Teba
Written by Geoff Forster
Teba: We drove to Ronda along the A369 road. We spent a few hours shopping in Ronda. Then we decided to spend the afternoon visiting Cañete la Real and nearby Teba. We took the A367 Campillos road out of Ronda and drove passed Cuevas del Becerro and turned left onto the road to Cañete la Real. After a pleasant couple of hours walking around Cañete la Real we took the back road from there to Teba. This is the view North from the A367 near the Cañete la Real junction. 
As we left Cañete la Real a herd of sheep were in the road. We waited for them to pass. The road was quiet as we drove through some parched undulating farmlands.
Teba nestles halfway up this hillside. The castle is on the peak of the next hill. 
A little closer. 
As we neared Teba we remembered why we hadn't been too keen on the place from a previous short visit. Pig Farms!
It stinks. It is really bad.
This photograph shows just one or two of the many pig farms that surround Teba on the flat land below the pueblo.
Pooooo! 
We quickly closed the windows and tried not to breathe too deeply, as we wound our way up the twisting road into Teba.
We parked in a side street near this church. Fortunately today the smell from the pig farms was only at the Northern edge of the town. 
Teba has a population of around 4,000. 
The church is quite large with a grand portico and large tower. 
The streets are typical of the area. Two and three storey houses most in excellent condition. 
We walked down this long street. 
Another more modern church. 
The street went on and on. 
We passed this very grand doorway. Unfortunately the street was too narrow to get it all in the frame. 
We seemed to have walked the length of the pueblo.
This is looking back and up towards the castle. 
The streets were tidy and there was no piggy smell at this end of the town. 
This is the Plaza de Douglas. Named after Scotland's Sir James Douglas, or Black Douglas. Douglas helped Spain's Alphonso XI fight the occupying Moors at Teba. Sir James Douglas carried the heart of Robert the Bruce in a sliver casket around his neck and was said to have thrown it into the battle and charged in after it. Not a good move as Sir James Douglas died in the battle.
A large block of marble in the plaza commemorates this famous event in Teba's history.
We turned back at the Plaza Douglas and headed down this long pleasant calle. 
We were looking for a bar to get some refreshments. We suddenly realised we'd walked around this quite large town for nearly an hour and not seen one! We did pass two smoky old men's bars on the way to this plaza. Someone's been to the Alhambra and has been inspired by the famous lion fountain! 
At one side of the plaza is the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall). 
The plaza was pleasant. Plenty of benches and shade from some mature trees. 
We also found a bar! It had a strange nautical theme.
We walked back towards the area where we'd parked the car. 
Instead of getting in the car we carried on towards the road we'd climbed up into the pueblo. The smell of the pig farms was back!
This small Ermita is near the entrance to the pueblo.
How people in this area of town stand the smell I don't know. 
These old boys don't miss a thing. They all said 'Hola' as we passed. 
We decided to drive through town and try to get onto the A367 to Ronda instead of returning passed the pig farms. 
However leaving Teba was going to be harder than we thought.
We went down a side street only to be stopped by building work and a sand delivery. We watched it being unloaded, then signed for. The lorry driver who had seen us waiting then reversed up to us and told us to reverse back 200m as the road ahead was closed. He isn't our favourite lorry driver.
Poor Jane had cars behind and a lorry in front it was a nightmare fifteen minutes trying to get out of Teba.
Jane now hates the smelly place so much we're never going back! 
Teba castillo. 
We'd really enjoyed our walk around Teba. The smells from the pig farms are really bad at the Northern edge of town.
The town itself is clean and pleasant. Driving is difficult the first time you visit some pueblos. The houses are in good condition or are being renovated. The gorge is a noted site for Bird Watching. If you are into Scottish history it is a must!