The route north from Gor to Pozo Alcon was over a pretty flat plateau, with gentle gradients down too a reservoir and then short steep climb out. The scenery was pretty spectacular though; the plateau was cut by deep ravines, and the substrate was not solid rock but very hard mud that was sculptured into fascinating shapes. See in the picture below how cliff has been eroded into what look like tapered Gothic pillars.
This kind of scenery went on for miles – the video below is a bit shaky but you”ll get the idea:
Here is the lake (or more accurately reservoir) looking east from the dam:
This area is also famous for its cave dwellings. Many have now been turned into tourist attractions or even hotels, but here is one genuine farmer’s dwelling I passed north of Gor. notice the chimney coming out of the rock.
It was a long ride from Gor to Pozo Alcon; I tried to find an off-road route, but there was no viable route. This was because most of the ravines ran north/south, so there were very few east west routes. There was just one road north and this was tarmaced. In the end I was ok with this as the ride was so long it made it a lot quicker. Here is the view of the Sierra de Cazorla, just behind Pozo Alcon, whose rooftops you can see at the bottom of the shot.
I stayed in Pozo Alcon a couple of days before I went back to Malaga. I have to say I did not warm to the place. It seemed a bit dead, was untidy (rubble and half finished buildings) and was not picturesque. Also, my hotel manager never smiled – maybe he didn’t like the place either. Mind you he was very helpful and let me put my bike in his garage, and even covered it in a dust-sheet for me. The hotel was very reasonable (30 euro) and everything worked. So if you don’t need “service with a smile”, stay in Hotel Ciudad Pozo Alcon.
My Epic Journey 