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The VoiceMap GPS Audio Guide for Ronda

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If you are staying in the Grazalema area then most likely a trip to Ronda will be on the agenda and so its great to announce that recently I created the The VoiceMap GPS Audio Guide for Ronda

The VoiceMap GPS Audio Guide for Ronda

Listening to me along the way (and also some captivating guitar music from the amazing Paco Seco), you’ll pass breathtaking lookout points including the Mirador de Ronda and the Mirador de Aldehuela.

As we leave the new town behind us and enter the old, past the Mondragón Palace and museum we’ll visit Ronda’s former defensive border at the Puerta de Almocábar, and quake in the boots of history’s soldiers as you imagine approaching armies.

From there we’ll follow the old walls to the Arab Baths and the Puente Viejo bridge, before making our way back over Puente Nuevo. The tour ends in front of the Plaza de Toros, the Bullring of the Royal Cavalry of Ronda.

I’ll also provide answers to some intriguing questions like:

• What did Blas infante, the father of Spanish nationalism, do in Ronda?
• Why is one particular Italian priest famous around here?
• Who built the Puente Nuevo?
• Did Queen Isabella really visit Ronda?
• When did the Christian conquerors arrive?
• How important is bullfighting in Andalucia?

Creating the VoiceMap GPS Audio Guide for Ronda from the content here at Ronda Today has been a real pleasure and I hope that you enjoy walking the tour as much I did making it.

You can get the guide directly here: https://voicemap.me/tour/ronda/ronda-andalucia-s-city-of-dreams-a-walking-tour

Wildside Holidays – Spain

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https://wildsideholidays.co.uk/

Holidays in Grazalema, Nature notes diary, Walking in Nature

December wildlife in the Sierra de Grazalema

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A fine way to close the year is to enjoy the fresh air and the views from a mountainside enjoying December wildlife in the Sierra de Grazalema. Surrounded by a fabulous natural park with distant views towards the Mediterranean sea and Atlantic coastline. Above there will be soaring Griffon vultures and chattering Red-billed choughs. Plants laden with berries supply ideal food for wintering birds such as ring ouzel, blackbirds and thrush.

Continue reading December wildlife in the Sierra de Grazalema →
Nature notes diary, Road trips in Grazalema, Sierra de Grazalema, Walking in Nature

November wildlife and landscapes in the Sierra de Grazalema

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It’s early winter so with few wild plants in flower we are left with stunning November views, resident birds like griffon vultures, Bonnellis eagle, red billed chough and mammals represented, of course, by the ever present Spanish ibex. In November, wildlife and landscapes in the Sierra de Grazalema are quite stunning.

November wildlife and landscapes in the Sierra de Grazalema
White villages in the Sierra de Grazalema
November wildlife and landscapes in the Sierra de Grazalema
Rugged peaks are home to Spanish ibex in the Sierra de Grazalema

On a clear, crisp day the rewards are higher up in the mountains. Walk a path surrounded by mature trees, you will be steadily gaining in height, take a moment to look back over the valleys and white villages, now scattered beneath.

Check out Nature Plus – Grazalema for walking and wildlife holidays in the Sierra de Grazalema: https://wildsideholidays.co.uk/nature-plus-grazalema/

November wildlife and landscapes in the Sierra de Grazalema
Hiking and walking during November in the Sierra de Grazalema

Remember that some walks here in the Sierra de Grazalema natural park require a permit. Find out about how to get a permit here: https://grazalemaguide.com/blog/how-to-get-a-permission-for-restricted-footpaths-in-the-sierra-de-grazalema/

The views will have you stopping at every turn to breathe them in. Above you is an array of rugged peaks and grazing on the slopes, camouflaged amongst the rocks and shrubs are Spanish Ibex. The males are standing proud as the test begins to see which one will become head of the herd.

Spanish ibex are easy to spot all year round in the Sierra de Grazalema

Some of the trees which edge the pastures; Pomegranate, Quince, Almond and Walnut, plus those which grow on the mountain slopes; Strawberry tree and Sloe have ripening fruit which are often used in local cuisine.

Strawberry trees in the Sierra de Grazalema
Straberry trees (Arbutus unedo) bear fruit in November in the Sierra de Grazalema
Pomegranites in the Sierra de Grazalema
Pomegranites split and provide a welcome food supply for wild birds
Almonds in the Sierra de Grazalema
Almond are ripe and ready to pick during November in the Sierra de Grazalema
November wildlife and landscapes in the Sierra de Grazalema

November is a great month to explore the white villages of the Sierra de Grazalema by car and you’ll find a map and descriptions of three routes here: https://grazalemaguide.com/blog/the-white-villages-of-the-sierra-de-grazalema/

Iberia Nature Forum

Struggling with identifying those bugs and beasties? Why not check out the Iberia nature Forum!

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Bugs and beasties

Thread-waisted Wasp (Sceliphron spirifex)

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Sporting the colours yellow and black of a normal wasp, the Thread-waisted Wasp (Sceliphron spirifex) looks strangely disconnected in flight. The overall length is from 19 to 25mm with part of that made up of a yellow “thread” or pedicel. The body is mainly black with yellow bands on the long legs which hang down in flight. They can be found in Southern Europe and Africa.

Sceliphron spirifex are solitary wasps and are not aggressive, they do not sting unless mishandled. The sexes look very similar with the female being larger and with a visible sting.

Collecting mud for the nest - Thread-waisted Wasp (Sceliphron spirifex)
Collecting mud for the nest – Thread-waisted Wasp (Sceliphron spirifex)

The female searches out an ideal shelter to create a mud daub nest, by flying repeatedly around an area and finally walking around to be thoroughly sure in her choice.

Shade from the sun and shelter from the rain are priority. Fine particles of mud are then collected, balled up and flown back to the chosen site. They will search out a damp patch from an irrigation system, pond or puddle, returning frequently during the day to collect more.

Mud nest of Thread-waisted Wasp (Sceliphron spirifex)
Mud nest of Thread-waisted Wasp
Mud nest of Thread-waisted Wasp (Sceliphron spirifex)
Mud nest of Thread-waisted Wasp (Sceliphron spirifex)

Several cells are connected along side each other, sharing the mud walls, but they are individual, sealed tube. Each cell will contain one egg and be provided with food for the larvae when it hatches.

The food is in the form of small spiders with between 6 and 14 per cell. These are mostly small crab or jumping spiders that the wasp hunts and brings alive but paralised to the mud cell.

Thread-waisted Wasp (Sceliphron spirifex)
Thread-waisted Wasp (Sceliphron spirifex)

Similar species

There are quite a few thread wasted or potter wasps in Spain. The Great Potter Wasp is quite beautiful but has a gruesome lifecycle similar to the thread wasted wasp detailed above.

Great Potter Wasp – Delta unguiculatum – Avispa Alfarera

Wildside Holidays – Spain

The top wildlife, activity and walking holiday companies in Spain. Small family companies living and working in Spain. Local guides are the best!

https://wildsideholidays.co.uk/

Tourist Information Portal for the Sierra de Grazalema, Ronda, Cádiz, Wildside Holidays and the Caminito del Rey.