I'm not good with heights, and that's something which rather annoys me. So whenever I'm presented with something high, steep or precipitous I'm determined to face down my fears. As soon as I read about it, I was fascinated by the Caminito del Rey in Andalucia.
As you wander through Setenil de las Bodegas, large chunks of rock hang precariously amongst the winding streets, often creating natural roofs for the houses and restaurants. Most amazingly, one large overhang covers an entire street, providing shade and natural cooling during the warm summers of southern Spain. Even more remarkable still, there are houses built on top of the overhang,
When you think of city breaks in Spain, your first thought is probably places like Barcelona and Madrid; however, Spain is home to so many wonderful places that it’d be a shame to not explore the possibilities of other beautiful towns and cities. Whether you’re looking for sun, sea, sand, seafood, stunning archaeological sites, or a combination of all these things, Spain has something to offer to everyone.
To get to the Faro del Caballo lighthouse (near Santoña in Cantabria) you have to descend about 700 steps, and to get back up you have to climb them again! The exact number of the steps seems to be in some doubt, because, we suspect, no-one has ever managed the complete descent or ascent without losing count on the way.
If you like to go a little off the beaten track, discover new places and have fun in a way that that you will surely remember, here are four activities to get you started. These are all available in the Andalucian hills and mountains just inland from Málaga. Although you'll be just a short distance from the hedonistic pleasures of the Costa del Sol, this is a world apart where life moves at a more leisurely pace.
Spain and the Spanish islands have some of the most stunning beaches in the world. Move away from a few over-crowded resorts and you will find places that are a match for anything you could see in the Caribbean or the Indian Ocean.White sand and turquoise water. Rugged, rocky shorelines. Long, long stretches of firm sand. And the occasional surprise.
The Antequera valley has been a trade route and a place of settlement ever since stone-age man set foot on the Iberian peninsula. Indeed the area has some of the most important bronze-age dolmens to be seen anywhere in the country, and the bronze-age relics are then followed by Roman, Moorish, Christian and the various political and architectural epoques that have followed.
Cáceres may not be so well-known to the average traveller as, say, Seville or Barcelona, but it is certainly a place that rewards those intrepid voyagers who are prepared to go that extra mile. It is a city characterised by numerous old palaces, endless archaeological exhibits, and the unique Moorish underground water deposit (the "aljibe") with it's 16 arabic vaulted arches. No fewer than 30 mediaeval towers lie within the city, as well as the Moorish mud-brick Torre del Horno.
age edition of Scrabble, but there really should be. Without some adjustment to the scoring system and the numbers of each letter, the game would become impossible. When you're up in that area, if you see words liberally peppered with t’s, x’s, z’s and k’s; that’s Basque! And where does this language come from? Amazingly, nobody knows. Basque is spoken by around three-quarters of a million people, mostly in the corner of Spain known as El Pais Vasco, the remainder being in the corresponding
An often repeated proverb dating back to the Renaissance says, with a little exaggeration, 'Madrid, nueve meses de invierno, tres meses de infierno' (Madrid, nine months of winter, three months of burning hell). In August the temperature averages 30ºC while in winter it can fall several degrees below zero. Although the saying is exaggerated, the continental climate in the middle of the peninsula and the altitude of Madrid at 646 metres above sea level certainly does make for an extreme
