Drunken oaks, deep gorges and Roman aqueducts

An exciting circular walk starting at a mountain pass with views over the town of Ronda, leading down through farmland, woodland and past old stone wells, to the ‘Fan-shaped Gorge’ and the bizarre-looking remains of a Roman aqueduct

The starting and finishing point of our walk is the ‘Encinas Borrachas’ pass – the ‘drunken oaks’ – at an altitude of over 1,000 metres. In the midst of the pastureland, by the side of the path, stands one of the dolmen tombs, which is unfortunately in a poor state of preservation and dates back some 6,000 years. We walk past old farmhouses, stone wells and a peculiar reservoir, down into the Tajo del Abanico, the gorge that takes its name from the fan-shaped rock formations. From there, we climb back up out of the gorge via a natural stone staircase, cross a plateau and make our way up to the ruins of the Roman aqueduct. The astonishing variety of historical monuments, many of which have been left to fall into ruin, stands as a silent witness to Andalusia’s fiercely contested past.