It was such a nice day that we decided to take the scooter out
for a ride along the coastal road. The
scooter’s first ride out in Spain and first since mid-autumn in the UK due to
it being so cold! From Punta Umbría you
can follow the coast by road most of the way to Portugal.
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| Punta Umbría to Ayamonte Map |
First stop El Rompido, a small fishing village that sits on
the Rio Piedras river estuary. A really tranquil and un-crowded spot that
remains unspoilt by tourist development.
The waters are crystal clear and are sheltered from the open sea by a
spit – Flecha del Rompido, and white sand dunes as far as the eye can see. Remains of materials have been found around
the area date from the ninth to the third millennium B.C.
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| El Rompido |
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| El Rompido |
The town is full of lovely white-washed buildings
and we stopped here a while for some lunch in the plazza near to the church - Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del
Carmen built in 1956 and made with the leftover bricks from the Real de la Almadraba.
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| Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen |
From here we went on to Cartaya, a small historical town dating back to the time of the Phoenicians.
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| Cartaya |
We then went through Lepe and on to Ayamonte. Along the road are lots and lots of orange groves. Oranges are big business in Spain and are picked late winter through to early spring.
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| Orange Grove |
Ayamonte is situated on the estuary of the Rio Guadiana,
second longest river in Europe and sits next to the border with Portugal. The Guadiana International Bridge that
crosses the Guadiana River, connecting southern Spain and Portugal was
completed in 1991. Up until then the
ferry port in Ayamonte was the only connections between Spain and
Portugal. Regular Ferries, carrying cars and passengers, are just a short journey across the river and only cost €1.75. We would have liked to of gone across but it
was getting late and we wanted to have a good look around Ayamonte.
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| Ferry to Villa Real de Santo Antonio, Portugal |
We walked through the Plaza de la Coronacion, Ayamonte, an area decorated with typical Andalusian tiles and ornate figures.
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| Plaza de la Coronacion |
We then went to Plaza de la Laguna, and like the other plaza it's surrounded by palm trees and mosaics.
We sat here outside a small jazz bar enjoying the music and a nice cold beer before
heading back.
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| Plaza de la Laguna |
We followed a different route back and went via Isla Cristina
and Las Antillas. In summer Las Antillas
is full of tourists but this time of year it is nice and quiet and we were able
to sit on the prominade and watch the fisherman digging for Coquinas (small clams).
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| Las Antillas Prominade |
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| Fisherman digging for Coquinas (clams) |
We got back just as the sun was going down - 120km round trip - a fantastic day out!
Sally x
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