A Drive through the Andarax Valley by Bob Bovington We took the A391 out of Roquetas and, after a pleasant drive up the mountainside, diverted along the ALP702 road to the picturesque village of Enix. After a brief stop to fill our containers with water from the fuente, we returned to the A391 and drove up and over the Sierra de Gádor whence we reached the A348 that runs all the way from Almería, through the Alpujarras to Órgiva in the province of Granada. Our route today was just a short drive through the Andarax valley to the village of Padules.
Sierra de Gádor between Roquetas & Enix
It was a lovely sunny day and we drove along a pleasant valley with the Río Andarax on our right and were pleased to note that the river, whilst not exactly a torrent, did have a steady flow of water - proof that even in May the mountains of the Sierra Nevada still have snow on their upper slopes. We drove past orange groves and fields of almond and olive trees through the villages of Instinción and Rágol and thence through the small town of Canjáyar. We were gradually climbing into the foothills of the Alpujarras and on our right could be seen the pueblo blanco of Ohanes. Only a few kilometres further on we reached Padules.
Padules We had wanted to visit the place where they produce the excellent Padules wine but, on this particular day, the establishment was closed. No matter. Our main purpose was to revisit "Barroso" restaurant, where on a previous visit we had enjoyed an excellent meal. We arrived on the cafĂŠ's doorstep to find that they were not serving main meals for another hour so we decided to take a stroll around the village instead of taking our time over an aperitif. On our last visit to the village, the place was alive with workers - some driving tractors towing carts of grapes or oranges. Today the place was quiet. A cluster of cats stretched out lazily in the sun on a street corner. Only in the little town hall square were any members of the human species to be seen. A group of old men with their flat caps and walking sticks chatted on benches. "ÂĄHola. Buenos dias!" echoed around the square as we passed. We held a vague conversation with one of the men who clearly delighted in showing off his English. However, his grasp of the language was probably worse than our knowledge of Spanish. Eventually we made our AdiĂłses and, after a short stroll around the village returned to the restaurant.
Restaurant Barroso Diners are not presented with a menu at the restaurant Barroso. There is a limited choice of food but it is exceptionally well prepared and is very good value. With our limited knowledge of Spanish we managed to order our requirements. I ordered gazpacho to start with - the other choices were sopa del día, consomé de pollo and possibly potaje, a thick broth. We also ordered chuleta de cerdo - the other choice was also a pork dish but my Spanish was insufficient to determine exactly what. We also ordered a bottle of the excellent Padules Tinto. While we were waiting for our first course, a plate of cheese was put into the centre of the table. My gazpacho was excellent, very refreshing and it came with a little dish of extras - croutons, cucumber and Serrano ham. After the waitress had collected our soup plates, a large, splendid salad was put in the centre of the table together with a basket of bread. The pork chops were excellent - succulent and tasty - they had been char-grilled. They were also rather on the large side and were served with excellent patatas fritas (chips). We also had a second bottle of wine, a bottle of water, a quite reasonable dessert followed by coffee. The cost was 50€ (£36) for the five of us! Excellent! We waddled back to our vehicle for the journey home. The trip home was very pleasant. We drove up and down steep Alpujarran roads, stopping occasionally to stretch our legs and to take in the exhilarating views. Eventually the grand Sierra de Gador mountain scenery was replaced by the monotonous sprawl of plastic that exists between Berja and Roquetas but nevertheless we had had a lovely day out. Robert Bovington Roquetas de Mar June 2005