It is very easy to travel by train to Ronda, a lovely spot in the hills of rural Andalucía. Ronda is tiny, yet justifiably renowned for its dramatic mountain scenery. The town is virtually split in two by the great gorge of the El Tajo river, and there's a fine mix of Moorish and Renaissance architecture. Ronda makes a good jumping-off point for tours to the Pueblos Biancos of Andalucìa, viz. the villages full of whitewashed houses and churches which are so distinctive a feature of the hill country between Málaga and Cádiz.

You can travel direct to Ronda from Madrid. Twice-daily trains speed from the Spanish capital to Ronda in just under four hours. There are decent connections to larger cities in Andalucía with both Córdoba and Málaga less than two hours away by train. The rail route from Ronda to the coast at Algeciras is spectacular. Five trains each day make the journey which takes between one-and-a-half and two hours. In late 2019 or early 2020, the opening of a new rail route to Granada will bring that city within much easier reach of Ronda. The journey time is then likely to be under two hours.

It's a challenge to take the train from London to Ronda in one day. Choose your trains carefully and it’s easily possible to do it in less than 24 hours, using Eurostar to Paris, a night train to Toulouse, then daytime trains via Barcelona and Córdoba. Most travellers heading to Ronda will, however, prefer to stop off for a night along the way.