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Ben Barclay

@benbarclay.bsky.social

3.9K followers 1.2K following 8.6K posts

Translator and textbook writer. Post on climate, energy, health, Spain, Brexit and other stuff. Produce VoiceMap audio tours of Andalucía: https://voicemap.me/publisher/ben-barclay#tours Substack: https://thegreentransition.substack.com/

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Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · Dec 31

It’s been a year of ups and too many downs for the world, but on a personal level it’s been fantastic criss-crossing Andalucia to research and test 7 new audio tours.

Here’s a quick reminder why you should visit these 7 fantastic places even if you have no interest in doing one of my tours.

🧵

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 10m

Yes, Setenil is an extraordinary place.

Reposted by Ben Barclay

Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 1d

Somehow, the Trump administration just brazenly and breezily burning renewable energy projects to the ground still isn't enough to stop the Abundance Agenda guys from blaming too many regulations

Ben Schifman
@BenSchifman
·
13h
The largest solar project in North America - 6.2 GW Esmeralda 7 project in NV - has been cancelled.

It takes >2 pages just to list the laws, regulations, & policies it had to comply with to be permitted.

Our permitting system is too complex with *far* too many veto points.

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 32m

Yes, definitely. Neighbouring Frigiliana is very popular because it’s closer to the motorway, but Competa requires a bit more effort to get to. Which means it hasn’t benefited/suffered from tourism quite as much.

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 47m

Thanks! We’ve only briefly stopped in Competa on our way back from somewhere else, but it seemed like a lovely place in a great setting.

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 1h

It really is. (Almost) always feel privileged to live here.

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 1h

Thanks! I don't think we've made it to Segura, although we've been to the Cazorla/Segura/Las Villas natural park several times and have done the great Rio Borosa walk.

Of the villages in that area, I particularly recommend Castril.

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 1h

Yes, Ubeda is gorgeous and has great food, and the same is true of Baeza just down the road. Speaking of Ubeda gives me an excuse to plug my VoiceMap tour.

Renaissance Úbeda: A Tour of its Magnificent Mansions and Serene Squares | Úbeda self-guided audio tour | VoiceMap

Delve into the rich history of this elegant town shaped by three cultures with this self-guided tour of Úbeda , Spain. For the best experience, install the VoiceMap audio guide app with automatic GPS ...

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 1h

Totally agree, but it can be hard to appreciate the nice places if they're *too* overrun by tourists. Some people like crowded, bustling places more than others, which is part of the picture.

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 2h

That's definitely off the beaten track and not somewhere we've been. Will put it on our (long) mental list of places to visit.

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 2h

Not really off the beaten track, but still interesting to hear. Some people absolutely love Ronda, while others find it overrated and too touristy. Probably partly depends on when exactly you go. Did you visit anything there apart from enjoying the bridge/gorge and wandering around?

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 2h

Zahara de la Sierra added to the list of good suggestions.

I should add I'm not so much interested in recommendations for places for us to visit (although that's a bonus). It's really work-related: we're interested in what people most love about Andalucía beyond the obvious sights/destinations.

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 2h

Thanks! We've been to Zahara a few times, which is one of many villages in Andalucía sometimes referred to as the most picturesque in Spain/Europe/the world. Setenil is another one in the same area.

Did you stay there or just visit?

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 2h

So far I've had votes for Jimena, Montefrío, Guadix and the Alpujarras. Any others?

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 4h

If you're looking for a distraction from getting stuck into your work on a Monday morning, please tell me about anywhere you've visited in Andalucía that you found surprisingly beautiful/interesting/enjoyable.

Off-the-beaten-track towns/villages, or lesser-known sights in population destinations.

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 2h

It still is - you should come back some day!

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 3h

Yes, we love the Alpujarras too. Which bits have you been to?

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 4h

Thanks! Know both of those reasonably well. The villages and countryside around Guadix are interesting too.

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 4h

That's a good point.

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 4h

Great! We've probably driven through there, but ages ago. What did you love about it?

I see that Los Angeles is just down the road if you're looking for the bright lights.

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 4h

Did you like San Pedro, Estepona and/or Nueva Andalucia? We've driven past them loads of times, and made the occasional short stop, but I wouldn't say I know them. Estepona old town is supposed to be very pretty and pleasant.

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 4h

If you're looking for a distraction from getting stuck into your work on a Monday morning, please tell me about anywhere you've visited in Andalucía that you found surprisingly beautiful/interesting/enjoyable.

Off-the-beaten-track towns/villages, or lesser-known sights in population destinations.

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 5h

You'd be laser-focused on cutting the clichés that are preventing hard-working people from fulfilling their dreams?

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 5h

But they’re blocking offshore wind to protect the whales. Of course they are.

Lyle Lewis @race2extinct.bsky.social · 13h

A GOP bill would gut the Marine Mammal Protection Act—weakening safeguards for whales already on the brink.
We’re the kids in the marshmallow experiment: take the short-term gain, lose the future.
abcnews.go.com/Politics/wir...

Republicans try to weaken 50-year-old law protecting whales, seals and polar bears

One of the U.S.’s longest standing pieces of environmental legislation, credited with helping save rare whales from extinction, is the subject of an effort for cutbacks from Republican lawmakers who n...

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 6h

Which is clearly why parties tack to the right. But as that doesn’t work, you‘re better off potentially going down defending your traditional centre right ground.

Ben Barclay @benbarclay.bsky.social · 6h

Who said romance is dead?

Reposted by Ben Barclay

NPR @npr.org · 20h

A mass shooting at a crowded bar on an idyllic South Carolina island has left four people dead and at least 20 injured, officials say. n.pr/42CYV7t

4 killed and 20 more injured in shooting at a bar in South Carolina, sheriff says

A mass shooting at a crowded bar on an idyllic South Carolina island has left four people dead and at least 20 injured, officials say.