After the caos that was Granada, we headed west to a cortijo, high in the hills near to Arcos, for some relaxation. The farm had it’s own 2km private road, ensuring a certain level of isolation and tranquility which I really appreciated. There was little to do but sit on the courtyard patio, reading and soaking up the sun whilst listening to the sound of the bees and admiring the plethora of orange trees. On the subject of wildlife, we were amazed to come across a 15m long line of caterpillars, all nose to tail and slithering across the ground in succession, as if doing the conga. I never knew caterpillars travelled in groups like that!

In the evening when the sun went down, we sat by the roaring log fire in the converted olive mill and drank tea with the Spanish owner. We did venture to Arcos, a pretty old town for dinner, but other than that we rested in preparation for our forthcoming night at the Cadiz carnival…

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