DAY 5 - BARBATE to CONIL DE LA FRONTERA - Saturday 27 April 2024

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As it was raining this morning,  we elected to take the bike path out of Barbate instead of the GR to keep as dry and mud free as possible. The bike path was easy and we were the only ones on it at that time. 

After about 10 kilometres we came to the village of Los Caños de Meca, where we had a coffee stop. This gave gus a chance to dry out a bit and practise a little more Spanish with the waitress.

We continued along a footpath beside the road to Cape Trafalgar.  Although the last part was challenging because of deep sand, there were quite a few other people about.  As well as the prominent lighthouse, there was a plaque noting the date of the Battle of Trafalgar and lamenting the futility of wars.

Here we joined the GR again for a long walk along the beach. We came out at El Palmar de Vejer, which consisted mostly of a strip of surf shops. We sat on the fence and watched the various brightly coloured groups being taught how to surf while we ate our ham rolls.

We continued along the beach till we came to a marshy area and an old brick watchtower that is now a favourite haunt of nesting birds.  We were excited to see the rare Northern Bald Ibis (identified from the signpost).

We could see the white town of Conil de la Frontera on the hill getting closer for quite some time.  Just before we crossed the river,  we saw a mural of the special Andalusian cows that apparently wander the beach area, though we didn't actually see any cows.

Leaving Barbate in the rain
Leaving Barbate in the rain
Walking on the Veloroute 8, in the rain
Coffee in Los Caños de Meca, out of the rain
Cape Trafalgar, with its sandy road and lighthouse
Beach walking from Cape Trafalgar to El Palmar de Vejer
Interesting fixtures at the beach 
Holiday town of El Palmar de Vejer
Lunch watching the local surf schools, El Palmar de Vejer
The white town of Conil de la Frontera. Torre de Castilnovo in the foreground. 
A couple of birds
Pleasant background scenery
Cow mural on the way in to Conil de la Frontera
Coming in to Conil de la Frontera
Day 5 -Map

Day:                                5
Distance:                       27.32 km
Walking time:               5 hrs 57 mins
Elevation gain:             411 metres
Cumulative distance:  75.25 km

Comments

  1. Murray and Sandra3 May 2024 at 03:13

    Birds this time: Northern Bald Ibis and, I think, Jackdaw. I'm using your photos to practice my European bird identification skills ahead of our trip (we leave on Sunday). .. but we won't see Northern Bald Ibis. It's basically a North African bird that has been the subject of a conservation effort to reintroduce/recover it in southern Spain

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aussie Slow Travellers3 May 2024 at 06:49

      Thanks for the identification Murray - have a great trip!

      Delete

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