Blog #Fuente de la Higuera

It's just been the 101 again. The 2025 edition was the 25th anniversary of this important event in the Ronda calendar. Catering for MTB cyclists, runners, walkers, as well as a shorter junior event. The 101 has a national and international profile. Participants come from all over Spain, as well as from abroad - 10 foreign countries in 2025. The 101 is organised by the Spanish Foreign Legion in Ronda.

I grew up in a rural area in North Devon (England) where I lived in three different houses between the ages of nought and 14. I remember that my Dad, from rural South Wales, always had either a garden or a big allotment. Here's my story of how I went from being a novice English gardener to an apprentice Spanish jardinero, despite the challenges: hot sun; ice cold winters; heavy rainfall; pests; exhaustion; poor quality soil.

​The heavy rain and thunderstorms of the last couple of weeks, combined with a lousy infrastructure has left whole areas of the Serrania de Ronda flooded, with roads blocked by rockfalls and houses soaked, gardens waterlogged and frequent power cuts. ​Worse still, a major rockfall has blocked the main route from the Costa del Sol and the towns of San Pedro, Marbella and Estepona to the capital and main town of the Serrania, namely Ronda.

With the cold and wet weather we have been experiencing in southern Spain since the clocks went back, people are turning their thoughts to heating their houses. The DIY Guy has lived in a number of properties in the Ronda area, so he knows a thing or two about keeping warm.