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The Best Spanish Walks?David Lanfear's five favourite walks
Grazalema to Villaluenga, White Towns and Rugged Mountains walk . "What I love most is that this area is completely wild," explains David. "You can walk all day without seeing another soul, which to me is no bad thing – I enjoy the absolute tranquillity. However, you do pass several abandoned farmhouses, which makes you all the more conscious of the fact that you are walking a route between two villages that must have been trodden by countless people over the centuries. The day begins with an ascent away from Grazalema, with views back down to this pueblo blanco as the path zigzags uphill through scattered pine trees. You then emerge into a lunar landscape strewn with rocks, and you feel as though you are on top of the world. There are no trees whatsoever. Next, you descend into a secret, bowl-shaped valley whose only farmhouse was abandoned some forty years ago. Nevertheless, you will probably encounter some untended farm animals from the lower villages – cattle, black pigs, sheep and goats – which drink from troughs carved by hand from blocks of limestone. There is water everywhere, in fact, and poplars, too. You then descend some more, through several valleys, before rising again. And suddenly you are greeted with a fantastic 360-degree view – ahead you can see ridge after ridge. Finally, you descend into Villaluenga, a village which produces goat's cheese made from milk from the payoyo goat, a breed unique to the area."
Sóller to Cala Tuent, Mountains and Villages of Mallorca Walk. "Unlike my favourite walks in the Andalucian mountains," remarks David, "this takes you through areas that are very definitely inhabited and farmed. What I like most about it is that it is almost like two walks because it has two very distinct parts. After a taxi ride to the panoramic Ses Barques viewpoint, the first section of the walk leads through a huge valley with three farms called Balitx de Dalt, Balitx d'es Mig and Balitx d'Abaix, which translate as Upper, Middle and Lower Balitx. The valley floor has the most fertile soils, and this is carpeted with orange trees. There is water everywhere, and you even pass a water mine where previous inhabitants have carved out the rock to reach an underground spring. You can buy fresh orange juice at Balitx d'Abaix – the owner squeezes it in front of you, just in case you are in any doubt as to how fresh it is. I mention this in the walking notes as it helps set you up for the ascent out of the valley that follows. After about thirty minutes you reach the coll (pass) and are greeted by a completely new scene – suddenly you find the sea ahead of you, with occasional pleasure boats leaving a trail of frothy white surf in their wake. The coastal path that you follow for the rest of the walk undulates, but is not too hard work. Below you, pine trees descend into the sea, providing a lovely vision of green and blue. Eventually you descend to the cove at Tuent, from where, during the summer months, you can return to Port de Sóller by boat, giving you a different perspective of the terrain you have covered. So, all in all not a demanding walk, but nevertheless a very rewarding one."
Agua Amarga to Las Negras, The Coast of Almería Walk. "With its arid landscapes, Almería really is quite unique," begins David as he sets the scene. "It's almost as if a small mountain range has been pushed up under a maroon desert. The contrast between the maroon soil and the blue sea is very stark, and there are no trees except at the oases. You really do feel as though you are in another world. People did once live by the oases, but not any more. The only sign of past settlements are the norias, waterwheels with leather loops as buckets. Mules were used to turn an interlocking wheel to operate them. This walk to Las Negras, the first on the holiday, takes you along a scrub-covered cliff-top, then drops down to a tiny cove. Not only is this physically refreshing – Almería's waters are warm enough to swim in virtually all year round – but it's visually refreshing too. The walk continues like this for some time, alternating between cliff-top and cove, and then you reach Cala de San Pedro, which feels very special because it is only accessible on foot or by sea. The watchtower, allotments and dovecote there were built by pirates who used to live at the cove between looting sprees. It's rather strange to think that they built a watchtower to keep an eye out for the authorities – it was usually the other way around," laughs David. "Anyway, you then finish with a cliff-top walk. You think that the path will lead all the way to Las Negras, but suddenly it swerves into a barranco – a huge, dry valley with a flat, sandy bottom used by muleteers to get from A to B – then passes an abandoned farm with a waterwheel, and leads you out past bamboo and palm trees onto the beach of Las Negras. There are usually lots of fishing boats pulled up on the sand and, after passing all those secret coves and the abandoned farm, it feels pleasantly homely."
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David
Lanfear has one of those jobs that make most people envious. For much
of the year he works as a guide in the mountains of Andalucia, leading
groups of walkers along little-used paths that wind through secret valleys
and over panoramic ridges. When he's not acting as a guide, he researches
routes for Inntravel, and writes and updates the walking notes for our
holidays in southern Spain and elsewhere. With his extensive knowledge
of our Spanish holidays (the only ones he doesn't yet know are those in
Asturias and along the Costa Brava), he is probably the best placed of
anyone in Inntravel to judge individual walking routes. Here are his six
favourite walks.
Tárbena
to Castell de Castells, 
Port
de la Selva to Cadaqués,