Mountains of fun: the countryside behind the bustling Costa del Sol takes you to a different Spain

LOOK inland and from almost every resort or villa on the Costa del Sol you can see a line of towering peaks.

Almost always framed by brilliant blue skies, most of them tower over the UK’s highest peak, Ben Nevis, and are teeming with wildlife, including rare Ibex and otters, while Black Milanes and Honey Buzzards patrol the skies.

Now finally, after nearly 20 years of campaigning, this impressive mountain range, the Sierra de las Nieves, has been designated Spain’s 16th National Park.

Largely untouched by tourists but ridiculously close to the coast, it’s a weekend getaway that cries out to be reserved.

The endangered Pinsapo Fir forests and the aforementioned ibex and otters have helped grant the protection of its new National Park.

Crossed by hiking trails, it is even possible to walk up from Marbella, Benahavis and Mijas, while by car you are in the heart of the park in an hour through the impressive Juanar Valley.

An even better option is to spend a weekend in the nearby Valle del Guadalhorce, which cushions the mountain range, while to the north you’ll find the Andalusian Lake District and its now famous Caminito del Rey.

The polar opposite of the glitz and glamor of the nearby coast, the valley, home to the well-known cities of Coín and Alhaurín, offers a quieter, largely rural and laid-back way of life.

A great place to head to begin your exciting journey inland is Tolox, which is the back door to this incredible mountain wilderness.

As someone once described it, ‘If Coin sits at the foot of the Sierra de las Nieves, then Tolox is the toenail.’

Formerly part of the Moorish kingdom of Soleiman, this whitewashed town also draws visitors to soak in its Fuente Amarga spa, with its legendary healing properties.

Stress and muscle fatigue are eliminated with a variety of therapies ranging from natural gas inhalation to mud spray treatments.

Head uphill for a couple of miles and you’ll find eagle views at the Cerro de Hijar hotel, one of Andalucia’s most remote places to stay.

Every hairpin turn around the sheer cliffs offers a new angle on the Guadalhorce Valley.

Looking down on Malaga and the waterfalls that tumble below, it’s easy to forget that the metropolis of the Costa del Sol is just on the other side of the mountain.

From here you ascend towards the impressive white village of Yunquera and Alozaina is embedded like a jewel in an environment of olive groves.

The entrance to the charming town center is marked by stone arches, while the church, the jewel in the crown in most of these towns, can be seen against the horizon from the narrow streets below.

From the striking church of Santa Ana itself, there are spectacular views towards the Sierra Prieta.

Half an hour to the northeast you can’t miss Álora, which can be seen from miles around.

Bursting with Moroccan and Roman influences, this impressive site is topped by a castle, which sits on a high pinnacle overlooking this quaint town.

A stop along the way at the 17th century La Encarnación church is the perfect prelude to the main event at the top of Cerro de las Torres.

The castle has had a long and checkered history. Originally built by the Phoenicians, before being expanded under Roman rule, it was destroyed by the Visigoths and rebuilt by the Moors.

Retracing your steps, the route southwest of Alhaurín takes you to the serene Barranco Blanco (Barranco Blanco).

A photographer’s dream tucked away in the countryside where wild boars feel safe to roam, its aquamarine waters ending in a magical waterfall.

They all mention the Nazis, who supposedly used the area as a training ground during the war, due to the alliance between Franco and Hitler. You can still see a white building that was used as a surveillance point when you arrive.

Arriving in Alhaurín is like déjà vu when a ‘castle’ comes into view. It is the famous brick water tower that starred in the opening credits of the Eldorado series, built to look ancient.

This is one of the most popular places to base yourself in the valley and has a great mix of shops and restaurants, while having a true international vibe with expats from all over the world.

The region’s ‘capital’ and largest city, Coin is a bigger version of its smaller neighbors (Tolox, Yunquera and Alozaina) with its iconic church, series of plazas and a multitude of winding cobbled streets.

Settled by the Romans, who turned it into a market town before largely abandoning it for almost 500 years, it was then brought back to life by the Moors, who rebuilt it in AD 950.

Much of this later success came from the marble and iron ore quarries that were used in the construction of the famous Seville settlement of Itálica, the birthplace of the future Emperor Hadrian.

Recaptured by the Christians during a long siege in which Christopher Columbus supposedly participated, it was also popular with another great explorer, Captain Cook, who visited it in 1829.

After a visit to Cartama, Alhaurín and Coín, he wrote: ‘These towns are on high ground above the river and the beauty of the situation and cultivation cannot be surpassed.

“They give a specimen of the whole country when the Moors possessed them, being surrounded by orchards with orange, lemon and palm trees and abounding in all the fine fruits as well as the most common.”

Even today, the Guadalhorce Valley is considered one of the most fertile in all of Spain.

Crossed by streams, as well as modern and ancient acequias (man-made water channels), it has both modern cultivation and wildlife, while signs of its fecundity are to be found in the villages where you can pick oranges and lemons that line the streets.

daredevils

Let’s not forget what was once dubbed the “world’s deadliest footbridge” until the Caminito del Rey reopened nine years ago after a €3 million upgrade.

While much safer now, you’ll still need to have a head for heights with this adrenaline-pumping trek through the El Chorro Gorge, an immense 5-kilometer-long, 300-meter-deep fissure that cuts through towering limestone cliffs .

Situated between the two postage stamp-sized towns of Ardales and El Chorro, it’s no surprise that this area has earned the nickname “Andalusian Lake District” thanks in part to a series of travel articles from Olive Press over a decade ago.

The scenery is more akin to the Cumbrian countryside or the cantons of Switzerland than your average Costa del Sol landscape with the two towns linked by hairpin roads past glistening reservoirs fringed by sandy beaches and shaded by feathery conifers.

With lakeside campsites, it’s the quintessential active weekend for outdoor sports enthusiasts, offering rock climbing, watersports, pedal boats and dining under the stars in charming ventas under the shade of pine trees.

There’s plenty to explore, with an incredibly interesting side trip to the ancient ruined city of Bobastro, found by taking an uphill side road just a few clicks from El Chorro.

A fascinating place, it was here in the 9th century that the rebel Muslim leader Omar Ibn Hafsun declared independence from the Arab kingdom of Córdoba, sparking decades of conflict and the creation of an impregnable mountain redoubt that was difficult to capture and even more so. difficult. find.

Today, you can explore the site, with its various buildings and ruins that suddenly emerge in clearings in the middle of a deep forest. Most fascinating of all is an ancient church that was literally carved out of the rock, with circular shapes as windows, it is supposed.

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