Roman Wall and Albarrana Islamic Tower and Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalup

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Roman Wall and Albarrana Islamic Tower

   The Alcazaba of Mérida is a square fortress beside the Roman bridge over the Guadiana, built in 835 on the orders of the emir Abd al-Rahman II of Córdoba to control the city after local rebellions. What fascinates visitors is how it was built: the Muslim engineers used stone taken from Roman buildings, including inscribed blocks, column bases and fragments of old walls, so the fortress is a collage of earlier centuries. Inside there is a remarkable water cistern, reached by a stairway down toward the river level, where water filtered into a covered tank that shows how carefully the builders thought about water.

   Read the complete Roman Wall and Albarrana Islamic Tower write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Roman Wall and Albarrana Islamic Tower is where the day begins. Next is Old Town of Cáceres.

2. 2. Old Town of Cáceres

   Cáceres has an old town so complete that film crews treat it as a ready-made set, and walking its streets at dusk, when the stone glows amber and the crowds have gone, you can see why. Inside the walls, built largely by the Almohads in the twelfth century, are dozens of fortified mansions, towers, churches and palaces, many built by noble families who made their fortunes in the conquest of the Americas. The towers once had battlements, but Queen Isabella ordered most of them cut down to curb the nobles' power. UNESCO listed the old town in 1986.

   Read the complete Old Town of Cáceres write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Old Town of Cáceres comes up about 75 km into the recorded legs. Next is Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalup.

3. 3. Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalup

   Planning note

   about 212 km into the recorded legs you reach Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalup. Next is back through Old Town of Cáceres.

4. 4. back through Old Town of Cáceres

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Old Town of Cáceres write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Old Town of Cáceres, late in the day. Next is Roman Wall and Albarrana Islamic Tower.

5. 5. Roman Wall and Albarrana Islamic Tower

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Roman Wall and Albarrana Islamic Tower write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Roman Wall and Albarrana Islamic Tower. That is the ride.