Doña Lola

We set off for Mengibar on Friday 19th and checked into a very comfortable hotel, Santa Beatriz de Silva. 

The only things wrong with the hotel was that it was located on the edge of an industrial estate although our room had a lovely view over fields... 

...and secondly, when we got down to breakfast many of the choices had been eaten by other guests and not been replenished.

On Saturday we met up with our friend Alan, now unfortunately on his own as Janet passed away in April, for our customary lunch at his local Chinese restaurant.

It is good to return to our apartment each year with the same view overlooking the swimming pool with the restaurant and the Mediterranean. We have already booked it for 2018.

Again this year as in previous visits to Doña Lola, a highlight was eating traditional British food. Sunday lunch was therefore, of course, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding - a once a year treat!

Another special treat, the next day, was the traditional English breakfast served with HP brown sauce.

Above is the photo of "Margaret in the window" which I have taken every year we have visited for the last 30 years.

On Wednesday we visited Fuengirola and the market there. At this time of year the Jacaranda trees are magnificent.

One of the highlights has to be the evening we have traditional battered cod and chips...

...served with mushy peas at Henleys restaurant - another once a year treat!

Wednesday evening was a special treat...

...which was our evening meal at the La Plaza Beach restaurant by the swimming pool...

...where the very talented singer Lourdes was performing. She even said she remembered us from when we saw her a few years ago!

On Thursday we had the Caminito del Rey trip, you can see the details HERE. On Friday we walked along the beach pathway to La Cala - the photo above shows a guy practicing his rock balancing skills.

Our quest to sample traditional British food would not be complete without a visit to the Indian restaurant where we enjoyed a couple of wonderful curries.

Can't wait for our visit here next year.

El Caminito Del Rey

Located inland to the north west of Malaga and about 1 hour by car is the Caminito Del Rey, The King's Little Pathway. 

It was built between 1901 and 1905 to enable workers to travel between the hydro-electric plants at the Chorro Falls and the Gaitanejo Falls. King Alfonso XIII visited in 1921, hence the name.

The original walkway has fallen into disrepair but a new structure has been built in its place and was opened in 2015.

The restored walkway was initially constructed with the help of climbing enthusiasts. The original walkway involved the work of convicted convicts so if they fell to their death that could be seen as a part of their punishment.

The actual length of the walk is 7.7 km with 4.8 km being on the suspended paths that are built into the sides of the cliffs.

The views all the way along the route are phenomenal, the walkway is generally around 1 metre in width and rises over 100 metres above the river.

The hard hat was compulsory - we didn't encounter any falling rocks on our visit but there were a couple of places with very low overhangs as well as the very long and dark tunnel we had to walk through initially to access the starting point.

On the other side of the gorge is the railway track which runs through tunnels and over viaducts and bridges although we didn't see a train.

There are many sections where the new walkway has been constructed directly above the original path.

One bit of advice which was frequently repeated was to ensure there was at least 1 metre between you and the person in front of you - that's very reassuring!

Thank goodness our pathway had been built to follow the inlet of the cliff rather than cross via a rather precarious looking bridge.

In the foreground is the railway bridge and the pathway can be seen clinging to the cliff just above it.

The coach that took us to the beginning of the walk had driven to the end in order to pick us up and take us for lunch - brilliant!

To see my short video of this experience, click HERE.

Anne and Clive visit

We met Anne and Clive in 1970 when Margaret and Anne taught at the same school. We have kept in touch even when they moved to Canada a few years later.

This was their first ever visit to Spain and we were able to show them parts of the real Spain which exist around us.

A visit to our neighbouring village of La Fresneda and the ermita were first on the agenda so they could see our village across the Matarraña valley.

One of the most important things when you visit Spain is to enjoy the food. We did plenty of this and lunch that day was at one of our favourite restaurants, Fonda Angeleta in Valderrobres.

After lunch, a walk up to the castle...

...and then a walk around our own village of Torre del Compte.

Next day, a journey through the mountains down to our other house at Vinaròs...

...stopping off at L'Antic Molí for lunch.

We didn't actually have a BBQ, we were just posing...

...but we did visit the harbour...

...and Anne had a paddle in the Mediterranean.

Lunch was at the Hotel Rey Don Jaime in Morella...

...followed by a walk around the town.

Next day, Sunday, a visit to the viaduct which carried the railway from Tortosa to Zaragoza but now is a Via Verde, a walking/cycle track, through the Val de Zafán, ...

...with lunch al fresco.

Our excursion on Monday took us to the Torre Cremada, an Iberican lookout tower built 4 centuries BC where they could signal warnings of possible attack to other communities,...

...the Greenwich Meridian line which passes very close to us,...

...the beautiful ermita of Santa Barbara at Valdealgorfa,...

...lunch at Restaurante Meseguer in Alcañiz...

...followed by coffee at the Parador.

To round off the day, the last supper of the visit. Hopefully Anne and Clive will return as there is much more to see!