This is the route to the house from the bottom of the town. It looks easy. And it is once you’ve done it a few times. The first time you do it, it’s terrifying. Calle San Pedro is a one way street and if your sat nav does the same as ours did, you end up at the wrong end. The trick is to take it slowly. It says 2 minutes. Think more in terms of 5 or 10 until you’ve done it a couple of times.
From the bottom left, your first waypoint is the roundabout with the fountain in the middle.
Coming from the right in the map above you’ll come up to the fountain roundabout. Go pretty much all the way round until you get to this point. In the middle of the image is a crossing with a 4WD just after. He’s turning right and that’s where you want to be going. Then you’ll be in Plaza Fuente Nueva.
Once in Plaza Fuente Nueva, carry on along there for about 100 yards and the road will bend to the left. Straight on is what looks like a pedestrian bit (it’s had block paving laid since the image above) where you can see the crossing in this image. Take that and you’re in Calle Vereda Ancha – known locally as the “sea front”. This is a long straight street lined with orange trees and parking on the left. Just keep going.
After a while, you’ll get to this fork in the road. It’s a 3 way split and you want the one up the middle as shown in this pic where there’s a little red car – the left and right forks are no entry. It’s narrow but don’t panic. Carry on up there until you get to a T junction.
At the T junction, turn right. It’s narrow again. Still, don’t panic… yet. You’re now turning into Calle Vieja.
Keep an eye out going up here. You’re looking for the first turning on the left and it’s easy to miss.
After about 100m, you’re going to turn left into Calle Arias. Now you can panic a little bit. It’s getting narrower but still easily passable if you take it easy. Focus on the brown tiles on the left where they change to grey tiles.
After about 50m, just after the tiles change from brown to grey, you’ll see a tiny street on the right going up a steep hill.
This is Calle Tafetanes. If you’re lucky, you can focus on the beautiful bougainvillia about half way up rather than the fact that the street is only about 6 inches wider than your hire car at one point. Take it slow. The lad in the Honda Civic behind you that navigates these streets at 45mph has all the time in the world – you’ll get tailgated a lot. Ignore it. It’s nothing personal. Resist the temptation to speed up, or pull in and let them past.
Almost there!
You’re now looking for a turning on the left again into Calle San Pedro. That bloke on the corner probably won’t be there 😂 This is a bit tight. You can do it in one, or you might have to do a bit of a wiggle back and forth to get round depending on the cars parked. Get round here and you’re on the home straight. It’s not as narrow but watch on your right as there’s a couple of places where there are doorsteps that stick out. Number 44 is a couple of hundred metres down on the left.
You’re looking for a bit where there’s a house in front of you with a little parking bay and some railings.
The road bends slightly to the left. Immediately round that bend is our house. You can see some brown tiles just before the end of the house on the left. Depending on the time of year, you’ll either be parking on the left or the right. They alternate every 6 months.
Yay! This is looking at 44. You’ve just driven down the hill where that green cover bit is in the pic.
You can’t park right outside the house but you should be able to sneak in where those brown tiles are if it’s the left hand side’s turn. It’s just changed in terms of parking arrangements on Olvera. Depending on the time of year, you park on the left or the right and it swaps every 6 months. I think this is just so that people get a break from cars parked outside their doors. Park as close as you possibly can. Literally, fold your mirrors in and park a couple of inches from the wall. You’ll have to climb out through the passenger side assuming you have a left hand drive car. And pull forward just enough so that you’re not blocking the doors to the house next door. You’ll be sticking out a foot or 2 on the corner but that should be enough for cars to get past. If you can’t get in there because of other cars parked then you might be lucky and get a space just as you go down the hill. Just make sure you don’t block any entrances. And if you can’t get there then see below for alternatives. Just watch your clutch. Trying to reverse into a space will toast the clutch if you’re not careful.
Now BREATHE. As I say, the first time you do it you’re kind of proving to yourself that it can be done. After that, it’s nothing like as frightening. Just don’t get complacent on the tight turns. I have taken advantage of the collision damage waiver on one hire car. It’s easy to think you’ve made the turn and catch the back doors on the wall. It’s called an Olvera Kiss.
If you find that there are no spaces, or you decide that it’s not for you, nobody will judge you… much. I walked the route before I even tried to drive it. On Calle Socorro or Hondon, which are 2 streets down from Calle San Pedro, there is free parking. Just bear in mind that you’ll be dragging your cases up a steep hill – if we have stuff in the car and there’s no parking outside, we drive to the house, unload and then move the car. If all else fails, drop your stuff off and park in Calle Vereda Ancha (the road with the orange trees). It’s a 5 minute walk back to the house from there. The locals walk slowly for a reason round there. Better to take a few minutes extra as the ambulance will struggle to get to you if you think you can walk at speed.
Should you decide that the drive isn’t for you then this might help. The blue dot in the top right is the house. The badly drawn red line is a street where you’ll usually find a parking spot. It’s a 2 minute walk up Calle Sevilla and Calle San Pedro to the house if you’re not carrying anything. Allow more if you are. The last bit up Calle San Pedro to the house almost requires a rope and climbing gear. Well, maybe not that bad but it is pretty steep.