Ronda - Asa de la Caldera - Los Molinos del Tajo - Parque Periurbano (SL-A 38)

By taking you down to the floor of the gorge, this track gives the walker a different vantage point for viewing the great sandstone wall upon which Ronda sits. There are a number of trails to choose from that make various routes through the Tajo gorge. We combined several to create a loop walk that took us down via El Puerto del Viento to views of the lower part of the Puente Nuevo as well as by the eight water mills in the bottom of the gorge, now in varying states of ruin or restoration. We had good views of the formation called Asa de la Caldera; it looks like the handle of a giant jug.

Worth noting
For background and images of the old mills, see resources below.

Walk 5 of a three-month walking trip in the Serranía de Ronda
From our journal:
Today was another perfect weather day, so we decided to make the most of it by walking down to the bottom of the gorge. We scrambled on a narrow trail to the base of the New Bridge. Take your poles on this part if heights bother you! The floor of the gorge is a shimmering, vibrant green at this time of year - a delight to look at. The eight water-powered mills strung out along an acequia fed by water from the river were used to grind flour. One of the old mills is now a hostel.The river that runs along the bottom of the escarpment was too high for us to cross, so we took an alternate route back that brought us up through the urban park on the north end of Ronda. This large protected area is filled with walkers and cyclists on weekends.

Possibilities for eating/sleeping
Apartamentos La Colegiata - Plaza de la Duquesa de Parcent, next to the Iglesia de Santa María la Mayor. The apartments are close to the starting point for numerous trails starting from Ronda. The owner is helpful with maps and questions.
La Tragata, C/ Nueva 4, near Puente Nuevo - for tacos
Casa María, Ruedo Alameda 27, Barrio San Francisco - for a meal after walking

Resources
Background and images of the old mills
https://static.malaga.es/malaga/subidas/archivos/7/3/arc_270937.pdf

Previous walk: Ermita de la Virgen de la Cabeza
https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/ronda-ermita-de-la-virgen-de-la-cabeza-sl-a-36-72347065

Next walk: City Walls
https://www.wikiloc.com/walking-trails/ronda-city-walls-banos-arabes-plaza-de-la-oscuridad-72125145

Link to journal
http://hiking.topicwise.com/doc/GenalValley