2 questions regarding bus travel in Spain

I do not know if there is a direct bus, but going by train via Madrid is very easy. Mid it is cost you are worried about, Promo fares on the AVE from Madrid to Cordoba are only 18 to 25 €. The Altaria, which takes fifteen minutes longer, is as low as 16 €.

Lola: I was more concerned about time. Can we get into Toledo earlier if we go from Cordoda to Toledo by bus than if we go from Cordoba to Madrid then back to Toledo by train? By train, we get into Toledo at 1353.
Roger

Roger, what train schedule are you looking at? You can leave Toledo as early as 6:55 am, then you can be in Cordoba around 10 am. Use Renfe.com for schedules and fares, but the shopping cart works beat for a particular day.

Oops---wrong direction. Sorry. Going TO Toledo, there are at least three trains leaving Cordoba around 7 to 7:30 that will get you to Madrid in plenty of time to catch the 10:20 to Toledo, arriving 10:53.

You can literally catch a bus from anywhere in Spain to anywhere. The bus stations are a little different than ours. They have competing companies. All the stations I saw in Spain had a small information booth - normally staffed by someone who speaks English. There will be multiple choices (times, routes, companies) for reaching your destination. The information booth will help you navigate those. You don't need to reserve ahead, although I like to drop by and book the day before just to be sure I know the details (or on arrival, before I leave the station, for a short stay). Not every bus station has lockers but many do. In your case, you can book your bus to Cadiz from Tarifa, and also book your bus from Cadiz to Sevilla at the same time. If you can't store your bags in the Cadiz bus station, a good backup is to find the closest tourist information center and ask them where you can store your bags. If they don't know, sometimes they'll just let you leave them there for a few hours. I'll be interested in your thoughts on Cadiz. It was my father-in-law's favorite (but I think he went there for Carnival). For me, it was less than I was expecting from arguably the oldest city in Europe. We took the high speed train to Madrid from Cordoba at the end of our trip but didn't try to make a connection back to Toledo. We visited Toledo earlier in the trip. The high speed trains are really efficient when you can use them - but you have to book well ahead for them to be at all affordable.

The bus from Cordoba to Madrid is about 5 hours. The AVE is about 2 hours. It's another 30 minutes train ride to Toledo. So even with a 30 to 60 minute layover, you'll still be way ahead time wise with the train. I'd be surprised if there is a bus direct to Toledo since it is so close to Madrid. But even so, the train will be faster.

Sasha, Brad and Douglas: Thanks. It does indeed look like the train will be the better option. And Brad, I will indeed let you know what I think of Cadiz. For the most part, this stop-over is mostly a break from the bus ride and perhaps a good seafood lunch. Thanks again for the help.
Roger