My love affair with Spain goes all the way back to my childhood, since that very first holiday visit with my parents. Though I have travelled the world, the call of Andalucía, in southern Spain, has always drawn me back.
I didn’t just fall in love with the countryside, I married a beautiful local, a true Malagueña and we have been blessed with two boys. For eighteen wonderful years, we have lived in Andalucía, the region that stretches from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.
Our home province of Malaga is the perfect place to bring up a young family. It may be the smallest province in Andalucía but it is the one with the most protected natural heritage, chock full of varied landscapes and extensive biodiversity. In total there are over one hundred thousand hectares of protected land.
The wild countryside is our back garden and we love spending our time swimming, hiking, camping and mountaineering—all activities which are available just beyond our doorstep. With over three hundred and twenty days of sunshine a year, we are always outside, always exploring.
The capital city of our province, also called Malaga, is one of the oldest cities in the world with layers of history dating back to Phoenician times. It is also the birthplace of arguably Spain’s most famous son, Pablo Picasso.
But it is not just Malaga that is special, the entire region of Andalucía is a paradise; over one-fifth of its area is natural heritage protected by law. There are the jungles of the Alcornacales in Cádiz, the deserts of Almeria and the snow-capped mountains of the mighty Sierra Nevada in Granada.
Andalucía is also a place of outstanding architecture, much of it from its Moorish heritage, including such icons as Granada’s Alhambra palace, the Alcázar castle in Seville and Córdoba’s Mezquita Mosque-Cathedral.
These are just some of my favourite places and, as a local, I would love to show them to you. On this site, you’ll soon find information about hiking, river walks, mountain biking, rock climbing, secret beaches, fascinating local traditions and so much more–wonderful adventures that you will want to share with your family.
Thanks for stopping by.
Mentions in the press
Telegraph – Spain is happiest expat destination
Telegraph – Caminito del Rey: world’s scariest footpath now requires helmets
The Local – Interview ‘There is no doubt about it, Andalusia is different’
Living Spain Magazine – A Life Outdoors
Interview with Expats in Malaga – Some things are meant to be
Daily Mail – The world’s most dangerous footpath the Caminito del Rey
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