We’ve spent the last three nights staying in the tiny village of Ferreirola which is so tiny it doesn’t even have a bar.  This is incredibly tiny for Spain!   Everywhere has at least one bar – though there are three in the next village!

Stunning days of sun, walking and horse riding.  Within one photo frame it is possible to capture five villages, all within 30 minutes vertical walking of each other.  Studded on the sides of craggy mountain sides these villages date back many, many centuries.  I’m currently reading (when not too tired) Driving Over Lemons which dates back to the 1990s when an Englishman and his wife escaped the drudgery of their English life to work themselves into the ground developing an old Spanish farm sited on “the wrong side of the river”, opposite Orgiva.  Interestingly enough when I was riding the other day, high, high up, my guide Rafael (who himself had escaped a career in political science in Madrid 30 years ago) pointed out the green acres of Chris Stewarts.  Apparently he’s still there as Rafael met him last year.
The walking, the views, the riding have all been magnificent and our roof top room at Sierra y Mar was wonderful.  Weeks ago I had met an American couple who had stayed here.  They said, wait till you see the blue door.  Well, that’s because A) Ferreirola is at the end of a very narrow long road and B) the blue door, you need to follow your nose to find it.  Luckily no steps, till you get inside that is…  Well worth it for the view across to the jagged mountain sides we were soon to walk up.