Friday 28th March 2025 – Ubeda, Spain

We heard our first Scops owl of the trip last night, I just love the staccato ‘Boop …… Boop ….. Boop …..’ that sounds like a sonar beep and it’s really nice to hear it as you fall asleep.
We headed for Jaen and the parking next to the police station on the edge of the town. A 20 minute walk took us into the centre, mostly uphill. We found the 11^th Century Arab baths found underneath the Villardompardo Palace. Understandably, the baths and museum are a bit of a rabbit warren and it was quite difficult to find our way around but it was interesting and popular with lots of other people trying to avoid getting lost. The museum was an eclectic mix, exhibiting everything from Roman finds and pottery production to 20^th century children’s toys. The architecture of the building was also interesting. Towards the top of the palace was a viewing balcony that gave excellent views over the city.
The cathedral was very impressive, especially the wood carving in the choir and the enormous carved wooden scenes mounted on plinths that were to be paraded through the streets over Easter.
We walked back to the van and drove on to Ubeda to find a space in its busy aire. Many more vans arrived and they were double-parked and spilled out onto the adjoining street.
Photos: The Arab baths; View from the palace balcony; Carving in the cathedral choir; Ready for the Easter parade.

 

Thursday 27th March 2025 – Cabra, Spain

A really good forecast today, so I have got out my bike for the first ride in the five weeks of the trip. I had thought that I would have had many bike rides by now but the weather has made that impossible.
I set off in the opposite direction to our walk yesterday, past the station, around Cabra and then steadily climbing until it reached Dona Menica, the next station on the old railway line. Great views from the line as it climbed over yet more olive groves with the smart farmhouses of the landowners. Just before the station there was a small aire, alongside the line, where a number of vans were pitched. The aire had a barrier and was chargeable but very reasonably priced at €4 per night (€8 with electricity) during the week but slightly more expensive at weekends. The station had again been converted into a restaurant and I stopped for a coffee. They were just lighting the fire in the main restaurant, ready for the lunchtime trade. It was basic but the menu looked good and it would have been really cosy sat by the fire. Outside the station there was a stall set out under a gazebo and it was obvious that it was there to provide refreshments to pilgrims on the Camino.
I continued a little further, now downhill, to the pretty village of Zuheros. The views on this stretch were dramatic and that also applied to Zuheros. The village is halfway up a hill above the railway line and is huddled around a pillar of rock on which are the remains of a castle that was built to defend the pass. I had passed a defensive tower before I got to Dona Menica and I guess that that also belonged to the castle. I have noted Zuheros as a place to visit in the future. It looks really interesting and the views are lovely.
I turned around at this point and headed back to the aire for a late lunch with Jane. On the ride I had seen millions more olive trees and even more wild flowers – it was obvious that the plants were reacting to the long awaited sun and warmer temperatures. There were kestrels and another shy hoopoe with its staccato ‘boo, boo, boo ......’ call – we have heard quite a few of them in Spain but have not managed to see any of them. All along the route there were many charms (flocks) of goldfinches, including two birds that were either fighting or courting, tumbling over each other in the air and making a lot of noise.
In the meantime, Jane had a sort-out and then walked into the town to the tourist information office. The aire has a very good WiFi signal but it is password protected and we had no idea what the password was. The signs at the aire didn’t tell us and there was no information on the web. Jane enquired at the office, to be told that it didn’t work. We couldn’t understand why they would password protect the WiFi at an aire and why they left it powered on when it didn’t work. Still, ot was an excellent aire, so we can’t really complain – Internet access would have been icing on the cake.
Photos: Mile and miles of olive trees; I passed a group of what I assumed were pilgrims until I realised that they were walking in the wrong direction; There was a warning that this tunnel had no lighting and it was nuch darker than this photo suggests; After crossing the border into the Dona Mencia region, these painted bikes were scattered along the route; Views after Dona Mencia; Arriving at Zuheros, the old station is just beyond the bridge; The rock and castle of Zuheros.

Wednesday 26th March 2025 – Cabra, Spain

We wanted to walk on the old railway line when we were in Cabra before but the weather was just too bad. The forecast for today was definitely for no rain, so we decided to walk and we set off away from the town. The route is known as the Oil Train Line as it served to collect olive oil from the extensive olive groves in the area. We had already travelled huge distances through olive groves and today’s walk was no exception. We walked for three and a half hours, with lots of wild flowers, rivers, rabbits, butterflies, a hoopoe, a peacock and a herd of goats. These were the first goats that we had seen in Cabra, which was surprising at Cabra is the Spanish for goat. We crossed ravines where torrents flowed in the winter but, despite all of the rain that we have had, they were dry now. Needless to say, we saw millions of olive trees, the groves stretching off into the distance.
We turned around and reversed our route, passing the aire and walking a little further to the old Cabra railway station. The local council have renovated the station and converted it into a café and restaurant. This part of the Oil Train trail is also on one of the Santiago Camino routes and we saw a number of pilgrims on our walk. The station restaurant must be a welcome stop for the pilgrims and it was for us. We had a Menu del Dia there and, although it wasn’t the best quality that we have had, it was incredible value at €10 (£8.50) for 3 course, bread and a beer or wine.
The third day running of no rain! This is a record as we have not had more than two days without rain for the whole of this trip.
Photos: One of the ravines; Goats from Cabra; Pruning olive trees is hard work and the workers need to have a break – in a rocking chair!; Steam loco outside Cabra station; Walking home.