Cycling from minitown Herreria to maxitown Cordoba, wildcamping

A difficult day, but ending up at a beautiful campspot

2022-09-12

Unfortunately I was not allowed to stay one more night in Herreira, which I would very much liked to have since the monday would be a bad day to cycle. It was ...

Cycling down doesn't mean not-cycling-up. Today I would return to the Rio Guadalquiver, the main river in Andalusia. It has a length of 657 kilometers and streams from the east to the west, and then south, through the Andalusian provinces of Jaén, Córdoba, Sevilla, Huelva en Cádiz. I would cross it just south of Almodovar del Rio, the town I had planned to have my next stop. The Castle of Almodovar del Rio is one of the best in Spain, and that was my goal now.

Once "down" at Almodovar del Rio I would have to cycle upstream again. I badly need some invention (an app maybe ?) to invert that system.

But first I passed a very bad looking almonds and oliveoil-factory, why is it so dirty ? Probably only just because those roofs have no overhang to keep rainwater of the walls.

And is this cotton ???

Pedestrians are not allowed here although there is no other option, so download a helicopter. Reallife politicians would be a better idea, but where to find them ?

I had marked a spot where I would be able to tap fresh water. Plan was to stay a while in Almodavar del Rio since the castle there is an exceptional one. I wanted to visit it, take a lot of time there and a lot of pictures.

Trick is then to stock up with first-aid eat supplies so I will not be forced to go shopping right away that day. Agua ? Check ! And I had already some simple food in stock that I did not need in Herreira. Check.

And then the Castle of Almodovar del Rio showed up .

I neared the town from the south and had marked some potential poi (point of interest) to camp along the river closeby. But all was fenced, and besides that all was a mess here. So I pushed up the very steep railwaybridge to investigate the town more close. But first I took shelter (not) under a tree since now it was really raining. After some 15mins it got a bit more dry and I cycled to the northern outskirt were I also had marked some potential campspots. But that neighborhood was "not very inviting" nor were the many dogs.

I cycled to the centre where I waited for the next rain to end. Then I cycled a road out of town and investigated the socalled Recinto Ferial, the partyarea that you can find in most somewhat larger towns. Unfortunately that was a very open area without any spot to be a bit more stealthy. So that was all, no stay here and no castle, to bad.

Thus I left to continue east, and that would mean I would cycle to Córdoba. And that2 would mean I would have to cycle a lot more kilometers then I liked to do. The best thing yet was that I had marked a lot of potential campspots there, so I was confident I would succeed in finding a nice place. However, the weather was not nice, and so not nice to cycle, and I was now in the area of a major town, which is also not a great situation in general.

Córdoba, is it my 2022 final destination ?

And now I had a strange feeling anyway. Córdoba had actually been in my mind all season long, because I was attracted by all kind of infos I had read. And quite unplanned and unexpected, today would already be the day I would get there. I also had no backup-plan, not mentally nor practically.

About Córdoba

Córdoba has some 340.000 inhabitants which is not a good sign itself. But it has a very rich history and that attracted me for a long(er) stay, maybe even for the whole wintertime. Which ofcourse would be depending on finding a place to rent then temperatures are to low here in that period to camp. For the time being I am totally oké since it is the warmest city in Europe : the temperature rises continuously above 35 °C for months every year.

Córdoba is the third largest city in Andalusia, in southern Spain and it is the capital of the province of Córdoba. The city is located 122 meters above sea level, on the Guadalquivir River and at the foot of the Sierra Morena Mountains.

Córdoba was once one of the most important cities in the world, in the 10th century even the second largest, with an unprecedentedly high population of around 500,000 for that time. It was the capital of the medieval Emirate of Córdoba, later the Caliphate of Córdoba. Numerous monuments have survived from that time, of which the Mezquita is the most famous. Since 1984, the historic center of the city has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The city is the birthplace of philosophers such as Seneca, Averroes and Maimonides. Córdoba is known in culinary circles for its Rabo de Toro dish, a bull's tail stew. As a result of the extensive Spanish colonizations on the American continent, more than 1000 places bear the name Córdoba. The most important of these is Córdoba in Argentina.

Click 🖱️ to open

I cycled 48kms with 233vms (since I am still cycling upstream)and that was about double as much I had planned.

And this is the interactive map of today's YesTrip.

I checked several spots but did not like them, for one way or another.

But that very last spot I had marked was the winner : a very nice and calm spot directly at the Rio Guadalquiver. The only flat spot is in the full sun but there are trees closeby to sit. Cars can hardly or actually not at all drive over here, there is a watertap and a garbagepoint closeby and at least one supermercado.

This spot is located beyond a probably illegally build suburban area (without tarmac roads) that however has very nicelooking houses. There is even an openair-cafe that looks promising and that is at only a 10mins walk. The approximate 6kms to the centre seemed a nice way to me to keep up my cyclingskills at a somewhat acceptable level.

So Cordoba it is, and for how long is now the question.

◀️ ▶️ Route 🖱️ ⏫