By The Culture Vulture
Estación de Jimera de Líbar is a charming settlement that grew up beside the railway line from Algeciras to Ronda.
Down the hill from the mountain village of Jimera de Líbar itself, this arrangement is typical of Mr Henderson’s railway, the line built in the early 1890s by engineer John Morrison, backed by wealthy financier Sir Alexander Henderson, later Lord Faringdon, to transport British tourists arriving by ship in the port of Algeciras up to Ronda.
Mr Henderson’s Railway
This whole stretch of line through the valley of the River Guadiaro has “double villages”, with a newish settlement establishing itself alongside the railway to serve the mountain villages tucked into the slopes higher up.
Working downline from Ronda we have Benaoján/Montejaque, Jimera de Libar, Cortes de la Frontera, Gaucin and beyond into Cádiz province.
Back to the music
Estación de Jimera de Líbar has developed a certain fame amongst live music fans of all nationalities. Bar Allioli, the brainchild for 15 years of Yorkshireman and entrepreneur Paul Darwent and his Danish wife, Synnove, has consistently put on live music at this charming bar in Plaza San
Roque, opposite the station.
Bar Allioli continued to function as a live music venue even during the Covid-19 pandemic, subject to strict rules of segregation, of course.
Since Paul and Synnove retired in 2022, the bar has changed hands, had a makeover and altered its name slightly to Allioli Bar y Más.
The music tradition continues and Paul still helps out with the booking of the artistes.
Saturday 30 September 2023
A group of us were there last Saturday when regular Marcus Myers offered two sets of his brilliant “covers”. A former member of the band Alicia’s Attic, this trained plumber from London, is so busy with his musical gigs, he hasn’t welded a copper pipe in years.
The audience is mostly Spanish, with a healthy contingent of foreigners, residents and tourists.
Our table of “guiris”, two English and one Welshman, residents, were joined by an English lady and an American man, homeowners in Montejaque, but not residents yet, and three regular visitors to the area, a couple from Sheffield and an Ulsterman from Belfast.
I also spotted foreign residents at other tables, two English ladies, two Scots and the former landlords from Denmark and Yorkshire.
We had a great afternoon in the open air, enjoying the early autumn sun, the backdrop of the Libar mountain range and some fine music.
© The Culture Vulture
Photographs:
Diario Ronda
Karl Smallman
Marcus Myers Music
"Hovis" Brown
Other links:
MEET THE 'LOCALS' - Help me, Ronda (help-me-ronda.com) Scroll down till you get to the interview.
What is a guiri? It's what the Spanish call us foreigners - but is it good or bad? (secretserrania.com)
Our green day out in the Serrania de Ronda's Guadiaro Valley - Secret Serrania de Ronda
BEST BAR NONE? Meet empresario Paul Darwent of Allioli (secretserrania.com)
Tags: Algeciras, Alicia’s Attic, Allioli Bar y Más, Alexander Henderson, Bar Allioli, Belfast, Benaoján, Cádiz province, Cortes de la Frontera, Danish, Denmark, Estación de Jimera de Líbar, Gaucín, guiri, Jimera de Líbar, John Morrison, Lord Faringdon, Marcus Myers, Montejaque, Paul Darwent, Ronda, Sheffield, Ulsterman, Yorkshire