Walk the walk

GO SPAIN:A short bus trip up the mountains from the Costa del Sol lies a paradise for ramblers, writes ÉANNA BROPHY

WE’RE ALREADY PLANNING our return. Like many others, we first encountered the Alpujarras in Chris Stewart’s book Driving Over Lemons, but this mountain region of southern Spain seemed too remote for a holiday. Then one day we took a bus tour up from the Costa de Sol – and found ourselves in a different Spain, a different world.

Turning east off the Granada motorway, we began to meet at each bend a vista more breathtaking than the last. That trip terminated in Pampaneira, one of several little white towns whose architecture dates from the Moorish era more than 1,000 years ago.

Little seems to have changed since then. Whether it was the clear mountain air, the friendly locals, the scent of oregano, the birdsong or just the brilliant sunshine – we knew we just had to come back.

Serendipity took a hand when, idly browsing the internet one day, I saw a competition for a place on a writing course in Ferreirola, a tiny village in the Alpujarras. The venue was Casa Ana, a B&B guesthouse. Having checked its website we contacted its English owner Anne Hunt, and booked a short stay. (No, I didn’t enter the competition.)

That’s how we discovered the Tahá Valley, a walker’s paradise where even the faint-hearted need have no fears: just bring adequate boots and clothing. The area, which came under the old caliphate of Granada, has a sprinkling of pretty white villages within walking distance of each other, along tracks used for centuries.

Getting to La Tahá is easy. Pick up a hire car at Malaga airport, take the motorway to Granada, then turn east and head for the spa town of Lanjarón. Several miles, and many twists and turns further on you’ll see the picturesque white towns of Pampaneira, Capileira, Bubión and Pitres – the last being the stopping-off point for the Tahá valley.

We investigated the bus option and found that Spanish buses are great for getting around. In Malaga, we caught the comfortable Alsina Graells coach to Granada’s bus station, then the three-times-a-day bus to Pitres.

Casa Ana proved ideal. Anne Hunt came there in 2003 and fell in love with the place. The 400-year-old stone house has been stylishly converted, and a second house is let out for groups. It’s often used for writing courses or bakery/cookery courses. The terraces, which look out over a ravishing prospect, are perfect for relaxing after a ramble in the hills.

The walks range from the undemanding to the steepish. Walking poles or a stout stick are recommended. You are never far from a refreshing drink of water: every village features a battery of public taps where you can fill a bottle (or a bucket) of the stuff that comes gushing out of the higher mountains.

Most villages don’t have shops: the groceries arrive by van on different days. The nearest supermarket and bank are in Pitres.

The Tajá valley is just one of several walking centres in the Alpujarras. One of the most popular is Bubión. The bus from Granada stops here before going on to its terminus at Trevélez. Waymarked trails from Bubión will bring you to Pampaneira or up even higher to Capileira.

At the end of the bus route lies Trevélez, the highest village in mainland Spain. Most shops and bars here are festooned with hams: the town is famous for its air-cured jamón serrano. It’s a perfect base for ambitious walkers heading for the Sierra Nevada.

Meanwhile, back in the pastoral Tahá valley, you can always hear the Trevélez river cascading through the gorge far below. Along these walks you still find traces of the ancient Moorish presence. The acequias, or irrigation channels, harness the mountain springs and still bring the water to farms and smallholdings – and there are also wide stone platforms called eras which were used for threshing.

The length of a walk is up to yourself: you could just go “there and back” to another village in less than an hour, or try a circular five-hour walk that involves a bit of panting up zig-zag paths up a mountain called Corona, which is a bit taller than Carrauntoohil.

We were more than midway up this mountain, but becoming nervous of continuing when we looked up and saw, silhouetted against the sky, a startling vision. Marching briskly down towards us was a woman – and she was carrying a bike slung nonchalantly over her shoulder as she leapt goat-like from crag to crag. This was Jackie – another Englishwoman “gone native” here with her husband. They run mountain-bike holidays from the village of Fondales. We asked if she was in the habit of carrying her bike down mountains. “Of course not,” she said. “I ride it on the less rocky bits.” Shamefaced at our timidity, we resumed our climb. Our reward was a panoramic view of what seemed to be the whole of Andalucía – and peeping up in the distance were the Sierra Nevada, snowcapped just as the song says.

After all this exercise, food and drink are called for. There are a few restaurants in the area, each with its own ambience. In Mecina village we stumbled (almost literally) upon the hugely popular La Cueva de Mora Luna, a roadside cafe and piano bar where the owner Carlos Anibal di Palma Acuña (from Uruguay) made us feel very welcome. He and his family serve drinks (with free tapas) and good food, including delicious homemade pizzas and cakes. The decor is eclectic and idiosyncratic, the walls festooned with family memorabilia, old movie posters, postcards and many photographs.

One of these framed snaps shows Carlos and some of his family posing for the camera with a familiar-looking woman, who, he said, was a frequent visitor there about three summers ago. “Yes,” he assured us, “she and her husband were in here several nights, joining in the singing and dancing.”

We looked closely again at the picture, and yes, it was definitely former president of Ireland, Mary McAleese.

ALPUJARRAS Uncovered

WHEN TO GO:April/May or September/October are best.

GETTING THERE:Aer Lingus and Ryanair fly to Malaga, and the main car rental companies have desks at the airport. By bus: There are a few direct buses from Malaga airport to Granada, or you can take the shuttle bus into Malaga's bus station to catch hourly buses to Granada. Buses from there to Trevélez serve the Alpujarras.

PLACES TO STAY:Hotel Sierra y Mar A hotel with nine bedrooms and a large living-room, library and kitchen for the use of guests. Wifi available. Double room costs €62 (single €42). Calle Albaycín, 3, E-18414 Ferreirola (Granada), tel: 0034-958-766171, email: sierraymar@hotmail.com

Casa Ana B&B accommodation overlooking the Tajá valley. Average double-room price €68. Calle Artesa, Ferreirola, 18414 La Tahá, Granada, tel: 0034-958-766270, casa-ana.com

Cortijo Opazo This house near the villages of Pitres and Pórtugos has two apartments. A feature is the beautiful garden. Ctra Atalbéitar, 18415 Pórtugos, Granada, tel: 0034-958-064018, cortijoopazo.com

PLACES TO EAT:La Cueva de Mora Luna Atmospheric cafe-bar serving tapas and freshly-cooked meals. Mecina-Fondales, Granada, tel: 0034-958-765202

L'Atelier Well-regarded vegetarian restaurant owned by French-born chef Jean-Claude Juston. Calle Alberca, 21, 18414 Mecina-Fondales, Granada, tel: 0034-958-857501, ivu.org/atelier

OTHER OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Mountain biking Ciclomontana offers group and individual holidays. Weekly centre-based trail riding holidays start at €500 approx per person. Fondales, Granada, ciclomontana.com

Horse riding Sierra Trails, based in Bubión, organises holidays on horseback. Prices start at €487. Dallas Love Stables, 18412 Bubión, Granada, tel: 0034-608453802, spain-horse-riding.com