| The Province of Malaga has many beautiful places to visit away from the coast, so if you want a break from sunbathing or, if you are enjoying the warm Winter months with us, here are some places you may like to visit. |
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| El Chorro National Park |
This is just about an hour’s drive from Benalmádena and is very easy to get to. Just take the A7 to Málaga and then follow signs for A 357 'Universidad' & 'Cartama'. This road climbs gently for about 40 kilometres and just beyond its peak is the village of Ardales. The second turning on the right is signposted ‘El Chorro’. Take this exit and turn left at the end and after about 7 kms. You will see the stunning lakes created by King Alfonso XIII and finished in 1913. The lakes are formed by the damming of several valleys to create a huge reservoir for Málaga. The shores of the lake are wooded and there is swimming and fishing as well as campsites with brick-built barbecues complete with stainless sinks and electricity points.
For those who enjoy walking there are several signed trails and the El Chorro valley contains the railway bridge featured in the film ‘Von Ryan’s Express’. Restaurants abound but we like to take a picnic hamper and relax at one of the many tables and benches. Really enjoyable. |
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| Two views of the lakes at El Chorro. On the left you can see the rows of olive trees from which the excellent local oil is produced. The image on the right shows the walkway to the Chief Engineer’s house - What a lovely place to live! |
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You can buy the locally produced olive-oil direct from
the mill in Ardales. |
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The extensive effects of wind
erosion on a huge scale. |
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| Fuengirola |
| Only a few minutes drive away this town has many beautiful features which we would like to point out to you. Here are some pictures: |
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| This is Plaza de la Constitución (Constitution Place) at the heart of the town with cool porticoed walkways, the famous café with its wandering troubadours playing and singing in the true Spanish style.Fresh flower stalls adorn the south-western corner of the plaza. |
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The four lions’ heads set in pure marble are the post boxes of the main post office in Fuengirola. From left to right they read, ‘Local post’, ‘Málaga province’, ‘other provinces’ and ‘overseas’. Beauty as well as function is essential to Spanish culture and another striking example of this is the roundabout by the central indoor market. The statue and obelisk represent the Muses from Greek mythology and the flowing fountain is beset with water nymphs. All this set in manicured grass and colourful flowers carefully maintained by the local council! In Spain even the traffic islands are beautiful.
The market itself features a first floor fresh produce market with fresh fish stalls where the owners will prepare the fish exactly as you want it, cleaned and filleted, all by hand. In addition to this there are fruit and vegetable stalls, local butchers, tea and coffee and even an Arab stall where exotic items like preserved whole lemons and fresh coriander can be bought. The spice stall has just about every spice known to man and recently we saw the famous TV chef, Anthony Worrall-Thompson shopping there, so it must be good! |
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