Road and blanket... and hat!
Little did we imagine a few months ago that this trip to Thailand would be replaced by a route by car to the town of your childhood or to the nearest beach.
The current health crisis has transformed a tourism sector that this summer of 2020 has found in the car travel one of the main tricks of the season in order to continue traveling without giving up security. However, there is life beyond the typical path between curves for no apparent reason. Because if you open your eyes wide, in the ruts of the road you will find secret towns, movie sets and even croquettes instead of breadcrumbs so you don't get lost. Or well, maybe a little yes.
These following road trips through Spain have a base distance to which to add possible accommodation and some extra kilometers that reserve more than one surprise. Because Jack Kerouac already said it: “We still had a long way to go. But we didn't care: the road is life".
It's time to make a road trip through Spain
TROPICAL ROAD TRIP
- • Point: Mojacar (Almeria)
- • Arrival point: Nerja (Malaga)
- • Distance in km: 304km
- • Road song: Cumbia over the sea, by Quantic
Us looking to do canopy in the jungles of Costa Rica or ride an elephant in Laos without knowing that in Spain we also have a Costa Tropical that covers a large part of the Granada coastline.
But before, some desert to better appreciate the contrast: We start from the whitewashed Mojácar and cross the Natural Park of Cabo de Gata, in Almería, with the possibility of swimming in some of its beaches (San José can be a good base camp), or a walk through Níjar and its jarapas markets.
After leaving the village of Adra behind, we enter through eroded roads on the beaches of Motril or Salobreña and avocado tree fields that hatch in Almuñécar, another possible stop. If you can, connect with the beaches of the Cantarriján Natural Park, peek at the Maro waterfall and finish in Nerja, the town of a whole generation that still whistles the Blue Summer symphony through its streets.
Salobreña, the jewel of the Tropical Coast of Granada.
ROAD TRIP OF THE LIGHTHOUSES
- • Point: A Coruna
- • Arrival point: Finistere
- • Distance in km: 238 km
- • Road song: Maria Soliña, by Carlos Núñez
Is there anything better than a lighthouse to guide you on your route? It can, but it would not be typical of an adventure in Galician lands. If you have already tasted the best octopus at the fair in A Coruña and looked for the sunset on the crystalline facades of its Atlantic avenues, the famous Tower of Hercules will indicate where your next adventure begins.
Since the oldest Roman lighthouse in the world, We take the road heading south until we reach the Punta Nariga Lighthouse, in the middle of the Costa da Morte.
From here, we continue along the coast until we reach the delicious fishing village of Camariñas, where the Cabo Vilán lighthouse, the oldest electric lighthouse in Spain, awaits in one of the most rugged areas of our country.
The last section includes two options: either bordering the coast through the unknown enclaves of Mugia and Lires or returning to Vimianzo towards Cape Finisterre, where the Fisterra lighthouse still lights up the hundreds of pilgrims that link Santiago de Compostela with our own end of the world.
The bench on Lapa beach, near the Tower of Hercules
ALMODOVAR ROAD TRIP
- • Point: Almagro (Real City)
- • Arrival point: Madrid
- • Distance in km: 632km
- • Road song: Back, played by Estrella Morente
A lot of the great scenes of Pedro Almodóvar's universe took place on four wheels: from Marco and Ludia's last conversation in Talk to her, to the 'mission' of a desperate Raimunda heading to her town from Madrid in Volver.
If in your case, you are also a fan of Almodóvar's cinema, you can opt for a different comeback after a holiday on the Mediterranean coast.
we start in Almagro, home to the most important classical theater festival in Spain and the place where Almodóvar shot some scenes of Volver. From here, we connect with the streets of saffron and solitude of Granátula de Calatrava, also the scene of the film starring Penélope Cruz, and Calzada de Calatrava, birthplace of the most international manchego. An extra section to check that La Mancha Airport in Ciudad Real was the same one where Los Mistresses Passengers landed and, if you feel like it, return via La Quinta de Maribel, the Toledo palace where Elena Anaya was locked up by Antonio Banderas in The Skin I Live In.
By the time we arrive in Madrid via Avenida América, Carmen Maura may still be moaning from a balcony next to Plaza de Las Ventas, wondering "What have I done to deserve this?" ** The rest of Madrid in Almodóvoría could become the definitive plan for this summer. **
Almagro Comedy Corral
ROAD TRIP OF THE VOLCANOES
- • Point: Corralejo (Fuerteventura)
- • Arrival point: Boat Beach
- • Distance in km: 128km
- • Road song: Islands by The xx
The island of Fuerteventura supposes a unique destination where you can get lost among sleeping volcanoes and those “naked solitudes ”That Calderón de la Barca once mentioned during his exile on this, in his opinion, “unfortunate island”.
If you start your adventure among the dunes and surf paradises of the little town of Corralejo, in the extreme northeast, nothing better than bordering volcanoes like the Calderón Hondo until reaching Majanicho, a village of green windows muddy in the black sands that draw the sketch of the cliffs of El Cotillo. Once you arrive in this town embraced by the Atlantic, you can stay or head south through different enclaves: the aloe fields and jazz nights in La Oliva or the colonial charm of the small town of Betancuria, trapped between calderas where its locals still hunt for truffles in the early morning.
At some point, the volcanic Basal Complex will give way to the first palm trees, a sign that we approach the beautiful Costa Calma and enclaves such as Playa de la Barca , ideal for surfing. Afterwards, Cofete beach will come, but that is another story.
Maritime Avenue of Corralejo, Fuerteventura.
ROAD TRIP OF GOOD EATING
- • Point: Guernica
- • Arrival point: Saint Sebastian
- • Distance in km: 102km
- • Road song: Furra furra, by Oskorri
Would you take a car route just for a croquette? Maybe yes or maybe no, but in any case the Basque Country never disappoints when it comes to offering a set of culture, history and flavor to match. Already in Gernika, the txacolí cellars and the market stalls discover some of its main delicacies before linking up with Bilbao (the pintxos, at El Globo, and the marmitako, at Restaurante Pentxo).
Or you can wait for the aroma of roasts from Elantxobe or Ea intoxicates you until arriving in San Sebastián, the city with the highest number of Michelin stars per inhabitant on the entire planet. Trying Martín Berasategui's ham croquettes, in his restaurant in Lasarte, is a good example of this record.
La Concha promenade in San Sebastian
ROAD TRIP OF THE WHITE VILLAGES
- • Point: Round
- • Arrival point: Border Arches
- • Distance in km: 145 km
- • Road song: You look, by Lole and Manuel
In life there are sacrileges, and one of them is conceiving Andalusia without a white town. But since we get on, let's do things right. For example, starting with a muffin in hand and the heights of an Old Bridge in Ronda from which to measure the dimensions of our adventure.
We took the car and headed (with a stop at the refreshing Cueva del Gato included), to Setenil de las Bodegas, a town carved into the rock where the balconies still fight with the whims of history.
From here, we arrive at the picturesque town of Algodonales, we ascend to the castle of Zahara de la Sierra, and we cross the Natural Park of Sierra de Grazalema to visit the town of the same name as well as Ubrique.
As a climax, nothing better than returning to the heights offered by the wonderful town of** Arcos de la Frontera, woven between arches, lime and legendary mountains.**
Arcos de la Frontera, Cadiz.
ROAD TRIP OF THE CASTLES (FROM ALICANTE)
- • Point: Castalla
- • Arrival point: Alicante
- • Distance in km: 106km
- • Road song: Towers by Bon Iver
'August' and 'sea' are two concepts inherent to Alicante. However, few vacationers dare to discover the 1,500 years of history condensed in the route of the Vinalopó castles, inside the province.
A good option to make the most of the day is to start in Castalla and connect with Biar, two perfect examples of the area's medieval charm, until reaching the Villena watchtower, shining under the Levantine sky.
From here, the highway Alicante reveals the presence of the castles of Sax and Petrer or the no less fascinating modernist palace of La Magdalena (more contemporary, yes), in Novelda. By the time the clamor of old legends and pacts have taken over your route, all that remains is to spot the final goal: the sinuous silhouette of the castle of Santa Bárbara announcing the arrival in the city of Alicante (and its beaches).
Castle of Santa Barbara, Alicante
URBAN ART ROAD TRIP (LEON)
- • Point: Castrogonzalo (Leon)
- • Arrival point: Navatejera
- • Distance in km: 238 km
- • Road song: Paint It Black by the Rolling Stones
Just as many children have grown up inspired by football or music, a new generation has done so through street art. The influence of murals is today vital in rural areas, not only because of its capacity as a magnet for tourism, but also because of that imaginary that is so much its own, so typical when it comes to reflecting its own culture. And one of the best examples can be found in the province of León.
Artists like Da2.0 or Manuel García illustrate the walls of Castrogonzalo, the best introduction to La Bañeza, considered the capital of street art in Spain. From here, the ode to a cecina embodied in spray sprays the walls of Astorga, while a pilgrim prays next to the N-120 as it passes through Villadangos del Páramo.
Once in León, you can alternate good food with art (somewhat more than a hundred years old) in its cathedral and basilicas before reaching the final destination: Navatejera, a town that is launching a new Youth House full of references to PacMan or Super Mario.
La Bañeza or the incredible story of the miracle of 'street art' in the middle of the Leonese moor
IBIZA NORTH ROAD TRIP
- • Point: Sant Antony de Portmany
- • Arrival point: Cala d'Hort
- • Distance in km: 15.5km
- • Road song: If Everybody Looked the Same, by Groove Armada
Cala Conta, Es Vedrà or your own capital. Ibiza is full of iconic places that you must visit during a first visit to the island of Pitiusa. However, many forget that the north encompasses some of its great (and less crowded) charms.
This route is short but ideal to stop at the different contrasts of this area: we start the day in the cove of Es Portixol, so hidden that it seems exclusive. From here, we headed to the peculiar town of San Miguel de Balansat, where you can enjoy its little white houses, its Thursday market or connect with the port to taste a delicious bullit de peix and arroz a banda (Port Balansat is a good option).
If you like speleology, the cova de Can Marçà is a perfect natural getaway to connect with the bongos and sunsets of Cala Benirrás, one of the island hippie icons.
Port Sant Miquel de Balansat, Ibiza.