© all photos: Jan B. van der Marel

Apart from the fantastic hiking and mountain biking here in the Axarquía, motorcycling through the rugged mountain landscape is also a very popular activity for me. I try to make a trip every week and one of my favourite motorbike trips is from my home base, Canillas de Aceituno to Alhama De Granada. It's about 100 km in total and you're on the road for over 3 hours including the necessary coffee stop.

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Whereas years ago the rolling hills were covered only with olive and almond trees and vines for the Moscatel wine, the landscape in La Axarquía has changed considerably in recent years. In the hinterland of the Costa del Sol and along the Costa Tropical, mango and avocado trees have become more and more common.

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Approximately three thousand hectares in La Axarquía consist of vineyards. The sweet wine, also called Vino de Terreno, made from the muscatel grape is the main product of the region. The wine route starts from Nerja and leads past the villages of Torrox, Frigiliana, Cómpeta, Canillas de Albaida, Sayalonga, Sedella and Algarrobo. But also out side this route, you will find various vineyards and corresponding bodegas.

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When we were looking for a house in southern Spain, we created a wish list to make the search a little easier. The house had to radiate a Spanish atmosphere, be comfortable to live in during the extremes of the summer and winter and neither of us wanted it to require too much maintenance throughout the year.

Even more important was to find the best location. We do not like mundane environments and high-rise buildings; we were more interested in looking for that typical Spanish feel of white villages, natural surroundings, traditional food, good value locally produced wines and rustic hospitality.

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