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APRIL 2019 • BACKROADS
Day-Tripping Around
Costa del Sol words and images: Kimi Ceridon y husband and I were greeted by overcast skies and a pleasant 60°F as we exited the airport in Málaga Spain. It was a welcome reprieve from the previous four days spent in Oslo’s subzero, icy conditions. Since we crossed the pond to visit my Norwegian in-laws for the holidays, I decided to tack a fairer weather motorcycling adventure onto our trip. Southern Spain was the southernmost europe destination with reasonably priced airfare and lodging. So, we headed to Costa del Sol – “The Coast of the Sun” – for a winter riding retreat.
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I’ll be honest; I knew very little about Andalusia. It is the region of Spain spanning from Portugal to Cala Cerrada along the Mediterranean Coast to the south and the mountain ranges Sierra Morena and Cordillera Bética to the north, encompassing the cities of Sevilla, Málaga, Córdoba, and Granada. It is a geographically diverse region with pine-forested mountains, arid plains and lowlands, irrigated farmland and sparkling beaches. It is also a region chock-full of early civilization historical sites. The name, Andalusia, comes from the Moors who were early inhabitants of the al-Andalus region. They built magnificent fortresses, bridges and other architecture throughout the region. Given the number of cities to visit, historical sites to see and the impressive diversity of the terrain in Andalusia, it seemed our last-
minute reservations were perfect for six days of motorcycling bliss. Hispania Tours, a BMW Motorrad Partner, picked us up at Málaga Airport. Although they offered guided and self-guided regional tours, we decided to carve out our own six-day adventure. I consulted a Michelin Road Map and a few online motorcycle route-planning websites before settling on a single house rental for the duration of the trip. The map’s scenic roads were colored green, and they suggested that motorcycle routes were spread out like strands of spiderweb all over the region. even without taking a big 1400-km circle tour of Andalusia there was no shortage or good riding roads in every direction. We based ourselves in the town of Alhaurín de Grande, which is a small town in the foothills of the Baetic Cordillera 30 minutes northwest of Málaga by the highway. From here, we had quick access to small twisty mountain roads, bigger sweepers and highways to cities. Our rental Finca (small ranch house) had a gated driveway and a big deck for lazing away post-ride evenings. Since the nights were cool and we didn’t bring heated gear, we decided our days would consist of leisurely breakfasts and later starts to allow time for the sun to warm the air. Then, we’d ride until we reached a destination for a big Spanish midday meal, la comida, which typically doesn’t start until noon. After a late lunch, we’d get back to our Finca around sunset and enjoy a homecooked meal accompanied by a glass or two of Spanish wine. We unpacked our suitcases, loaded up our bikes and hit the road, but not before the wise advice of Sebastian at the rental agency, “Rotaries are really slick, so don’t lean into them.” Naturally, we hit the first rotary a mere 600 meters from their garage. So much for a “get familiar with your new ride” period. After carefully (and successfully, I might add) taking on the not-re-