The Axarquia is one of the most beautiful areas on the planet but until a few years ago I had never even heard of it! It is in Southern Spain about a half an hours' drive from the Mediterranean between the towns of Velez Malaga and Nerja. The Axarquia was the name given by the Moors which literally means "the land to the East" - as opposed to the Algarve, "the land to the West" The sierras Almijara, Tejeda and Alhama are stunning ranges with the highest mountain, La Maroma being 2065ms high - over 7000 feet. Nestling on the lower slopes are attractive white villages, giving us an impression of how life used to be, not so many years ago.

My husband and I are lucky enough to live in a tiny village called Daimalos, which is in the heart of Axarquia. We moved here five years ago and since then I have spent many hours walking the area, which is certainly the best way to enjoy the magnificent scenery. Also, although it may get too hot for walking in July and August, for most of the rest of the year the weather is ideal.

Last Monday I went on the "Walk of the Bountiful Valley" as documented in Guy Hunter-Watts "Walking in Andalucia" and I will attempt to describe the walk, so readers can get an impression of this fabulous area. It was a beautiful day for a walk with bright blue skies and very clear and it was warm enough to be comfortable walking in a short sleeved T shirt and shorts, but not too hot as there was a gentle cool breeze. I started from our home in a village house in Daimalos [I still have not lost the thrill of being able start off for a good walk from my own front door.] This meant I had to walk for about forty minutes on a tarmac road which leads from Daimalos to the bigger village of Corumbela. This village is so big it has a bar as well as a shop! The road is very quiet as there is only one car about every ten minutes. The road is very windy and the climb to the start of the walk before Corumbela is quite steep, but the views of the mountains and the sea are simply fabulous.

The walk proper starts on a dirt track by a farm, where a mule seems to be permanently tethered outside. He is very friendly and sometimes I have felt very sorry for him when his rope is tied to a tree where he gets no shade. I set off walking along a ridge with views of La Maroma and the sierra Tejada on the right and the Mediterranean on the left. The land is cultivated growing almonds, olives and vines. On either side of the track there are several villas, generally owned by English people, mostly as holiday homes and so are empty most of the year. Soon I turned left and begin a long winding descent past a few farm houses. The first one had a mule and pannier just waiting for his master to begin his days work. The fields are so steep it is easy to see why the local farmers continue to use mules.

Towards the bottom of the descent I left the track and cut across what looks like a field of wild flowers. They looked very attractive but completely obscured the path so I had to jump down to the next broader path which was also a mass of flowers. Still it was not as bad as the time I came with my daughter and this obviously fertile area was being grazed by a herd of goats. The goat herd just watched in amusement as these blatantly terrified English people pushed through his goats!

Page 1 of 3 :: First | Last :: Prev | 1 2 3 | Next