The waters of the province of Almería conceal an underwater world of sublime richness. Off its coast, the Mediterranean marine life meets the Atlantic species of all kinds that live together in a spectacular amalgam of biodiversity, undoubtedly fed by the reserves and nature parks in the province. Lobsters, sunfish, rays, pollock and, if we are lucky, the odd visits from turtles, tunas and dolphins, make the enclave a magnificent spot for divers all year round. Can you imagine going into the water in the sun and looking back over your shoulder at the snowy peaks of the Sierra de Gádor? On the Almeria coast you can. From Roquetas de Mar to Villaricos, Almeria

Opposite the Postiguet beach in Alicante is a cave that penetrates the depths of Mount Benacantil. It is not a cave to use, rather it is a narrow corridor cut into the rock. Finally there is an elevator that leads us to other times. At the other end of the lift, 165 meters up, stands the castle of Santa Barbara, a rocky fortress overlooking the bay of Alicante. 'Impregnable' is perhaps the word most commonly used to describe it. But the castle has been the scene of many battles that have not always ended well for its defenders. This bloody past together with its use more as a prison than a palace has fuelled its fame as an enchanted castle. Many have been the lovers of the oc

To reach Villafranca del Bierzo you have to follow a fence about two kilometres and continue to gradually venture into the past. This is a village of just 4,000 inhabitants that seems straight out of the Middle Ages, full of green walks and vertical relief. On your arrival, the first thing you see is the castle, known as the Palace of the Marquises of Villafranca, which to date is still inhabited. Among the vineyards, this dilapidated building from the sixteenth century, a residence occupied by these nobles until the seventeenth century, and later used as a prison. It is perhaps one of the most representative monuments of the character of a place that seems to resist change over ti

Among its virtues, the landscape of the largest of the Balearic Islands hides a corner that seems designed for poets, musicians and artisans. On the northwest coast of Majorca, Serra de Tramuntana rises imposingly above the Mediterranean, making a natural barrier for the island against the northern winds, winds that formerly came laden with snow. For centuries, this idyllic spot was a huge ice factory and important economic activity for its inhabitants. In spring, when the last snowfall ceased, the 'nevaters' went up to the highest areas of the mountain, about 900 meters above sea level, to collect and store what the clouds had left during the winter. Armed with shovels and b

  Presiding the San Simon opening in the Vigo estuary, there is an island of the same name. Connected to its neighbour San Anton by a bridge, the two islands together measure 250 metres wide and 84 long and, according to tradition, when the tide is very low, a brave man can walk without the water reaching his neck to this piece of the history of Galicia. A Cultural Asset since 1999, San Simon’s character made the island a place not much recommended for a lot of recent history. Although until the 19th century several monastic orders inhabited the island, which was the scene of battles between the Portuguese and the Spanish, it was from 1838 when San Simon entered contem

In a privileged and breathtaking location, it is the only Spanish Pyrenees Nature Park, bathed by the lake of San Mauricio. Presumably the reader cares little about what happened in the Quaternary. Until they get to Aigüestortes, of course. Once there, you will marvel and wonder how it is that this mountain was carved with such dizzying peaks over 3,000 meters high, almost cut with a knife. The blame lies with the Quaternary. At that time, glaciers cut stone like a knife through butter and nothing stopped them. They made way for the streams and reservoirs that have later given the park the name of Aigüestortes, meaning no more than "crooked water", thanks to the t

In Asturias they like to repeat that their land is a natural paradise. One example that works better than any slogan is that of the views that can be enjoyed at the lakes that are part of the park of Covadonga, where peace reigns before an omnipresent virgin, submerged under the water. Let time stop, let’s allow the roundness of the landscape makes us feel somewhat smaller before the majesty of the Picos de Europa. From the Basilica de la Virgen as the park is named, a climb of about fourteen kilometres begins along a winding road leading to the Enol and La Ercina lakes. A third lagoon, El Bricial, forms when the snows melt. This unit, which forms part of the Picos de Europa

Navarre is a land of contained beauty. Its towering forests invite you to stroll and its Romanesque churches to, but they do not overwhelm the visitor. Its wonders are enjoyed with time and its sly beauty has to be discovered calmly. Four of these provincial wonders are protected from visitor's eyes, hiding buried, sunk under churches. These are the Romanesque crypts of Navarre, four of the eight in the whole peninsula. For a year the Baja Montaña association has organised a tour of these four milestones of Roman Navarre. "People already knew them, but missed a continuity, a structured route", they say from the association while recognizing that the number of vis

Amidst marshes and forests there is a small village of hardly one thousand inhabitants which each year brings together more than a million people. This massive exodus is not done by car, but rather on horseback, in garages and on foot. We are talking about El Rocío and its parade, the largest in the world. But when pilgrims start their journey home, this place recovers its rural character, the doors to its white houses open, the white dove rests on its chapel and the region of Almonte peacefully offers it is exuberant charms. The countryside changes the bustling and noise of the carriages for the singing of birds and the watchful silence sheltering the Iberian lynxes in Doña

The historic centre of Córdoba has no basins. Its cobblestones just let some climbing plant grow and splash the immaculate white of the houses. But when May comes, the streets of Cordoba bloom. Its squares are filled with colour and the smell of spring floods every corner, every yard. The Cordovan May fills the streets of the city with flowers and its people with happiness. Spring starts here with the Battle of Flowers, a procession of floats through the city on the last Sunday of April. Its occupants throw carnations at the people and they throw them back. Immediately after, the floats are replaced by crosses. Huge flower crosses three meters high that are placed in the main

Can a road be nice? Maybe a road in itself cannot, but surroundings most certainly can be. And we are not talking about a lost highway, but rather a dual carriageway. It is convenient, fast, quiet and also has a superb landscape. If you travel by road between Pamplona and San Sebastian you probably know what I mean. This is the A-15, the Leitzaran, that runs from Navarre into the Basque Country. Just before the border between the two regions, shortly after leaving Pamplona, we come to Irurzun. Here the mountains start above the Larraun valley, just south of the stone Dos Hermanas that the river has carved over the centuries. The road runs along a corridor flanked by the Gaztelu an

Autumn’s arrival brings the forest into flower. This is a silent explosion, much less brilliant than the arrival of spring time, but much tastier too. The first wild mushrooms of the season begin to appear in the shade of the trees. There are many ideal places to look for this earthy food, but few have the surroundings of the like of the Aracena range of hills. This forest, declared a nature park in 1989, is full of Roman roads, Muslim fortifications and ancient abandoned watermills. Horse chestnuts, poplars and walnut trees offer their ochre shadow where the wild mushrooms grow. From mid-October, the mushroom routes begin to blossom, offering a stroll and a meal with the harves

Spain has a smaller scale replica of the Tower of Pisa. The original took 177 years to build, but its Spanish version took a million years and so maybe we should say that Pisa has a version of the Valporquero Tower. The author of this small work of art is nothing but water, which has produced other curious shapes such as a reproduction of La Piedad and a ghost. All of these lie in a special underground museum, the Valporquero cave. In Vegacervera in the region of León there is a small village called Valporquero de Torío. A few dozen houses line the road in no particular order. There is nothing that makes you think that we are before one of the most important natural phen