ALBUÑUELAS, the highest village [737m], has a bank, pharmacy, shops, bars, restaurant, summer bar with pool, hostal, daily bread deliveries to the door and fresh fish and vegetables also by vans, a weekly market and a regular daily bus service to Granada and places en route. There is an XVIIIc church, below, a XIVc Moorish tower, Torre de Bayo, XVIIIc Archbishop’s Palace, Convent and Hermitage.

  

SALERES village [562m] has an XVIIIc church with some Mudéjar azulejos and tiny market - 2 miles [or 2 kms by the scenic E4 GR7 footpath following above the Rio Santo, through the campos].

 

RESTÁBAL village [542m], right, with church, new hermitage on hill above, bank, few shops and bars - 3 miles

 

MELEGÍS village [557m],

church with some Mudéjar azulejos, 2 restaurants, bank, few shops, bars and a wonderful 3 days of Fiesta at San Juan, right - 4 miles

 

LECRÍN which comprises:

 

MURCHAS [667m] village with church, shop and bar - 5 miles

CHITE [550m] village with XVIc church, fine Mudéjar ceiling, and a walk down to Lake Béznar - 5 miles

TALARÁ [704m] small town on the old trunk road N323 from Granada to the coast at Motril, with XVIIIc church, restaurants, bank, shops, bars and 'night-clubs' – 5 miles

MONDÚJAR [739m] village with ruins of the Arab castle, right, where the kings and queens of Granada were buried and an XVIc church, with a particularly fine Mudéjar ceiling - 6 miles and where the new N323 south is joined. 

 

BÉZNAR [523m] village with Gothic Mudéjar XVIc church, and access to walks alongside Embalse de Béznar - 7 miles

 

DÚRCAL [789m] bigger town, a mile north along the old N323, with churches, hotels, restaurants, banks, cash machines, shops, daily market and big Wednesday morning market on the west edge of town, bars, night-clubs, mountain bike hire shop, thermal springs and access to the Sierra Nevada Parque Natural - 7 miles. The N323 motorway and trunk roads continue to Granada via Padul and over the col of El Suspiro de Moro [named after the last Moorish king Boabdil’s sigh, on looking back to Granada, en route to exile in Lecrín, before returning to Africa].

  

NIGÜELAS [938m] pretty village on the east side of the valley giving access to Caballo [3013m] and the Sierra Nevada by the E4 GR7 and other paths and tracks. XVIc Palacio de los Zayas town hall and fascinating XIVc Las Larerillas oil and corn mill MUSEUM – 7 miles 

 

 

VILLAMENA which comprises

COZVÍJAR [748m] with VINEYARD [Bodega Señorio de Nevada, Cortijo Venta Nevada]

and CÓNCHAR [682m] with XVIc Mudéjar style church and Moorish watchtower, below; villages west of Dúrcal with direct mountain road to Albuñuelas, giving access to new N323 motorway, Granada to Motril, at junction 153 - 7 miles

 

GRANADA PROVINCE

[682m] a World Heritage Centre with the Alhambra, Generalife palace and gardens, Albaicín white town sat on the adjacent hill, university [1526], monasteries [1492 and 1516], cathedral [1523] and important Plaza de Torros [1928].

Capital of the Arab Kingdom in Europe for 800 years until the reconquest by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. Every sort of shop, restaurant and hotel, including a Parador, and classical, flamenco, jazz and Arabic music available in many different venues. 23 miles and only 30 minutes by the new motorway.

Pretty little town, 10 miles west of Granada, established on the site of the camp where Ferdinand and Isabella took the Moors’ surrender of Granada and commissioned Columbus’s voyage west in 1492. XVIc church and its square from which you can see all four city gateways. Home of Piononos, a sweet almond pastry, invented in 1897 by Señor Ysla.

[949m] and PURULLENA - with over 10,000 people, the largest cave community in Europe. Superb cathedral, Arab castle, extensive range of ceramics made by cave dwelling gypsies and open air market on Saturday mornings - 35 miles east from Granada over Puerto de la Mura, 1390m.

Stylish, traditional and still undiscovered by the Brits, seaside resort with Phoenician [they called it Sexi], Roman and Moorish past. Excellent range and quality of shops in traffic-free narrow streets of the old town, just behind the eastern promenade. Go via the forestal as above then turn south for 25 miles of winding dramatic mountain road descent to the sea. Return via Salobreña [on the E15, Algeciras to Inverness] in less than an hour.

Castle, port and white arab hilltop town with long bathing beach on The Costa Tropical, favoured by the Spanish with super seafood, seafront restaurants - 6 miles of minor road then 19 miles by N323 motorway/trunk road.

MULHACEN[3482m] and PICO VELETA [3398m], SIERRA NEVADA, Highest mountains in Spain with the highest road in Europe running up to 3353m and crossing the Sierra Nevada. 20 miles of unsurfaced road, closed by snow for some 6 months of the year, and now generally closed to motor traffic to protect the fragile ecostructure, from Prado Llano ski resort on the north side to Capileira in the Alpujarra on the south. The excellent fast new road to Prado Llano is well worth the trip all year round for the views [on a clear day] but busy at weekend. The road allows you to drive well above the resort and, in summer, walk to the summit of Pico Veleta. 40 miles - bear east on the motorway south of Granada.

East of the fine spa town of LANJARÓN [660m] which has an arab castle, many hotels, pools and bottles much of Spain’s spa water - 6 miles to the N323 then 6 miles by motorway/trunk road. Stunningly pretty area of steep valleys and tiny villages on the south slopes of the Sierra Nevada, long isolated, refuge to the Moors in XVI century, now becoming known to tourists and made famous by Gerald Brennan in South from Granada and latterly Chris Stewart in Driving over Lemons. They lived in Yegen and above Orgiva, respectively.

ORGIVA[456m] is the principal town in the area with a market on Thursday mornings.

JAYENA [874m] village, over the hills to the west, with SWIMMING in the EMBALSE DE LOS BERMAJALES. Take either of the broad unmade forestales, as above. Both come out at the Almuñecar to Suspiro del Moro Road about 5 miles apart, left then right from the south route or straight across from the northern one for Jayena, a further 8 miles on minor roads. Continue a further 12 miles to Hotel El Venturo [tel 958 35 04 38], 2 miles south of Alhama de Granada - in a wonderful position on a small lake/wildfowl reserve with hides, walks and ‘excursiones en burro, caballo y bicicletta’. Centre of some fine mountain scenery north of the SIERRA DE TEJEDA national reserve.

Small town with Moorish castle and interesting old centre in stunning position above a steep gorge. A couple of kms north is a spa hotel where you can bathe in arab or Roman thermal baths where the spring water comes naturally at 48°C [28 miles]

ANDALUCIA

NERJA and 5 miles inland, FRIGILANA, white Arab hilltop town. One of the Costa del Sol’s finest and most popular resorts, very touristy and British, extensive caves occupied 12,000 BC, 24 miles west from Salobreña.

Airport, city and one of the Costa del Sol’s principal resorts. A wonderful old town centre, cathedral and Plaza de Toros overlooked by Moorish castle and adjacent Parador. La Concepcion Botanical Garden just north. Many fine seafood restaurants, especially in El Palo to the east. A further 35 miles west from Nerja. About 2 hours from Albuñuelas 91 miles by coast road or less via Granada and motorway/trunk road 106 miles.

CÓRDOBA [124m] After completion of the Great Mosque in 976 [the largest and most impressive in the west] Córdoba became the largest and most cultured city in Europe. With a university older than Oxford’s, it stands on the river Guadalquivir, 75 miles above Seville. Just south is MONTILLA, an important centre of viniculture and home of Amontillado - 129 miles via Granada and trunk road.

SEVILLA Andalucía’s capital, on the river Guadalquivir, an important inland port, fourth largest city in Spain [fourth largest and most powerful city in the world in the 1600s] is a mix of old and new. The Alcázar Palace dates from 1181 and the university from 1502. The cathedral [1402] includes a minaret from the earlier mosque [1180]; the stunning Plaza d’España was built for the Exposition of 1929 and much more for Expo 92. Famous for its fiestas and flamenco and nearby JEREZ, with its sherry and white horses, CÁDIZ and SANLÚCAR on the Atlantic coast - 181 miles, less than three hours, via Granada and motorway.

BAEZA [760m] and ÚBEDA Two cities of great influence in the 16th century, nestling in the olive groves of Jaén province, stunning gems of renaissance magnificence - 90 miles north from Granada.

Being able to see the mountains of Morocco from the Sierra Nevada might tempt you. Ferries run from Algeciras, Tarifa and Gibraltar to Tangiers and Ceuta. It's 3 hours drive to Algeciras, which offers the widest choice including day-return foot-passenger tickets, 2½ hours or high-speed crossings. Other information

Railways

The train services in Andalucía are of a very high standard. Day-trips to Seville, Cordoba, Malaga, Algeciras and Ronda from Granada are all possible. The prices are reasonable, the trains on time and the standards of comfort very good. Worthwhile for the journey itself.

 

Skiing

SIERRA NEVADA. Pradollano resort, was developed in the 60s and 70s it was hugely improved to host the 1997 and 2000 World Championships. It boasts 19 lifts and 61 km of pistas between 2080 and 3398m [6824 and 11,148ft] giving 1318m vertical [4324ft] skiing late into the Spring, further enhanced by 22 km of  pistes fitted with snow cannons. - 40 miles - bear east on the motorway south of Granada – excellent fast new road all the way and underground car parks with lifts up to the village square, shops, bars, restaurants and cablecar station. No walking! All the equipment is available for hire there at keen prices.

Well worth the trip all year round for the views [on a clear day] but busy at weekend. The road allows you to drive well above the resort and, in summer, walk to the summit of Pico Veleta.

Swimming

As well as the sea and Embalse de los Bermajales there are various pools. Albuñuelas has a small summer pool at the outdoor Bar Goleta.

Valle del Puntal on the main Granada road and many Lanjarón hotels have pools and there is a public one at Padul.

There are WATER PARKS at Almuñécar and Granada.

Science Park

Granada also has a new science park.

Fishing

Embalse de Béznar has excellent carp fishing.

Golf

There are two golf courses in Granada and one less than an hour away on the coast at Motril.