Yesterday I had another big climb, coming out from Vinuela to Alhama de Granada. The journey was about 40 kilometres and 1800 m of climb, and sadly there was no downhill at the end because the the end point is up on the Spanish Mesa. I am now in Alhama de Granada, which is a lovely little village and has a lot more amenities than Vinuela. There are many bars and restaurants and a few inexpensive hotels, and more importantly for us mountain bikers there is also a bike shop (see below). You will also find many useful shops, including fruit & veg shops, tools shops and even two places which buys gold – in case you decide all that bling on your bike is weighing you down. I spent a lot of my time in Cafe Ainhoa; the staff are friendly, the food is great and the WIFI is very fast. I stayed at Ana’s Hostel. Again they were very friendly and let me leave my bike inside too keep it safe.
The town has a little historic trail (see the information centre) and a nice church.
The approach to Alhama de Granada from the south is quite spectacular, as it comes through a gorge following the GR 7. Also there are views to the north of the rolling hills and many vineyards and olive orchards. It is definitely worth a visit, although maybe later in the year – it was 6° C this morning!
I have found the people here very friendly and helpful. I wanted to wash my bike and trailer before I brought it into the hotel, but there was no public jetwash. It only took 10 minutes and 3 conversations to find a chap with a workshop who let me use his jetwash for nothing.
Check out videodiary.
BIKE SHOP
Terry and Elisa are very helpful, and you can get spare parts and repairs here. They will also let you clean your bike. If you spend some time here try one of their guided bike rides, which shortly will include down-hill routes with uplift.
Terry y Elisa son muy útiles, y usted puede conseguir las piezas de repuesto y reparaciones aquí. También le permitirá limpiar su bicicleta. Si usted pasa algún tiempo aquí probar uno de sus paseos guiados en bicicleta, que próximamente incluirá down-hill rutas con elevación.
Alhambra Rambler
Adarve Remmedios 18
http://www.alhambrarambler.com PIC of bikeshop
My Epic Journey 