Coast: Cabo de Gata

It was a drizzly afternoon in April, Manchester UK and I was dreaming of sitting on a beach in the sunshine. I was not looking for a coastal resort, what I had in mind was more like the start of Prince Caspian, but without the flight to New Zealand. The Cabo de Gata has this in bucket-loads. I only spent two afternoons at the seaside but I enjoyed both dips in the Alborean sea.

(The set for Prince Caspian, filmed in New Zealand)

The first day my host drove us from Níjar to San Miguel which took the best part of an hour. The drive took us through the rather unsightly, but highly productive 'plastics' in the region which produce all sorts of vegetables including a black tomato. Emerging from the plastics, we saw the protected salt-marshes and their flamingos which weren't looking particularly pink but they did look happy.

(San Miguel)

As it was a public holiday we weren't really sure if anywhere would be open but we headed for the Torreón de San Miguel and found a little chiringuito (tapas bar) at the beach. There is such a delight in the directness of eating fresh seafood beside the same sea it was fished from. The beach was quite busy at San Miguel but I enjoyed watching people going about their Bank Holiday activities. One of group of young men were going on a fishing trip with their dad. The fishing boat was rolled down to the sea on wooden logs, in Viking-style, don't fix what ain't broke I suppose!

On my second trip to the seaside we went in the opposite direction to Agua Amarga. A small diversion from the route took us to see this olive tree; it was producing olives in 1066 and still produces olives today. It felt almost holy to be in the presence of a tree that has seen so much and still stands fruitful - I think there's a sermon in there! In classic Spanish style there is little ceremony made about this tree just a little plaque.

(The ancient olive tree)

Agua Amarga means Bitter Water and there is a local joke that its not just the water that's bitter...I found it was a perfectly nice beach to spend an hour or two, I felt very safe, the water was clear but there were British tourists everywhere.

(Agua Amarga) 

When I first booked a trip to the Cabo I was thinking of rustic unspoiled coves, where you felt completely alone, where you'd spend the day reading, swimming, napping and eating sandy sandwiches. I believe this is still possible at the Cabo de Gata; but I think you really do need your own transport. I was reliant on my kind and accommodating host but was limited by the time he was willing to spend. Without him I'd have been reliant on buses which do go to and fro from the city of Almería but not via the villages and even then only a couple of times a day. As with several elements of this trip on balance a hire car would have been a good idea; but I still enjoyed the coast.

Adventure, Anxiety and Andalucia : all begin with A

Last Autumn I was looking for a little Autumn sun; so I googled unspoiled beaches and decided to  take one of my biggest adventures yet - exploring the Cabo de Gata coast, the Sierra Alhamilla and Tabernas Desert in a mere 6 days.

(Cabo de Gata coast)

(Driving across the Sierra Alhamilla)

It was a big adventure for me because I was going somewhere rural - although you might not have guessed this from the package holiday airlines that served Almería - I was on my own, and going to a place in the shadow of a volcano. My base for the week was the village of Níjar - a historic hill village with early medieval water systems, Moorish watch towers, and distant views of the coastline, the house I stayed in built into caves that people have lived in since the Neolithic!

(Ancient landscaping)

The village is culturally renowned for rag-rugs and special pottery. The high street shopping model has not changed much since the medieval period - artists have their shop in the 'living room' area at the front of the house, and then they live behind and above the shop. I was visiting one of these potters, drinking coffee and chatting away when we came to talking about anxiety and stress. She said I was very brave to travel on my own, that she is too anxious to travel. I get anxious and worried about a lot of things but I don't let it stop me travelling; I said, 'if I can get anxious just sat at home I'd rather see the world and have something real to worry about'.

(Unique ceramic from Níjar)

These are famous last words because my week exploring the Almería region was quite eventful and I did have plenty of real worries to contend with whilst exploring this area of incredible beauty. This short series of blog posts will explore the coast, the country and the city in the Almería region.