CASA RIF, CAÑAR
Casa Rif is an attractive house on the edge of Cañar.
The location in the unspoilt mountain village also known as the Balcony
of the Alpujarra, gives us access to many of the less frequented paths
in the Sierra Nevada Park - exploring the peaceful and dramatic valley
of the Rio Chico, the woods which surround the O Sel Ling Tibetan
retreat centre and the heights above with breathtaking glimpses of the
highest peaks. Later in the week we will take trips out to walk in the
Poqueira and Trevelez valleys.
What people say – The view from my bedroom was just stunning.
Casa Rif is so light and airy – it’s like being in an eagles nest
overlooking the Orgiva valley (SR Heart Alpujarra 2006)
A great base for walking, you step out of the door onto the GR7 (PM)
CASA DE LUZ, PITRES
A wonderful, newly restored Moorish guest house in Pitres - complete with bodega and internal courtyard with pool. With comfortable twin or double rooms, spacious kitchen diner, plenty of cosy corners and the village square nearby it’s ideal for relaxing chatting or story telling after a day exploring the mountains!
The roof terrace
overhangs one of the old routes into the sleepy market town of Pitres,
set 1200m high in the Sierra Nevada. A myriad of local paths and old
trade routes take us from the front door of Casa de Luz into the
adventure of the great outdoors!
To get our first week here off to a special celebratory start we have a
resident story teller, Geoff Mead ambling along with us.
CASA
ANA, FERREIROLA
We’re back at the lovely Casa Ana, a
beautiful, rambling 400 year old house tucked away in the forgotten
hamlet of Ferreirola, in the heart of the Alpujarra. Set in superb
walking country, with its stylish and comfortable accommodation it’s an
ideal base for exploring La Taha, and the Poqueira Gorge with new walks
to try in the Trevelez valley.
This hospitable new
centre is situated in Ferreirola, a tiny, forgotten hamlet, surely one
of the prettiest white villages in all of Andalucia. Walking in the
countryside about is a delight, with its network of old paths, ancient
irrigation systems and small scale agriculture (man and mule!).
This is one of the villages of La Taha, once a thriving Moorish municipality and one of the final redoubts in the time of the last muslim king of Granada, Boabdil. During the time of the Moors it lay on the silk route that wound through the mountains from Granada to the coast, but now it lies almost forgotten, nestling on the side of the Trevelez river valley and protected by a ring of mountains.
The area now enjoys the highest level of environmental protection being within the National Park. The village is a haven of tranquillity: there are only about 40 residents and most of the streets are too narrow to admit cars (having been originally designed for mules). In the centre of the village is a large walled orchard with mature apple, pear, persimmon, walnut and olive trees. Jasmine and roses clamber over ancient garden walls. A sixteenth century church, a fuente (spring) for drinking water and the old village wash-house surround the plaza.
Ferreirola’s best
kept secret is its water. Hidden in the woods just outside the village
is a little spring which gives naturally gaseous healing water, rich in
minerals and delicious to drink on hot summer days.
Casa
Ana is a beautifully restored, rambling 400-year-old country house,
built of stone, rammed earth and solid chestnut beams, in the Moorish
mountain style of centuries past.
The accommodation is comfortable and attractive, with a variety of twin, double and single bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, a sitting/dining room with cosy wood stove, underfloor central heating throughout, a private garden, a large roof terrace which faces the rising sun and four secluded garden terraces with magnificent views of the mountains and the river valley.
Casa Ana caters for groups of up to 12 people and its magnificent location makes it the perfect place for being in nature.
WEEKS
AT 'THE CAMP'
Our low mountain campsite is based at La Dominga, a small hill-farm in
the valley of Padre Eterno, just below the main Poqueira gorge, with its
cascade of white-washed villages- Capileira, Bubion and Pampaneira. It
is about ten kilometres away from our main town, Orgiva, and can be
reached by a regular bus service which stops just up the hill at the
Ermita (small chapel) of Padre Eterno.
On arrival all is
ready to help you unwind with a cup of tea or a glass of wine, and a hot
meal. Your individual tent is pitched for you with foam mattress, pillow
and extra blanket to help make you cosy. There is a campfire crackling
and space outside or under canvas to sit and relax and get to know each
other. Here we offer tea making facilities, biscuits and fruit "ad lib",
and there are books, games and instruments.
Breakfast is usually about 9am, which allows time before for an optional
T'ai Chi session. We also provide a packed lunch with delicious home
made bread, and hot evening meal and cater for special diets, so please
let us know in advance what you need.
La
Dominga is set in dramatic mountainous scenery, in countryside which has
hardly changed in the hundreds of years since the Moors built the first
terraces and irrigation systems. Water is a very precious resource,
wastes are recycled. Here ecology is not an abstract notion but a very
practical matter of living in harmony with our surroundings.
In common with most of the worlds wilder regions, we live in an
environmentally fragile area and run Bootlace with this in mind. By
limiting the number of our guests and the weeks on which we run the
holidays, and providing our vegetarian kitchen with as much home grown
and locally produced food as possible, as well as respecting principles
of recycling waste and the careful consumption of water, we have found
that these are a few ways in which we can move in harmony with our
environment. Through this intent, it brings us a happier, healthier
life, and it will equally give you a wonderful holiday!
Our campsite
naturally follows the same principles, making minimal demands on the
fragile environment. We have a camp kitchen with refreshments always
available, basic but adequate washing facilities and compost loo . You
sleep in individual tents (large enough for couples - so please let us
know in advance if you are!) with comfy foam mattresses. There is space
under canvas for the kitchen and a communal area for getting together.
Most time is spent in the open air however, often around the camp-fire,
watching the mountains as the sun sets or the moon rises...... There are
no permanent camp buildings or installations so the land can easily be
returned to arable use.
During
the week we take you on a series of varied and spectacular walks
exploring mountainsides, river valleys and the typical Berber style
villages. You will reach places which the casual tourist never finds.
Most of the walks are circular and we use our Landrover to gain access
to more remote places. Each week is carefully planned in response to the
time of year, weather conditions and the needs of the group members. The
size of the group is limited to eight - this means minimum impact on the
environment and the feeling of a holiday with friends rather than a
"package" tour.
Our camp has been created to provide a taste of the simple outdoor
life, very different from the suburban environment of modern commercial
sites, with their permanent shower blocks, pools and bars. So if you
enjoy the adventure of the great outdoors away from bricks and mortar,
with the smell of campfires, home cooking, sleeping under canvas - or if
it's warm enough under the brilliant night sky of Andalucia- this is the
holiday for you!
Heart
of the Alpujarra weeks
A great introduction for those new to the region, as well as a chance for seasoned walkers to add to local knowledge and deepen your acquaintance with this dramatic and beautiful land.
Tracing ancient paths which lead deep into the National Park of the Sierra Nevada we journey into the heart of the Alpujarra, from the present day ‘capital’, Orgiva, to the original centre, the last home of the Moors in Spain, La Taha.
Over thousands of
years the lushly watered arable land, on the sweeping southern slopes of
this towering mountain range has drawn the successive people of the
Alpujarra here. In the course of the week we will find our way to the
centre of the region, travelling on foot, as the original inhabitants
did. Our “camino” leads through dramatic and varied scenery, ascending
from Mediterranean orange and olive groves to airy mountain heights,
cherry and chestnut trees.
Local village accommodation, small hotels and mountain lodges will
provide our overnight stops, evening meals and breakfast.
With heavy bags transported ahead by Land Rover and day-packs lightly burdened with delicious Bootlace picnics, we can enjoy Andalucian hospitality and Spring flowers during a footloose and carefree week.
HIGH
MOUNTAIN WALKING
Staying at Fernando’s Hideaway (1700m) and including two nights at the Refugio Poqueira (2500m) below the highest peak of the Sierra Nevada, Mulhacen (3483m).
As the heat of June
makes walking in the higher mountains a pleasant prospect we move to
Fernando’s cortijo (farmhouse) as the first base for this holiday. At
over a mile high it is ideal for acclimatising to the unaccustomed
altitude as well as the warmer weather, and getting your legs in high
mountain gear ready for the ascent to the peak! This week is the best
for observing the wild ibex and discovering alpine flowers as gentian
and fritillary carpet the short-cropped grass.
The week:
The first few days will be spent exploring the area around Fernando’s
(with a shorter walk on the first day, Sunday). On Wednesday there is a
chance to visit Pampaneira with its shops and visitor centre, followed
by an afternoon walk into the park to the Refugio where we spend the
night. The following day, in a full day’s walk we ascend to the peak and
return here for Thursday night. On Friday we walk down to Capileira and
return in the afternoon to Orgiva.
Refugio
Poqueira is a large mountain refuge similar to an Alpine hut. It is deep
within the National Park, at 2.500 metres situated 1000m directly below
Mulhacen peak and provides up to 90 beds for walkers, climbers and
skiers.
The refuge staff caters for breakfast and hot evening meal (plentiful!), please let us know well in advance whether you require a strict vegetarian diet for these two days. (As usual, the Bootlace Chefs provide vegetarian meals on the nights at Fernando’s!). All these meals and picnics are included in the price of the holiday.
At the Refugio the
facilities consist of a large dining-room with well stocked bar,
dormitory accommodation (no need to carry sleeping bags as blankets are
supplied, disposable sheets can be bought or you can bring own sheet
sleeping bag liner), and hot showers are available.
HERBALISM
AND WALKING with
Julio Donat and Claude
Peyrou
“I am a general practitioner, and was enthralled, educated and
deeply impressed by Julio’s medicinal knowledge and skill” (C.D. - BA
MSc MD CQSW FRCGP FFPHM Professor of Primary Medical Care - participant
Herbalism and Walking 2005)
“I would recommend this trip to anyone who
likes good food , fresh air and an interest in improving their knowledge
of herbs and seeing the beautiful Alpujarra mountains to boot!”
(J.E. - Herbalism and Walking 2005)
Spain still has a strong tradition of herbal medicine. Every village will have its “curandera” or “curandero” (healer) specialising in such things as bone-setting, or skin complaints. In the local markets the herbalist’s is usually one of the larger stalls, with sacks containing a fascinating variety of spices and herbs, culinary and medicinal.
Julio and Claude (Uni) have lived for over two decades in their typical Alpujarra cortijo, La Palmera, surrounded by lush green gardens. They have brought up their children in this wonderful environment, and devoted their working life to the study, cultivation and use of medicinal plants.
Hidden in the
valley of Padre Eterno their home is named after the palm tree beside
the house. They have chosen a simple and healthy lifestyle; growing,
gathering and preserving herbs, making unguents and selling their
products in local markets and shops. They own no car, to reach their
home you follow the old “camino” down a steeply terraced hillside, or
find the path beside one of the three Moorish “acequias” which water our
fertile valley. Their expertise and skill will be shared with you during
this week of herbalism and walking.
The
week:
Julio and Uni are skilled and enthusiastic teachers, and have run courses for the last decade. Julio will introduce you to the vast and intriguing world of plants, teaching you to identify the varied flora of the Sierra Nevada (including medicinal, edible, and dangerous plants). You will learn about the qualities of different plants, collecting methods, drying, conserving and cultivating.
Claude will teach
simple traditional preparation of plants, making infusions, decoctions,
macerations, tinctures, unguents, creams, soaps, toothpaste and perfume.
By the end of the course you will be able to create your own home-made
herbal First Aid Kit!
Throughout the week you can explore the region’s exceptional countryside
on walks with us; an opportunity to experience the wide variety of
plants found in the Alpujarra - a superb setting for your growing
knowledge and a wonderful holiday!
Accommodation: will be in a neighbouring converted farmhouse (up to 6
people- £425 pp, £75 single room supplement, limited availability), or
on camp at La Dominga (individual tents-£350).
Food: the usual excellent Bootlace vegetarian board!
Group size: up to 12
Workshop time: approx. 15 hours
Walks: two full and two half-day excursions
For more information please contact us at: Free Spirit Travel or call on: 01273-564230
last updated 10/12/08
