EL PEDROSO is a pretty little town with a notable Mudéjar church. Accommodation is limited, though the town now boasts a sparkling new hotel, the Casa Montehuéznar , Avda. de la Estación 15 (tel 954 889 000; ¬36-48), up the street opposite the station in a restored mansion with its own good restaurant. For more simple rooms enquire at the train station cantina (bar) or Bar Serranía , an excellent tapas bar , across the road from the station, which serves up local specialities such as venison, hare, pheasant and partridge.

 

Eighteen kilometres further to the east - and perhaps as good a place as any to cut back to Sevilla if you're not counting on trekking the whole length of the range - lies CONSTANTINA , a lively and beautiful mountain town with a population of almost 15,000, founded in the fourth century by the Romans during the reign of the Emperor Constantine, and named after his son. High above the town is the impressive Castillo de la Armada , surrounded by shady gardens descending in terraces to the old quarters. At the base is the sixteenth-century parish church of La Encarnación , once again with a Mudéjar tower, Moorish influence having died hard in these parts.

Constantina has a tourist office inside the ayuntamiento , c/Eduardo Dato 7 (Mon-Fri 8am-3pm; tel 954 880 000), which can provide a useful town map. The cheapest of the places to stay is the modern youth hostel, c/Cuesta Blanca s/n (tel 955 881 589; under ¬12), uphill behind a pump station at the south end of the town with single and twin rooms. Everything else is priced above the budget category, including the delightful Casa Mari Pepa , c/José de la Bastida 25 (tel 955 880 158; ¬36-48), with distinctively decorated en-suite rooms in a refurbished mansion. There are plenty of places for eating and drinking along and around c/Mesones, the main street, and there's even a bit of nightlife here with a clutch of discos - Bonny Dog is the most central - drawing the younger set in from miles around at weekends. Travelling on to Sevilla, there are two buses a day currently running at 6.45am and 3pm but check with the tourist office or the operator Linesur (tel 954 902 368) for the latest information.