Information on the surrounding area of the Lecrin valley

The Lecrin valley has been made an area of out standing natural beauty so development will now be tighter controlled to protect the character of the whole place. The valley is made up of many villages, those that are in the heart of this beautiful place are:
Albunuelas
Saleres
Restabal
Melegis
Pinos del Valle
Conchar
Lecrin
Chite
Murchas
Durcal
Niguelas
Acequias
The valley has many walks some take you past the beautiful lake Bezna, the only activity allowed on the lake is fishing. Carp are in an abundance and you will find bass also. Rumour has it that you even have Barbel in the lake but this appears to be false. You will need a Spanish fishing licence to fish and this can be arranged but needs to be done before you arrive. What you may see in the lake is the odd turtle swimming around as spotted by my son which I can confirm I also witnessed.

Drive over the pine forest mountain (not possible in the winter period) beyond Albunuelas and you will hit the main road from Almunecar to Granada. Turn left and head down towards Otivar and you will see some beautiful scenery.
In a different direction drive back to the Granada motorway and turn right and after a short distance turn off and head for Lanjaron. This town is famous for it’s bottled spring water which is sold world wide. Go beyond this town and you will enter the Alpujarras made famous by the former Genesis band member, he was the drummer on the first Album. Chris Stewart turned writer, wrote the book “Driving over Lemons” all about moving to the Alpajarras and living there. The last few years has seen this area become very popular with British people moving to Spain, Orgiva now accommodating many British families. A large number of tourist shops have now sprung up in the villages in that area so the coaches stop off in the villages to unload their holiday makers.

A short drive down the Granada to Motril road and you reach the coast of the Costa Tropical, this stretch of coast will have photography’s snapping away to capture the breath taking views. History surrounds this area with the castles at Salobrena, Almunecar and Neja. From the times of the Phoenicians, Romans who sailed these waters to the British Navy anchored off the Almunecar coast with the British navy ship HYACINTH firing a broadside at the Almunecar castle to send the French army retreating to Granada.
Now a days the towns are more remembered for their charm and cosmopolitan atmosphere and area to relax. Music flows as musicians move from bar to bar to entertain and collect any tips. Coves with hidden beaches and for the naturalists a cove to be closer to nature with a lovely restaurant located just past Le Herradura.
Motril has grown in size with modern day holiday accommodation still being built and a golf course but the sea towns with more charm in our opinion and with in a reasonable driving distance are located west, Salobrena, Almunecar, La Herradura, Neja. Observe the sunset going down on this coast and the artist's amongst you will be rushing to get paint to canvass.

North of the Lecrin valley you have the Sierra Nevada a fantastic place to hike especially when the spring flowers are in bloom or in the winter to ski. One of Europe’s best kept secrets, it is the most southerly ski resort in Europe and is at a height of 3,350m and has the longest season from December to April.

The village of Guejar sierra can be found next to the Sierra Nevada as well as the city of Granada. One of the best ways to see Granada is to take the bus tour. You can spend easily spend a couple of days looking around the historical city of Granada. Look behind the main streets and see the abundance of Moroccan shops selling their goods and small bars with so much atmosphere. Granada is also home to Spain’s number one tourist attraction the Alhambra. Beyond Granada and only an hours drive you have Gaudix famous for the cave houses, cathedral and Moorish castle which dominates the skyline.