Ronda in Southern Spain

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Lesley Riddihough, Artist in Andalusia

Lesley Riddihough is an exhibiting artist from Gaucín who regularly attends the Ronda Artesania Market.

Lesley’s GalleryContact Lesley

Lesley at Home

Lesley at Home

Born in the UK in 1943, Lesley remembers being interested in art and artistic endeavours from an early age. At school she remembers wanting to study art after completing High School, and she did, being admitted to the Birmingham College of Art for a three year program of study.

Soon after leaving college, Lesley found herself in demand in Paris by Lanvin, at the time one of the most influential fashion houses in France, if not the world. Lesley enjoyed her time modelling, and it was here that she became mother to two young girls.

By 1969, Lesley and her daughters longed for a quieter and more relaxing life, and the Balearic Islands beckoned. It was here that Lesley developed her talent for clothes design, opening a specialty boutique on Formentura.

The early 1980s, and a move to Ibiza, allowed Lesley to finally return to art, her passion since a child, but never indulged, and through the next few years exhibits in Ibiza, Formentura, England, and even Germany were common events.

We are fortunate here in the Serranía that Lesley visited and then fell madly in love with Gaucín on a trip in 2005, prompting an immediate move, and some of Lesley’s best works in the tranquility of Gaucín’s campo.

Since moving to the Serranía, Lesley has exhibited in Gaucín, in Ronda, and at several local hotels, and the first Sunday of every month will often find her in Plaza Duquesa de Parcent with her best pieces for sale to enthusiastic buyers.

Contact Lesley Riddihough 


Lesley can be contacted for private commissions. Her paintings vary in size from about (90 x 65cm) to (116 x 81cm). She also has several small detail paintings of (20×20) for sale at the Andalucía Soap Company Shop in Ronda.

Would you like to purchase one of Lesley’s pieces? Lesley is a regular exhibitor in Ronda’s monthly Artesanía market held the first sunday of every month. She can be contacted on (+34) 952 117 152

Gallery of Lesley’s Paintings 

To display larger images, click the thumbnail

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Ronda

Ronda is one of Spain's most visited cities for good reason, our little city is very compact, in fact from arriving in Ronda, to seeing the Real Maestranza bullring, the Puente Nuevo, the many beautiful churches, our museums, or the wonderful coffee shops and tapas bars, we have it all within a short 30 minute walk.

Of course, most visitors need at least 2 or 3 days to see everything because a lot can be packed into your time in Ronda. Stay in one of Ronda’s many excellent hotels, with a choice of restaurant covering tapas in a local bar, menu del dia, or a la carte menu.

A walking tour of Ronda is a pleasant and enjoyable way to spend a lazy few hours, almost everything you could want to see in Ronda is no more than 200-300 metres from the new bridge.

Ronda Today is the Serranía de Ronda's only daily English language news source, our we take pride in providing Ronda News as it happens.

Stay in Ronda

As one of the most visited cities in Spain, Ronda has a fantastic selection of hotels, hostels, guesthouses, and self-catered accommodation guaranteed to suit all tastes.

Whether it's just one night, or several weeks that you need we can help you find somewhere to rest your weary bones while you're in the city of dreams - La Ciudad Soñada.

Join great names like Orson Welles, Earnest Hemingway, Rainer Rilke, James Joyce, Jorge Luis Borges, Madonna, or Jamie Oliver who have enjoyed their time in Ronda.

Visitors who plan to make Ronda their new home should check out our property section, where we talk about some of the gotchas that can occur. Forewarned is forearmed.

Why Visit Ronda

A small city perched on a seemingly precarious platform of rock, Ronda is in fact an impregnable fortress only defeated in battle through trickery, and during the reconquest with modern (for the era) rock blasting cannon.

The mountains and valleys of the Serranía de Ronda are home to a tough breed of people, yet in Ronda these people are refined, some are gentry, some gypsies, others are just common folk, but all proudly call themselves Rondeños.

These days the population of Ronda is a little over 35,000 souls; big enough to offer all the essential services, but not big enough to suffer traffic problems or big city woes.

Rondeños have played a pivotal role in shaping Andalucía and modern Spain, and the city has hosted some of the great names of politics, the arts, education, and played her role in military events.

An hour from the Costa del Sol, Ronda is too far away to be heavily influenced by events on the coast, yet still close enough to benefit from the economic strength that tourism brings to Southern Spain. At a height of 723m, Ronda has a cooler year round temperature than the coast, making life in Ronda altogether more agreeable than other Andalucían cities.

Serranía de Ronda

Ronda is the biggest city in northern Malaga province, and the closest city to many of the smaller villages in Cadiz province, making Ronda an ideal base for exploring the Serrania.

Within a few kilometres of Ronda are some of the most visited Pueblos Blancos, the famous white villages of Andalucia, Setenil de las Bodegas, Grazalema, Gaucín, Juzcar, Benalauria, Montejaque, Teba, Cortes de la Frontera, Igualeja, the list goes on...

As well, Ronda is close to three natural parques, the Grazalema park, Alcornocales park, and the Sierra de las Nieves park. The Serranía is also home to pre-historic cave paintings at Benaojan, Neolithic dolmens at Montecorto, and of course, the Roman city of Acinipo.

The countryside of the Serranía is described as unique, in fact universally important. Many endemic species make their home here, including the pre ice age Pinsapa pine tree, and numerous orchids only found on our mountains.