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A
few kilometres from Cadiz we come to Chiclana de la Frontera,
Phoenician in origin and lying close to Medina Sidonia, the old quarter
of which has been officially listed as an Artistic-Historic Ensemble,
making it one of the best-preserved Arab legacies in the whole province.
Conil
de la Frontera is one of those small fishing villages where you can
still stroll along almost virgin beaches such as the Playa de Bateles
or the Playa la Fontanilla. Very close by, in Vejer de la Frontera,
there is a fine example of one of the area?s most characteristic
sights: windmills.
The
first town along the Atlantic coast, Barbate still keeps up its old
salting industry in a singular environment. Surprisingly close to the
town itself is a rugged coastline of cliffs, natural caves and
freshwater springs. Only a few kilometres from Barbate lies Zahara de
los Atunes, the town that inspired many of Rafael Alberti?s poems. The
route ends in Tarifa, the European springboard to Africa. The best idea of just how close the Old Continent is (only 15 kilometres away) can be gained from the lookout point known as the Mirador del Estrecho, with North Africa looming up surprisingly close on the horizon.
Towards Campo de Gibraltar
Soon after Tarifa we pass through the Cork Oak Nature park, on route to Castellar de la Frontera. Animal lovers should make a beeline for the Almoraima estate, to see such species as Red Deer,
Mountain Goat, Roe Deer or Mouflon. This is the site of the Convento de
la Almoraima, a seventeenth-century convent now run as a hotel.
After running through the Sierra de los Melones and Cerro Gordo
we come to Jimena de la Frontera. This town has been listed as an
Artistic-Historic Ensemble; in the area known as Los Barracones we can
visit the Laja Alta caves, with stunning rock paintings, curiously
enough of maritime scenes.
Continuing eastwards we come to La Línea de la Concepción ? where our hotel stands ? a town protected by the Bay of Algeciras. Opposite the Rock of Gibraltar, on the shores of the bay and shortly before arriving at Tarifa, lies Algeciras, a strategic port between Africa and Spain for centuries past.
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