Ronda - Ermita de la Virgen de la Cabeza (SL-A 36)

The trail to the Ermita de la Virgen de la Cabeza has tremendous views in every direction. To the east, the Tajo of Ronda stands out above the valley. To the west, the mountains behind Benaoján and Montejaque rise up sharply. Be prepared to make slow progress on the trail because you are constantly stopping to admire one view after another!

The chapel itself is excavated into the sandstone of the rock face in which it sits. It remained hidden for many years, but is used today as a pilgrimage site.

Worth noting:
Pay attention to the point labeled 'junction' and take the fork that branches to the right if you want to go to the Ermita. It is easy to mistakenly head off on the left fork which leads to Cortes de la Frontera.

The interior of the monument is open only on weekends, and not every weekend (although you can walk to the site and see the outside on any day). To get the opening schedule (roughly every two weeks), contact the tourist bureau in Ronda.

Walk 4 on a three-month walking trip in the Serranía de Ronda
From our journal:
We had just the sort of weather one hopes for for when planning a walking trip for February. Although this particular February is predicted to be colder and wetter than normal, in an average year February and March are good hiking months in Andalucia. They are not as hot as April and May and not as wet as November, December, and January. Today it was about 50°F and the sky was a brilliant blue, making the mountains surrounding Ronda stand out against the horizon. It was warm enough to hike in shirt sleeves, but not so hot that going up a steep hill was a chore.

A lot of other people must have felt the same way we did about taking advantage of this gorgeous day. I’d say we saw close to seventy people out on the trail today - dog walkers, trail runners, and people just out for a stroll - far more than we usually see. The biggest group was a hiking club of about fifty that started out about the same time we did. In fact, this led to our big mistake of the day. That group looked like they knew exactly what they were doing. They were local, equipped with walking poles and daypacks, and striding out with confidence. Surely they knew where they were going. (They did ... we didn’t.) We mistakenly assumed there was only one trail in the area, so we blithely tagged along behind them for an hour or so, looking at the trees coming out in bloom, admiring the views, and talking about how lucky we are to be here. When we finally decided it might be a good idea to check our progress on the GPS, we were very surprised to see that we were nowhere near the trail we were supposed to be on. Lesson learned: turn up the volume on Wikiloc so we hear the signal when we are leaving the track

To top off this beautiful day, we had a great meal at Casa María (Plaza Ruedo Alameda, 27), a tiny restaurant in Barrio San Francisco where they serve a seven course set meal - no menu, no decisions, just fantastic food. Reservations suggested.

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 (see comments above)

Resources
Ermita background information
https://www.malaga.es/es/turismo/patrimonio/cache-16366/cnl-125/lis_cd-5376/ermita-virgen-de-la-cabeza?cache=28242

Previous walk: Baños Arabes - Santa María La Mayor
https://www.wikiloc.com/walking-trails/ronda-banos-arabes-jardines-de-cuenca-puente-nuevo-plaza-mondragon-santa-maria-la-mayor-71930160

Next walk: Asa de la Caldera - Los Molinos del Tajo
https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/ronda-asa-de-la-caldera-los-molinos-del-tajo-parque-periurbano-sl-a-38-72047202

Link to journal