Off The Beaten Path: Spain

Away from the big cities and the holiday costas, Spain rarely fails to surprise and please the eyes, be it with the huddled stone houses and red-tile roofs of ancient villages, a set of rolling wooded hills rising from the plains, or a line of cliffs washed by strong Atlantic surf. Nowhere in Spain is untouristed, but it's never hard to get well off the beaten track and make surprising discoveries, especially in the less-travelled north, west and center of the country.

The northern coastal regions of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque country are sometimes described as "green Spain", which is accurate because this is the rainiest part of the country. But in the most popular travel months, from June to September, you have almost as much chance of sunny days here as you have by the Mediterranean. The greenery extends from high inland mountains right down to a coast that is liberally endowed with dramatic capes and curves of sandy beach.

In the west, bordering Portugal, lies Extremadura, a land of more rolling plains, olive groves, oak forests and surprisingly abrupt mountains rising around its edges, along with villages, towns and cities such as Mérida and Cáceres, that still echo the Middle Ages. It was from here that many Spanish conquistadors hailed, including Francisco Pizarro; moreover cities across the Americas; Albuquerque, Mérida, Medellín, were first founded in Extremadura.

Winsome El Gastor (population 1,900), sitting on its hillock up from the nearby lake, goes by the moniker of the “Balcony of the White Villages.” You wouldn’t think it makes its living from agriculture and cattle farming, so proudly kept, neat as a pin it is. El Gastor is one of those quintessentially unassuming Andalusian villages where the church bells chime happily, old men adorn the square under towering palm trees, and nothing much ever happens. It makes an agreeable difference to be in a place where people still greet each other in the street, where the simplicity of a restaurant belies the quality of its home-cooking, and you get more change in your hand for a beer or coffee than you’re used to. The warm climate makes the location an interesting holiday choice from early spring to late autumn. If your stay coincides with the feast of Corpus Christi, just for once in the year you’ll witness a very different scene. White turns to green as the villagers deck the streets with palms and garlands, setting up impromptu altars for the church procession to bless. Afternoon music accompanies the festivities with melodies played on unusual traditional wind instruments, developed from the Arabic chirimia. 

La Sierra del Sueve, south-east of the chaming seaside town of Gijón, is unknown to most visitors to Asturias who generally head directly for the spectacular Picos de Europa. What they miss out on is a self-contained natural environment that still has patches of Europe’s original forest, holly, ash and beech woods, birch and almond, mingling together with the most significant concentration of ancient yews in this part of the continent, thousand upon thousand of the tree which once gave shelter to long-gone druids. A mild microclimate obtains here thanks to the proximity to the coast, which also brings sea mists rolling in to cloak and swirl around this magical little world linked by meandering pathways. Limestone outcrops rise above a gentle, peaceful, yet still wild landscape populated by few people but many other animals, including a very special one. Sueve is the home and last refuge of the asturcón, one of the world’s oldest horses.

Looking for that uniquely different vacation destination. Call Rawhide Travel and Tours today 602-843-5100 or visit our website rawhidetravel.com. We can help!

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