An early start on Sunday as the forecast is set to boiling for the coming few days. I arranged to meet my friend and guide for the day, Mr Gravel Málaga, Victor Lucas. Victor has lived in the area for a good few years, and has unrivalled knowledge of off-road cycling around the province. He is also a top camera man and I can recommend a follow on Instagram, especially if you like bikes! You can find him at Viktorfotomaker on your social media.

Today’s route is a there and back ride to Coin, a busy village nestled in the foothills of Málaga’s Western mountain range, the Sierra de las Nieves. The route follows the bank of the rio Guadalhorce, before looping round to take in a café stop and a look at the newly opened bike path which follows the Rio Grande, and then back to the coast on the opposite bank of the Guadalhorce.

We set off just before dawn to a chorus of calling Black-winged Stilts in the near darkness. The patchy cloud cover was a good sign and as luck would have it, the clouds stayed with us for most of the morning, with very pleasant temperatures from start to finish. I didn’t have my camera with me, but I do have some archive shots of the route, and the Stilts are never shy, giving part-timers like me every opportunity for a close-up.

This is one of very few local routes which don’t entail challenging amounts of climbing. I read that Málaga is the hilliest province in Spain, and leaving Málaga most points North has you reaching for the lowest gears within a kilometre or two.

Until this year, following the river has been a complicated and at points, fruitless enterprise. Now however, you can ride your bike on gravel or dirt tracks on either bank, thanks to a huge clearance operation between the river and the new runway at the airport. There are also new bridges for bikers and walkers alike, and tons of debris and rubble have been removed, leaving a vast flood plain dotted with trees and bordered by reeds which hide the river.

This is the prime bird watching site within the city limits and a dazzling array of species live or visit the delta. There is a protected area located at the estuary with gravel pits and plenty of great viewing hides. Bikes are prohibited, much to my consternation. Being my sole mode of transport (it’s a long walk), I don’t bother visiting the reserve these days, but fortunately the birds are all around, and I can get my fill upstream.

With the first light the Crested larks were visible on their posts, a Reed Warbler’s scratchy song broke the silence. Groups of Cattle Egrets were flying upstream and a lone Redshank called briefly. We saw plenty of Ringed Plovers, and Linnets were feeding in the Gorse bushes. Hoopoes started up from the track as we passed and a flock of Common Waxbills broke cover with their charismatic buzzing calls.

Once passed the airport our route takes us over a railway track and away from the river, and into the citrus groves, the main crop of the lower Guadalhorce valley. Here the finches and sparrows are plentiful, and both Turtle and Collared Doves equally so.

it was still early by the time we reached Coin, so the terrace bar we chose for breakfast was sparsely populated. After a coffee and a bread roll we rolled down to the starting point of the new bike path.

The narrow path winds along the almost dry river bed, through high reeds and Eucalyptus groves before the point that the Rio Grande meets the Guadalhorce, where we re-join the outward path.

A Booted Eagle circled above us before drifting off down stream. We took a break under a bridge as by the time we reached the airport, the thermometer was up in the high 30’s. The water was as low in the river as it was in our bottles, so the last couple of kilometres were a case of head down and pedal hard to the coast.

The Black-winged Stilts where in full view by the time we reached the meeting point, and a twenty strong flock took off from the stagnant canal. Victor and I said our goodbyes and headed for some air conditioning.