Peak practice

Alen McFadzean visits Granada and the Sierra Nevada.

THE art of breakfast: Step from a cool casita into a sundrenched courtyard and pick a bunch of grapes from the vine on the wall; wander into a shady orchard and pluck some blue-black figs, a handful of almonds and a couple of pomegranates; place them all on a table and eat with fresh bread and black coffee while watching kites circling the heights of Sierra Lujar.

Fruit doesn’t come fresher than this or breakfast tastier. And here the pomegranates are particularly juicy and flavoursome, for this is Granada, home of the pomegranate – which means “apple of Granada”.

Actually, it isn’t quite Granada.

This is Orgiva, a small, though vibrant town on the slopes of Spain’s Sierra Nevada mountain range, a 45-minute drive from Andalucia’s capital city.

We’re in Spain for a variety of reasons: to climb the mountains, taste the local dishes, see the sights, drink the wine, swim in the sea, laze on the beaches, tour the countryside and relax in the delightful ambience of a small and friendly organic farm on the outskirts of the town.

Our base is a whitewashed farmhouse – or casita, as the Spanish call them – on a smallholding tucked between a eucalyptus plantation and the banks of a mountain river. Our hosts are Bruce and Brenda Mac- Nally, who have spent five years restoring the buildings and are more than self-sufficient in fruit and olive oil.

We have the adjoining casita with a private courtyard, kitchen, bedroom, shower room and grape vine.

It’s ideal for two people. And it’s the perfect base for exploring Granada, Andalucia, and the beaches and resorts of the Costa del Sol.

The star attraction is Granada and its Moorish fortifications and palace – the Alhambra. Built by the Nasrid dynasty as a defence against the Christians, the red walls tower above the city and enclose some of the world’s finest Moorish architecture.

Peaceful courtyards, royal rooms and intricate mosaics have survived the centuries intact. The Alhambra’s fountains, pools, gardens and battlements are as the Moors left them when they were chased from the city about 600 years ago.

Granada itself has its Moorish quarter of winding alleys – now home to quiet restaurants and trinket shops – as well as a busy city centre dating to more recent centuries.

A 30-minute drive south from our Orgiva base is the Costa del Sol and the resort of Salobrena, with its medieval castle, holiday hotels and perfect beaches. Neighbouring Almunecar is also popular with the holiday crowds and sun-seekers – but if it’s a quiet cove away from the ranks of deckchairs and sunshades that’s required, there are plenty of hidden beaches waiting to be discovered.

But our main reason for visiting Andalucia is the Sierra Nevada – the highest mountain range in Spain, topping the Pyrenees by a couple of feet.

I climb a lot of mountains – mostly in Scotland where it’s usually cold and wet. In Spain it’s dry, hot, and a great deal higher – in fact, Spain has the highest land mass of any European country with the exception of Switzerland.

To acclimatise, host Bruce takes me up Sierra Lujar, the 6,000ft peak to the south of Orgiva. It’s hot and dusty work, but Bruce’s knowledge of the ancient mineworkings that riddle the mountain make it an interesting day.

After that I’m on my own. I climb the 11,000ft Veleta, Spain’s thirdhighest mountain, from the village of Capiliera – a long and tiring day, and a big mistake. I discover too late that if I’d driven round to the northern slopes of the Sierra Nevada I could have taken the car to within 2,000ft of the summit.

I also climb the 10,300ft Tozal del Cartujo, this time from the easy side, and accompanied by herds of goats and the occasional ibex. The scenery is spectacular, but the rocky mountain tracks and thin air make the going tough.

All this climbing makes a chap hungry and thirsty. But this is Andalucia – which is famous for its fine cuisine.

Which brings us to the art of dinner.

Take a table for two on the terrace of a quiet restaurant as the sun goes down, order a bowl of cool gazpacho made from fresh local tomatoes and garlic, and a plate of black paella overflowing with shellfish from the Mediterranean and cooked in squid ink, and relax with a bottle of the local red wine.

And as the stars twinkle above mountains and a lonesome dog barks at the moon, eat, drink, and look forward to pomegranates for breakfast.

Travel facts

Granada airport is less than an hour’s drive from Orgiva, but we flew from Newcastle to Malaga, picked up a hire car and drove about an hour-and-ahalf along the coast.

Orgiva has everything that’s needed for a self-catering holiday, but the biggest and best supermarkets are in nearby Salobrena.

We stayed at the casita La Luz.

Telephone ++34-958-784-801, or visit casitalaluz.com for details and prices.