20 minutes after leaving Ronda, we turn a corner in the road and this is the view

A pretty whitewashed village overlooked by an imposing church and the remains of a medieval castle keep. But we have not come to see either of those buildings.

Look more carefully and you will see the village butts up against a wall of limestone.

Just like Ronda, a river has been doing its work, but in a very different way. Here the river has been eroding limestone, a softer rock, and some layers are more resistant to erosion than others. The river still cut a narrow winding canyon through the rocks, but this time there are no dramatic cliffs, instead there are natural “roofs” where the softer rock beneath has been removed. Every bit as dramatic as Ronda, but in a very different way. In Ronda the ravine in the middle of town was a problem. In the town of Setenil de las Bodega the canyon was a huge advantage to the inhabitants.

A roof and a back wall was already provided free of charge for their home. All they had to do was construct the front and side walls and they could move in. It’s an upmarket version of cave living.

Walking along the street is surreal and just a little bit threatening. The enormous slab of rock over your head is seemingly just hanging there with no support.

And yet 2,600 people live here. Not only do the rock walls provide them with free insualtion keeping their homes cool in summer and warm in winter, but they also provide them with an income. They just have to open the door to their ground floor, put some tables and chairs outside, serve coffee and snacks and the hordes of tourists will glady give them money

The Fabulosity Meter loves it.

And so do I.

But I just want to get out of there.

It feels like a disaster movie just waiting to happen!