Local information about Valle de Lecrin

the area
The road south to the coast from Granada runs through the area known as the Valle de Lecrin - the Valley of Happiness. This fertile valley is edged by towering mountains, yet is only 35km from the Costa Tropical. It is equally close to the ski resort of Solynieve and the beautiful Sierra Nevada. Our properties are all in the heart of the Valle de Lecrin. Just to show that the region isn't just about sea, sun, sand and sangria etc, we can recommend getting about a bit. The place is full of history - did you know that the Islamic invasion of Spain, beginning in the eighth century, brought irrigation techniques largely unpractised in Spain since Roman times? Of course you did... An extensive garden agriculture flourished around Moorish towns, watered by the first acequias, which gave one of the local villages its name. It's interesting (?) to note that the Spanish words relating to irrigation: acequia (ditch or canal), zanja, (smaller ditch), charca (pond), alcantarilla (culvert), and acena (water mill) have all remained virtually unchanged from their Arabic origins. It is alleged that the Moors also introduced barbecued and skewered meat as well as the pestle and mortar, used in the famous cold soups gazpacho and salmorejo and other dishes. They also introduced the frying of food in olive oil - but that's enough Spanish-Arabic history, which you probably knew anyway...	Use the map to find out more...
What about the area? Most of the properties we have to offer are in villages that are all within ten minutes’ drive of the main Granada-Motril road, which is itself being gradually upgraded to a four lane highway. It is now open past Acequias which makes the journey from Malaga now only an hour and three quarters. If you'd like to know more about investment opportunities in this increasingly popular area - click here. The palace of the Alhambra in Granada is only half an hour’s drive away. There are beaches on the coast at Salobreña and Almuñecar - Spanish resorts, only rarely crowded. This is an easy half hour’s drive through a deep gorge. There is no shortage of good walking, both locally around the villages and more adventurously up in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The long distance GR7 European footpath takes you from Restábal past Melegís and Acequias, then on to the spa town of Lanjarón and beyond. There are also walks to nearby villages as well as down to the Béznar reservoir. Horse riding can be arranged locally at stables near Nigüelas. You can drive into the Sierra Nevada mountains along a road claimed to be the highest in Europe, up to about 2700 metres and walk from there, mountain weather permitting. “Sol y Nieve”, which means sun and snow, is a premier skiing area in Spain with runs at altitudes of over 3000 metres. Indeed, around Easter time it is quite possible to ski in the morning and lie on the beach in the afternoon. There are markets to visit in most of the bigger towns, including Órjiva which is in the foothills of the Alpujarras and close to the spa town of Lanjarón. If however, you're not feeling energetic, just relax on your patio and doze while the insects are buzzing in the trees!

Acequias What about Acequias? - this is a small, quiet community nestling among olive groves in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It's a very friendly place with several holiday properties located here. It is full of character, and characters, and is ideally situated for activity-orientated breaks or get-away-from-it-all holidays. At the base of Cerro Alto (The High Hill) Acequias is at an altitude of about 2850 ft. It avoids the extreme heat of the summer and is mosquito-free giving it an almost perfect climate from April to October. Although it has no bars or shops there are several in Nigüelas only 5 minutes away by car or 25 minutes on foot.
	The 17th century church of San Antonio (below, right) is at the heart of the village. Many of the holiday properties are close by. Being an essentially rural community there is activity in the fields and orchards nearby all year round. The picture (left, taken Autumn 2001) shows the almond groves above the village, with the new autovia in the middle distance.
Although there are no shops several vans regularly bring bread, fruit, meats, vegetables and fish up to the village, and signal their arrival with a loud hoot of the horn! You will need to be quick but most of the local residents use the service and consequently take advantage of the opportunity to chat and catch up with the news! There are many gentle walks around Acequias, many following the routes of the old acequia, several of which are still used by the local residents to irrigate their gardens and allotments. There are several footpaths leading to other villages in the area, as well as linking to the major footpath into the Sierra Nevada, the GR7.	Map

Nigüelas A delightful 25 minute walk through olive and almond groves from Acequias brings you to Nigüelas. Like Acequias, it is an old community which still has some inhabited caves at the top of the town. It has at least seven bars - we're heroically searching for others - click here for more information on the bar/restaurant front.
There is a lovely church (left) and the town hall is worth looking round, as is the adjacent 'Jardin Romantico'. The Nigüelas fiesta is in September and is a late night party not to be missed. The horse riding stables mentioned on the 'Activities' page are in the 'campo' near here. There is also an old olive mill museum and there is a daily fish market in the town. Nigüelas is separated from Acequias by the Rio Torrente gorge.
Map	As mentioned above, there are some fascinating cave houses, many of which are still inhabited. They are situated at the base of the sheer cliffs which rise above Nigüelas. Typically, there is a conventional frontage which merges into the hillside behind. The one shown in this photograph can be found by following an overgrown path leading from the end of town. The deserted ones can be a little eerie, particularly when stumbled upon during an early morning walk...

Dúrcal

Dúrcal is a busy market town no more than 5 minutes by car from Acequias. It has an hotel and several decent bars and restaurants.

Market day is Wednesday and there is a 'Mercado Municipal' on other days selling really good local produce and fish.

There's a small but well stocked supermarket on the main street and a variety of other shops. And for those with an interest in bullfighting...

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Melegis

This quiet village is a few miles from Acequias. It lies at 500 metres above sea level and is set amongst orange groves. It is located on a south-west facing slope with lovely views across to the Sierra de las Guájaras and the Sierra Nevada.

The population is about 500. It supports two mini-supermarkets, a bakery and two comfortable restaurant-bars, with al fresco seating.

One of the restaurants has a newly-built hostal for short stay visitors which charges approximately £15 per person per night. Los Naranjas is a great family afternoon out offering good food at very reasonable prices.

There are also some terrific views of the large reservoir, Embalse de Beznar, (above), nearby which dominates the southern end of the Valle de Lecrin.

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Lecrin Formally known as Talara, as it appears in some maps, Lecrin is a small town just down the valley from Acequias and Nigüelas. There are a few shops, a mini-supermarket which defies the laws of physics as it is clearly bigger on the inside than it appears from the outside, and for those staying in Acequias it is the nearest location for ATMs. There is a footpath from Acequias to Lecrin - it takes about 30 minutes to walk - which allows easy access to the Bar Nuevo which can be found just off the main crossroad in the town. The small village of Chite is nearby. Map
Pinos del Valle
Situated high on the south-eastern edge of the Embalse de Beznar (the reservoir), Pinos del Valle overlooks the Valle de Lecrin to the north. Similar in size to Nigüelas it has several shops and bars - it is a great location for walking and is close to the reservoir, which offers fishing. Perched behind the town, high on the eastern ridge of the Cerro del Cruzero de Pino, sits the ancient white monastery of Santo Cristo del Zapato (right) - a very distinctive landmark which can be seen from almost everywhere in the valley. The view from this point is awesome - to the left the valley curves away towards Garanada, to the right it descends down to the sea. All the towns in Valle de Lecrin can be seen from here. It's a steady walk on a good, clear footpath - well worth it. Click here to see a preview Map

Granada

Granada is the jewel of Andalucia, if you'll excuse a bit of 'brochure-speak' for a moment. We could write pages about it - the Alhambra, the Generalife, the bars, the museums and galleries, the markets, the bars, the Gypsy Quarter, the bars etc. - but there are plenty of dedicated sites out there.

For more information, try the very informative 'Andalusia' site on our page of recommended links. And don't forget, Cordoba, Seville and Ronda are all 'do-able' in a day by train from Granada.

Granada also has it's own Water Park - Aquaola - check out the website here. It's only 25 minutes from Acequias and costs around 10/11.5 euros per adult depending on the day of the week.

Meanwhile, here's a gratuitous picture of the Alhambra just to whet the appetite...

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Almuñecar
The coastal town of Almuñecar is only 40 minutes drive from Acequias - the well known resort of Nerja is only a few kilometres further west. Almuñecar was founded by the Phoenicians who named it Sexi. There's a joke there somewhere but it's probably best avoided, unlike the present-day resort which is well worth an extended stay. A Moorish castle overlooks the town with it's good choice of restaurants and bars and excellent beaches both side of the headland.
Salobreña
Salobreña is only 30 minutes from Acequias - the first town you hit when you reach the coast on the Granada road. It is an ancient white town, and has a superb Moorish fort called the Castille Arab which was once a prison to the Caliph. Isn't the area just soaked in history... The views from the top are stunning and the walk up there quite literally breath-taking... The sea and beaches all along this stretch of coast are very clear and clean with some excellent spots for snorkelling. The main beach is dominated by a rocky outcrop off which the local youngbloods jump into the sea, apparently for fun... Other resorts like Castel di Ferro and Calahonda to the east, and La Herradura to west are all worthy of a day-trip. La Herradura has a Scuba diving school on the beach front with training pool and a range of introductory programmes. There's also a fine restaurant, El Chambao de Joaquin, with a wonderful beach-side setting.
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Motril

Not a stunningly attractive place in itself but as it's the largest of the nearby towns, other than Granada, it has its uses. There are plenty of shops and an interesting church. There's also a decent golf course there.

A drive down the coast road, past Motril heading east, is memorable for the vast areas of polythene sheeted greenhouses, forcing tropical fruits and vegetables all year round. You can occasionally glimpse a sight of workers - often North African - entering the huge buildings in face-masks to protect them from the poisonous vapours given off by the polythene in the heat, not to mention the insecticides... Nice!

Can't add much more, really...

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Lanjaron and The Alpujarras

Only about 25 minutes drive from Acequias is the spa town of Lanjaron, the gateway to the Alpujarras. It is a beautiful region on the south facing slopes of the Sierra Nevada. It's the Driving Over Lemons area but don't let that put you off...

The walking potential here is fantastic - the winding road links Lanjaron with Orgiva, Pampaneira, Capileira and Trevélez, and all the tiny villages nestling in the folds of the mountains.

The GR7 footpath, the Spanish equivalent of the Pennine Way, snakes through the region. It starts at Restábal and goes through Nigüelas before heading south towards Lanjaron. and beyond.

There are some very pleasant restaurants in the town situated along the single main road of the town. There's also a stunning ruined Moorish castle on a rocky outcrop.

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