Guadix is a town where half the population lives in the hillside, and it manages this without any air of eccentricity. In the Barrio de las Cuevas, thousands of houses are dug into the soft, reddish clay of the hills, with whitewashed fronts, chimneys sticking out of the grass, and doors opening onto terraces. Inside, the temperature stays at around eighteen degrees all year, cool in the summer and warm in the winter, which explains why the tradition has lasted since the Moorish period. Some of the cave homes now serve as guesthouses, and one can stay in them.
The town itself has about twenty thousand people and a lot of history. It was a Roman and Moorish place, and the Alcazaba, an eleventh-century fortress, still stands above the old town. After the Christian conquest in 1489, a cathedral was begun on the site of the old mosque, and it took more than two centuries to complete, which means it mixes Renaissance, baroque and neoclassical styles. The plaza in front is lovely in the evening, when the golden stone catches the light. A few kilometres away, Purullena is famous for pottery, and the roadside caves are full of ceramic shops.
The landscape is a surprise for anyone expecting green Andalusia. The Hoya de Guadix is a high, dry basin of eroded clay, ochre badlands and sparse scrub, with the snow-capped Sierra Nevada rising behind to the south. This is the northern side of the range, and the contrast between the pale summits and the red earth is striking. Summers are very hot, winters cold, with frost and occasional snow, and the high-altitude air is dry and clear.
For riders coming from the Alpujarras, Guadix is the end of a long mountain road, and the descent from the high sierra into the plain feels like crossing into another country. Roads here are good, with long straights and gentle curves, and the traffic is light. Fuel, supermarkets and repair shops are easily found in town, so use the chance to stock up. Local food includes migas, fried breadcrumbs with chorizo, and jamón from the Sierra Nevada, served with tapas whenever you order a drink. The sunset over the cave houses is one of the better reasons to stay the night.