Alpujarras

Located to the east of Granada, these southern foothills of the mighty Sierra Nevada range (Spain's highest mountains) are just a short distance from the Mediterranean. The sheltered and surprisingly verdant valleys were settled by the Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians before the Moors, whose enduring legacy was the farming of terraced crops watered by ingenious irrigation systems built by Boabdil's Moorish Berbers before the Spaniards finally changed heart and forced them to convert to Christianity or return to the land of their ancestors.

The Alpujarras, with their proximity to the Mediterranean, offer a truly excellent environment for the walker. The region has a benign microclimate with year-round sun and abundant water, and comprises various small valleys criss-crossed by ancient livestock herders' trails joining its typically quaint villages with whitewashed homes, twisting cobblestone streets lined with flower pots, and an abundance of textile weavers and other traditional artisans. The modern-day inhabitants live simple lives, principally devoted to agriculture; the Alpujarras area is also famed throughout Spain for its ceramics, weaving, and especially cured hams, sent from all over Spain to take advantage of the elevation and unique climate.

Among its most well-known villages are those of the Poqueira Valley - Capileira, Bubión and Pampaneira all especially well-preserved and Capileira is the starting point for many of the best walks up the southern slopes of Sierra Nevada; Yegen - home in the 1920's to the English Hispanist and writer Gerald Brenan (now immortalised in the film "South from Granada" after the author's book of the same name); and Trévelez - Iberia's highest village, famed for its cured jamón serrano;