When we bought our house here in Andalusia in 2008, we thought we had set ourselves up on our mountain in the hope of admiring all the New Years Eve fireworks from the villages around us . So at the stroke of 12 o'clock we stood outside, with cava and an oliebol (Dutch pastry)...but no fireworks to be seen. We obviously hadn't thought this through well enough! ;-) 

The following year, we celebrated La Noche Vieja at a restaurant in Nerja. Here's what we had learnt:

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  © 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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