We left the coast and headed 100 km inland. Ronda is situated 739 metres above sea level, as we drove up the scenery was once again very different and reminded us both of Wales.
Ronda is a small city and very beautiful. It is home to the Plaza de toros de Ronda which is the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain. It was built in 1784 in the Neoclassical style.
Plaza del Socorro is the modern political centre of Ronda. It was here that the Blas Infante showed the Andalusian flag and coat of arms for the first time in 1918.
The main attraction for us was the Puente Nuevo (“New Bridge”) which is one of three bridges that span the canyon. The term nuevo is something of a misnomer, as the building of this bridge commenced in 1751 and it wasn’t completed until 1793. The Puente Nuevo is the tallest of the bridges, towering 120 metres above the canyon floor.
We walked around the old City, discovering pretty plazas.
We decided it would be a good idea to walk to the bottom of the gorge known as El Tajo, to get a really good picture of the Puente Nuevo bridge. The path we wanted to take was closed and gave directions of an alternative route. It took us about an hour to walk down the cobbled path but the view was worth it.
We really enjoyed our couple of days in Ronda and if you are in the area we would certainly recommend a visit.
