Blog #Ronda

Andalucía Day (Día de Andalucía) marks the anniversary of a referendum held on 28 February, 1980 when a large majority of voters supported the referendum for Andalucía to become one of the 17 autonomous communities in Spain, following Spain’s democratisation after nearly forty years of the Franco dictatorship. Franco died in November 1975.

These towns in the Serrania de Ronda and the Sierra de Grazalema have hit the headlines! Blanket coverage on national TV, online and in the national Press. For all the wrong reasons! ​Because of the extreme weather coming in from the West, principally Storm Leonardo, red and orange alerts have been issued for Cadiz, Extremadura and parts of Andalucia.

The Christmas / New Year holiday is so long in Spain, and the weather forecast for this year is so bad, that we need something to do indoors, other than watching end-to-end Christmas films and TV repeats. How about reading a good book? Here are The Culture Vulture's suggestions for a festive reading list in no particular order. The writers are American, English, Irish, Norwegian, Ukrainian and two Spanish.

The "burning season" has opened in Andalucia. In order to burn garden waste, scrub and clippings you need a permit obtainable free of charge from your local town hall. ​The start date was November 1st, so I made sure I applied for my licencia in good time.

Maria de la Paz Fernandez Lobato (PP), has been indicted on five criminal charges and faces a prison sentence and a huge fine. The news broke this weekend that the mayoress has been charged with prevarication, embezzlement, fraud and falsification of documents.

August is the month when Spain lets its hair down, celebrating fiesta after feria after dia santo (saint's day). Where do I begin? There has been so much going on in Ronda and the Serrania this month, and there's yet more to come!

"Animal House" is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis. It stars John Belushi, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hulce and Donald Sutherland. ​The film is about a trouble-making fraternity whose members challenge the authority of the dean of the fictional Faber College. "Animal House" became one of the highest-grossing comedy films of all time. This article has absolutely nothing to do with the film, by the way.

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.

Deep shock permeated the village of Montejaque, near Ronda (Malaga) (pop: 970), on Tuesday of last week when a young man from the village fell to his death on the winding road out of the village. Cayetano Postigo Hidalgo (30) was enjoying a bike ride in the vicinity of La Presa de los Caballeros on the road to Sevilla, when disappeared from sight. What had happened?

"How Green Was My Valley" is a novel by Richard Llewellyn about a Welsh family and the mining community in which they live. It was turned into a Hollywood film, two BBC TV series, a Broadway musical and a theatre play. I was struck the other day by how green my valley was. But we've had a load of rain. I live in the Valle de Fuente de la Higuera just outside Ronda (Malaga). I've never seen it so green at the start of Spring. And I've lived round here for over 16 years. Here's the story.

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.