Made famous by Chris Stewart´s remarkable book, ´Driving over Lemons´, the beautiful district of La Alpujarra is a mountainous district which stretches between Granada and Almeria.

Chris describes his life in a remote mountain farm in the Alpujarras. After retiring as the drummer of Genesis, he launched a career as a sheep shearer and travel writer. His book transports the reader into a series of misadventures with an engaging mix of peasant farmers, shepherds and new age travellers.

Said to derive from the Arabic ´El Busherat´, meaning the grassland, this is a region of great natural beauty, and only a couple of hour´s drive from Marbella. Consisting primarily of valleys, descending at right angles from the north side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, La Alpujarra is fed plenty of water from the rivers which run from the mountains, and this land is some of the most fertile in Spain.

With the Mediterranean Sea to the south, La Alpujarra is noted for its grape vines, oranges, lemons, figs, almonds and persimmons, and although the eastern Alpujarra, in the province of Almeria is much drier, it still boasts some beautiful landscapes. This region was the last refuge of the Moors when they ran southern Spain in the eighth century, and they remained there for nearly 150 years after the fall of Granada in 1492. After the the expulsion of the Moors from La Alpujarra, two Moorish families were forced to stay in every village in the region to teach the new inhabitants from northern Spain how to cultivate the land and the workings of the terracing and irrigation systems on which the agriculture depended.

Much of the local cuisine and architecture still demonstrates the Arabic influence from all those years ago and many place names still carry Arabic words.

The largest villages are Lanjarón, Órgiva and Berja – Lanjarón being famous for its fresh water springs – bottled water from this region is sold all over the south of Spain. Trevélez is the highest recognised town in Spain, and its church sits proudly 1,475 metres above sea level. This quaint town is also known for its air-cured ham, which is said to be among the best in Andalucia.

Much of the region now depends of tourism – particularly visitors who stay on the Costa del Sol, and it has become one of Andalucia´s most sought after areas. Most of the Alpujarra is still a relatively untouched rural area, and there is no better place to explore inland Andalucia than from here. Many visitors stop off at this picturesque region on their way to or from the Sierra Nevadas on ski-ing trips, but it is highly recommended to take your time to explore

The villages of the Alpujarra were inhabited largely by residents of the Galicia and Asturias districts of Spain after the expulsion of the Moors, and much of the Berber architecture remains. Three of the most renowned villages in the Poqueira Valley are Pampaneira, which is bustling with craft shops and restaurants, Bubión, famed for its stunning square church tower, and Capileira, which is the most authentic village of them all. All of the houses in Capileira seem to cling precariously to the hillside and is the highest of this trio of villages. Rocky streets and overhanging passageways seem to have stood still with the passage of time, and little has changed in Capileira since the time of the Moors.

This is also the perfect region for walking holidays, bird-spotting and relaxing. Granada is closeby and many visitors prefer to stay in one of the Alpujarra´s many quiet villages and take trips into Granada to experience the stunning Alhambra Palace and gardens.

Visitors to the Alhambra Palace in Granada, outside the summer season, will see an imposing line of snow-topped mountains to the south-east. This is the west end of the Sierra Nevada, which includes mainland Spain’s highest peak, Mulhacén (3,478m) and many others over 3000m. On the south side of the Sierra Nevada lies of Andalucia lies the 70 km-long east-west jumble of valleys which make up Las Alpujarras. Many of the remote villages here resemble similar small towns in Morocco´s Atlas mountains, and many visitors remark on the Arabic feel to the buildings and design.

In addition to a good range of restaurants, ventas and tapas bars, you will find an equally impressive selection of hostals, pensions and more upmarket hotels in and around the Alpujarra district. Attracting visitors from all over Europe, but still not overcrowded or in any way spoiled by mass tourism, the Alpujarra is the perfect place to get away from it all and still remain only a couple of hours from the Costa del Sol and the more frenetic activities on the coast.

Having lived in Spain for 14 years, I have never found anywhere with such natural beauty in Andalucia than Las Alpujarras, and it is the perfect place to visit for a quiet weekend away, a walking holiday or simply to relax and take in the beautiful surroundings. The region offers a timeless, almost mysterious feel to it, and you can almost transport yourself back to the Moorish roots and deep rooted history.