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Mountains of…Marbella?

Away from the yachts and glitz that encompasses the spirit that is upmarket Marbella, on the Costa del Sol, in the sunny south of Spain, you can do more than celebrity spotting if you venture a little way further north.

In the news this week is the little known mountainous region of Sierra de Las Nieves, not quite as breathtakingly immense as it’s similarly named cousin, the Sierra Nevada, but just as beautiful.

Binoculars, bikini and sturdy boots ready? Let’s go…

Where is it?

Fly into the international airport at Malaga and head to Marbella for some sun, shopping and to cast some envious glances at the elegant jet set and their superb yachts, moored as tightly as cars in the supermarket car park at home. Explore Puerto Banus and enjoy the restaurants and people watching, take in some winter sunshine and stay in your own first class cabin, how about trying some of these Marbella holiday rentals?

But what about some exercise too?  North of Marbella you can also indulge your spirit – and enjoy some of the most unspoilt views and areas of Spain.

Mingling with the jet set at Puerto Banus, Marbella

Eco spirit

Awarded with UNESCO Biosphere Reserve protection, and an EDEN European Destination of Excellence since 2008, this rugged area of beauty is worth spending time getting to know.

The EDEN tag is only awarded to special places that promote sustainable tourism, a label that is so important today given climate change and intense awareness of our planet. You can explore this area and get a little walking under your belt – maybe reducing the belt?! – into the bargain.

The Bio sphere area of the Sierra de las Nieves

Walking with purpose

It gets better. From the 26th February until the 4th of March you can join in with the first Andalucian International Walking and Cultural Festival, the starting place is the  little pueblo of El Burgo, a whitewashed mountain village surrounded by Almond and Olive groves,  so typical of the area. Each day comprises walking trails for 2 different levels, depending on your fitness and whether you want to stroll or go for the burn!

What’s that? You like the idea but your partner would rather not?  Then they can happily ignore the exercise and concentrate on the cultural side of the festival! Cookery demonstrations – Andalucian style of course! – or a quiet spot of bird watching in the hills….

Feathered friends

The biggest area of Spanish Fir – El Pinsapo – in the world  is just the spot for nature loversand bird watchers. Species of this and other trees normally seen in the the cooler climate of Northern Europe are found here. Also Pine, Chestnut, Oak and Ash are prevalent. Bring your binoculars and between the tree tops and views expect to catch sight of:

• Peregrine Falcon
• Golden Eagle
• Bonelli Eagle
• Booted Eagle
• Short toed Eagle
• Goshawk
• Sparrow-hawk
• Crested Tit
• Great Spotted Woodpecker – or you might just hear him!
• Griffon Vulture – like a flying Barn Door.

Look out too for the Egyptian Mongoose – the only place in Europe where you can hope to see him.

Eagles – amongst the wild and varied birdlife

Village life

Besides El Burgo, the destination for the fiesta, there are eight more little villages to discover within the Biosphere – all traditional Andalucían pueblos and worth exploring for a slice of real Spanish life away from the Costa.  They are:

• Tolox
• Casarabonela – visit the Moorish castle at the top of the village
• Monda
• Istan
• Ojen – take a trip to the Museum of Wine
• Guaro
• Yunquera
• Alozaina – once defended from an advance by the Moors by village women and kids throwing bee hives at their attackers!
  

Whitewashed cube-like houses, ancient churches, flower filled streets, tiny bars and cafés, a simple Hola will go a long way…soak up the rich and varied history, and maybe some local wine and tapas too! The food is simple and inspired by the wonderful countryside that surrounds you here.

Look out for traces of Roman and Moorish history in the architecture and waterways, and even further back to Neolithic times, discover the caves…

Los Flintstones

You might not see Fred and Barney but the caves in this area are well known.

Tolox allows you the chance to visit one where ancient pottery has been found and it’s also worth a visit for the ferruginous waters these days making it a much visited Spa town. Numerous caves are dotted around the area, so take the safe option and go for the guided tour as some of these are pretty well hidden – and can be dangerous.  One famous chasm known as GESM - Grupo de Exploraciones Subterránea de Málaga -  has a stomach lurching drop of nearly 2000 metres, the third deepest in the world. Hold on tightly to your belongings! Unsurprisingly, it has not yet been explored fully…

Other caves within the park are those known as:

• Cuevas del Moro
• Hoyos del Pilar
• Hoyos de Lifa

Although it sounds like a holiday from hell to me, potholing is also a popular pastime here, and there are many with varying drops up to over 130 metres, and more yet to be discovered, possibly deeper. I feel sick just thinking about it!

climb the highest peaks..

River deep, mountain high

From the depths of the caves and potholes, there are also some highs to discover.  The thickly covered snow capped peaks in winter are dominated by La Torrecilla, rising to 1919 metres, and the surrounding mountains are a joy to walk and climb.  Springtime will bring the smell and sight of new shoots of wild flowers and herbs. Babbling brooks and rivers create flora and fauna on an extraordinary level and in fact the area was once explored and studied  by the Swiss botanist Pierre Edmond Boissier.

Others have since followed in his famous footsteps, and you can too! Whether you choose to join in the fun of the upcoming Andalucian International Walking and Cultural Festival, or just fancy exploring the villages mentioned earlier.  It all makes a complete change form the glitz of Marbella, and provides you with a holiday of contrasts, you can walk in the snow capped mountains and sunbathe on the beach all in the same day! It’s all here waiting for you in the south of Spain  – so why not give it a go?!

Spain could attract a new wave of British holidaymakers following evidence that resort prices have crashed by as much as 40 per cent compared to five years ago.

A fall in local prices on everything from a restaurant meal to suncream has combined with the fact that the pound is at a two year high against the euro to make the Costas more affordable.

The claims come from an annual survey conducted by the Post Office, which measures the prices of eight items in resorts across 33 destinations around the world.

Spain comes out as the second cheapest destination with a price of £37.72 for the eight items, while Sri Lanka, which has seen serious political unrest, was the best value at just £27.95.

At the other end of the scale was Australia at a staggering £115.69 for the same items, together with Barbados, Singapore and New Zealand.

The number of visits by Britons to Spain has slumped by more than three million over the past five years, coming down to less than 10.5million.

High prices, the cost of living squeeze and a desire among Britons to try new and more exotic locations have all played their part in the fall.

However, the Post Office research suggests Spain will now become more attractive, particularly at a time when people are desperate to save money.

The firm’s Holiday Money Report concluded: ‘Resort prices in the Costa del Sol are now 40per cent lower than five years ago, when we conducted the first price barometer.

‘The cheaper cost of travel to Spain will make it a compelling choice for bargain hunters. So does the rising value of the UK pound – up 6.4 per cent against the euro in the past three months.’

The eight items included in the price comparison are a cup of coffee in a bar or café; a bottle of local beer; a can of Coca-Cola; a 1.5 litre bottle of mineral water from a supermarket; a bottle of suncream; insect repellent; a pack of cigarettes; and a three course evening meal for two adults, including a bottle of house wine.

The fact that the selection of items is small, while they are not bought from exactly the same outlet every year, suggests the figures can be skewed. However, they give a general indication of the shift in prices.

The researchers found resort prices have risen in two-thirds of the destinations it surveyed. The biggest rises were recorded in Kenya, where the basket was 52 per cent more expensive than a year ago, and Portugal, where the increase found was 39 per cent.

However, the report found that sterling is stronger against 29 other major currencies than a year ago, which should help offset higher resort prices.

Turkey has seen a tourism boom in recent years on the basis of its perception as a cheap option. This year, it only placed 17th in terms of the cheapest option, while it was 60per cent more expensive than Spain.

The Post Office head of travel money, Sarah Munro, said: ‘Given that sterling is worth around 20 per cent more than a year ago against the Turkish lira, we expected to see a lower barometer cost for Turkey, especially as the country had a disappointing 2011.

‘However, we were surprised to find that local costs have actually risen by 21 per cent and it is only the strong sterling exchange rate that is masking that increase.

‘It will be interesting to see how Turkish resorts respond to the challenge presented by Spain and Portugal. With Greek tourism also facing a fight for survival, we could see a price war  between the eastern and western Med in 2012.’

Italy came out as the most expensive European destination with the basket of items costing £89.03.

Miss Munro said: ‘The message that came out clearly from our holiday budgeting research was that 2012 will be all about affordability.  Holidays may still be a priority but they are not a necessity and people will not knowingly get into debt to fund them.

‘The winning destinations will be those that offer good value not just for flights and accommodation, but for tourist staples like meals out and drinks.”

‘However, it will pay people to keep a watchful eye on exchange rate movements as well as considering easy ways to save money.’

Friday 6th January, my son and I (+ Billy my painter) decided finally to climb the famous mountain overlooking our town (Marbella) La Concha. On a fab day 22 degrees and perfect climbing conditions we set off from Refugio de Juanar (up the Ojen road just past the village on the left). I knew this would be daunting and recruiting Billy who had climbed it over 10 times seemed the right idea (how wrong I was). It usually take 3 – 3.5 hours to climb, but with Billy as the “drill sergeant” we completed the climb in 2 hours 10 mins, but it was blooming tough. There are some sections that were very hard work, + other sections where you could get your breath back. As it was our 1st climb there was a photo opportunity on every section, with some stunning views of the coast, lake, Gibraltar and Africa. My son Kia who is 12 years old done really well and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I feel any younger than that and kids would find it very difficult.

After all this time living and working in Marbella I am glad that we have finally achieved the climb, however I dont think that I will be doing it again in such a hurry! The decent was just as difficult and killed the knees, we did this in 1 hour 50 mins, again egged on by our sergeant!