mainland Spain. A rough itinerary (starting west in the Huelva region) and basic rules: no more than 2 nights in one place, and no accommodation booking more than one step ahead….

The Donaña National Park is a renowned wetland, in fact the largest in Europe, for birds and the Iberian Lynx….or it was, no one told me….the wetland is pretty much dried out, there hasn’t been significant water for seven years - I want my money back! However a tour was still interesting, my guide Javier, made it so, we saw some decent stuff…and over a beer after - I asked where he had learnt such good English….Scotland was the reply, he chose to live there, to get away from any Spanish communities, so he was fully immersed in English, living in Scotland, really?! Well, it worked!

The other side to this visit, was some friends recommended checking out a small town called El Rocio…I chose my two nights there….I arrived in the dark (staying in the most minimalist hostel, clean and functional though)….was I the only resident? All the streets are sand (naturally in situ), and for most of the year no one lives there….horses are a common mode of transport….and the architecture of the town was really interesting, combo of Moorish and Christian…all the bars had high tables…for the horsemen (women 🙄) to have a beer / glass of wine without dismounting - it really was a cowboy town….it grew on me, my host recommended a couple of bars and restaurants….yep, I like this….👍

Just after Easter every year, El Rocio comes alive, there is a pilgrimage from Sevilla through Donaña of wait for it, 1/2 million people, the town is a collaboration owned by over 200 “brotherhoods” (a Catholic thing 😊)….they party for 2 weeks (well, as Javier informed, 90% party and the rest take the religious part a little more seriously)…..every year several horses die, and animal rights (correctly I guess) attempt to challenge the horse inclusion…

I left with fondness….as I guess Christopher Columbus did….

He went west to discover the New World from El Rocio, I went east….to discover Cadiz…..🤷‍♂️😊

TBC 🥰