After visiting various flying places in the Alps over the last few years we decided to try something new and check out Algodonales in Spain. Algodonales is one of the scenic Andalucian ‘white villages’ (called so because of the white houses) but much off the beaten touristy path. With its setting in a hills of the Sierra de Lijar and architecture Algodonales reminded us much of Valle de Bravo except for the lack of buzzing activity at all times and many groves of olive trees (the noise and the diesel stink of Valle was not missed at all). Although the town square restaurants are busy with diners late into the night (great food, btw… I recommend Schweinebäckchen = Carrilada), the rest of the town was asleep at night.
Turns out Algodonales was a great choice for flying. Peter bagged a +100 km out-and return and couple of nice triangles even with his not-so-aerodynamic hiking harness (we left the pods at home to fit the camping and via-ferrata gear which we didn’t use because the flying was so good). The main site has 3 launches for different wind directions (NW, SE and more challenging N). Although the launches are reasonably high (600 m AGL) the rest of the flying is a mix of flat-land and mountain flying as elevation differences in the surrounding terrain are smaller. In addition to good cross country flights scenic evening soaring flights were to be had. On one occasion we watched the sun set from the air, landing just in time to pack up and enjoy a nice cold ‘Lande’-beer before it got dark. The many big and friendly vultures make perfect wind techs. They are noticeably larger than our bald eagles and like to thermal close to our wings but apparently there has only been one collision in 20 or so years.
Several companies cater to PG pilots (accommodation, drive to launch and retrieve from XC flights, pick-up from nearby airports). We went with ‘Ganterfly’; very good and friendly service, excellent flying advice and generally a lot of fun with dad Gerhard and his two sons Carlos and Manuel. As Algodonales is pretty quiet compared to other flying sites in Europe or Valle de Bravo it may take some research and prior arrangement for independent flyers to get rides to launch (at least at the time of our visit).
There are several other flying sites nearby including beach flying on the Atlantic coast at Matalascanas and Conil de la Frontera. We flew Vejer, a ridge-soaring/thermal site just in front of a white wind mill and picturesque white town which is perched on a hill. Unfortunately we arrived to a full day of rain in Matalascanas and, when it didn’t stop raining at noon the next day, we left. People flew in the evening and on the next day a pilot on an M6 flew 100 km (two out and returns) on the amazing looking sand dunes.
Non-flying tid-bits of the trip: my suitcase didn’t arrive in Madrid (ironically it was my carry-on but I gave it up voluntarily for extra check-in)… but Carlos took pity and gave me a free T shirt! Temperatures were higher than I expected, often reaching 30oC. But at 2500 meter it was cold enough for double jackets, thick gloves and gaiters.
Gibraltar was worth a visit. Amazing caves with cathedral-high caverns draped with stalactites and stalagmites. Cheeky monkeys all over the place, running through the car, hopping over my lap and taking a seat on Pete’s shoulder. Driving through narrow streets of Cordoba was memorable. Pete was worried about getting stuck in the labyrinth and I set out on foot to find our hotel. But getting back to Pete and the car was a challenge, since my cell phone turned off navigation as I had already reached the destination (on foot). But success! Back in the car we had to put on ‘big ears’ (fold in the mirrors) and pedestrians had to step into door-ways to let us pass.
We didn’t have much luck with sightseeing in Granada and Sevilla: we were warned that visiting the Alhambra in Granada may require booking tickets ahead and yes, it did. When we visited Sevilla it was Monday, the day when some museums are closed or have limited hours and we didn’t get in the Cathedral. The line-up at the Alcazar was too long for our liking. But our visit of the Mezquita cathedral in Cordoba was a success. An Algo co-pilot (and also the hostess of our tiny hotel just across from the cathedral) suggested an early morning visit. Relatively few people visit the mosque/cathedral that early in the morning and as added bonus there was no fee. A friend warned us that one can easily end up paying more for traffic tickets than for the car rental. Pete tried hard but the limits are not very well posted – hope there won’t be a reminder in the mail.
