"Easy" in Almerimar does not mean flat. It means long, rolling days on quiet roads, with the sea never far away and no big mountain pass. Start at the marina, ride out through the greenhouses, climb gently into the foothills of the Sierra de Gádor, and come back for a late lunch by the water.
These are the three loops we recommend for a first day, a recovery day or a group with mixed levels. Each one is between 63 and 75 km, with around 770 to 780 metres of climbing spread over the whole day.
The three loops at a glance
| Loop | Distance | Climbing |
|---|---|---|
| Easy 01 | 63 km | 783 m |
| Easy 02 | 65 km | 771 m |
| Easy 03 | 75 km | 767 m |
All three start and finish in Almerimar. They are proposals: we adapt distance and pace to the group.
The landscape you ride through
Almerimar sits on the Campo de Dalías, a wide, flat plain between the sea and the Sierra de Gádor. It is easy to describe and hard to forget: the plain is covered by greenhouses, so many that the area is nicknamed the "sea of plastic", and just behind them the mountains rise dry and grey, with the Mediterranean at your back.
Ride a few kilometres inland and the picture changes. The greenhouses thin out, the road starts to roll, and you reach the villages at the foot of the sierra. This contrast between the coast, the plain and the mountain is what makes these loops more interesting than their numbers suggest.
Easy 01: Matagorda, Celín and Trinchera
The shortest of the three, and the one that gets highest. It heads inland from the marina and reaches around 550 m, so you get a proper feel for the foothills without a long sustained climb. Good if you want a bit of mountain on a short day.
Celín is a small village in the Dalías area, at about 520 m, which the loop reaches at km 21. It is one of the places where the sierra feels close and the pace of life slows down.
Easy 02: Balerma, Río Chico, Berja, Dalías and El Ejido
The most varied loop. It passes through Balerma, Berja and Dalías, three very different towns of Poniente, and comes back through El Ejido. Plenty of places for a coffee stop, and a good picture of how the area really lives and rides.
Berja and Dalías, at the foot of the Sierra de Gádor, are the old towns of this side of the sierra, with a lot more history than their size suggests. We will tell their story in its own post.
Easy 03: Alquería and Río Chico
The longest and the lowest: 75 km with the highest point at around 290 m. Fast, rolling and gentle on the legs. A good choice if the group wants distance rather than climbing.
What's free here, and what's in the guide
This page tells you which loops exist and what kind of day each one is. The online guide (25 € per area, one guide for the whole group) is where we give you everything you need to ride them without a doubt:
- The GPX track for each loop, ready for your Garmin, Wahoo or phone.
- A detailed map with the route drawn on it.
- Where to stop for water, coffee and lunch, and what is closed on which day.
- The tricky junctions, the roads to avoid and the best time to start.
- Our own tips, from people who ride these roads every week.
Want more climbing? See our medium loops from Almerimar.
When to come
The Poniente coast is rideable almost all year. The best months are September to June. In summer, start early: the afternoon heat on the coast is serious.
Satellite photo of the Campo de Dalías: NASA, public domain.