Not the sign you’d expect to see just a couple of miles away from King’s Lynn on the walk to Shepherd’s Port as the coastal path walk resumes after a break since last year.

Whilst researching the Norfolk Coastal Path it became clear that the path did not include an official route over this part, leaving a couple of options.  An inland route including a lot of walking on main roads some way from the coast, or the more adventurous option of using the Ordnance Survey app to plot a route through the marsh land along the sea defence embankment, mainly through private land.  So it was the second option that seems more appropriate as it also meant being nearer to the North Sea.

 

Leaving King’s Lynn along the banks of the River Great Ouse it’s very quiet once you’ve passed the various factories and industrial units, in fact it was to be some two hours before I saw another human being!  This land is very flat and the tidal defence system is very important for miles of farms and arable land, sadly very little of this is immediately open to the public.  The sea defence embankment runs for some 15 miles but within the first few minutes you come across a ‘No Entry’ sign with a padlocked gate and access only to members of Norfolk Shooting Club.  Not to be put off as there’s not a human in sight a quick leg over the gate and I’m on my way albeit this is short lived.  Within another mile the embankment splits into two with the options being:-

• Private – No access, no public right of way.

• Beware of the Bull

This is open countryside and I see no reason why people cannot walk the paths as long as the normal rules of the countryside apply, being to close the gate, keep dogs on leads, no litter etc.

So with this in mind I chose option B and and another leg over the gate, keeping a close watch for the Bull which may have been in attendance?  It took some two or three miles before I spotted cows in the far distance, however I’d gone too far to turn back and getting closer realised that it was all mums and their young which always means a situation to approach with caution.  Having been bought up on a farm as a youngster the sight of cows causes me little concern.  I spent many hours collecting them from fields for milking.  So on the approach a few hand claps and arm waves managed to clear the path with ease although as I passed I was certainly of interest, no doubt as there was probably some assumption it was feeding time and I might be the farmer!

This part of the coast is very flat and the tide comes in miles, the equilibrium generally controlled by the earth / grass embankment which is some five metres high and three metres wide, meaning there is marshland on the sea side which regularly has the sea covering, whilst on the other side there are crops growing and cattle grazing just like a normal farm.  

The exception to this situation is any number of lodges, customised boats or just shacks that seem to have been situated on the marsh side of the embankment, accessed purely by boards placed over the soggy marshland! It’s really a sight to behold and I can only guess that these are maybe owned by bird watchers or the like as there is very limited vehicle access and its some miles away if you needed to pop to the shops!

Still a lovely walk, although as mentioned this in theory is all land denied to the general public for access, such a shame.

The plan had been for this to be a six or seven mile walk with the end being in the village of Wolferton, however with no paths or roads leading from the embankment, the decision was made to continue onto Shepherd’s Port. This making it an eleven mile walk with the last few miles being a lot closer to the beach, or sea if the tide had been.  The sea goes out miles here but watch out it also comes in miles and very quickly!

Overall though a lovely day walking, hopefully an ‘official path’ is recognised through this dramatic landscape at some time soon.  It was great to be able to witness sights that very few Englanders will get to see at first hand.

Tuesday 28th May – Sunday 16th June 2019

Three weeks have drifted by without a blog – the reason being that’s there’s been next to no rambling going on. As we waited out Steve’s recovery, I managed to develop a knee issue – the doctor has diagnosed cartilage or ligament damage and boy it’s painful. I was told to carry on walking as much as I can, as opposed to rest, so I do try a little each day … long coastal stretches would be a stretch too far at the moment however.

So this a short blog to fill the ‘time gap’ until our Norfolk Coast walking adventures get started. We are still loving this beautifully peaceful part of the world, from sitting in the garden enjoying the wildlife to visiting some stunning places … it’s just that we’re getting a bit stir crazy not being able to be as active as usual.

Our cottage is next door to a farm so we have some friendly neighbours who come to say hello. And we are still quite the twitchers – loving the variety of feathery folk who come to feed.

Despite the horrendous weather recently we have managed to get out and about a little. Stately homes, farm tracks and glorious beaches a’plenty. On Father’s Day we took a late stroll on Brancaster Beach and had a surprise encounter with a pod of seals – they looked like they were beached in the shallow water, waiting for the tide to return, so sweet.

But, the most exciting thing of all is that we’ve had some visitors! Now, just lately, Steve and I have spent a huge amount of time just the two of us alone – not getting out as much, no contact with neighbours, not even meeting people when we do go out. There’s only so much two of you can talk about … and then there’s the cricket!!! So to have two lots of visitors was absolute Heaven – I hope we didn’t wear them out with our chat. 🤣

Our first visitor was Koen, a lovely young Dutch student who recently stayed with us in MK – he’s been on a month’s road trip around the UK in his Mk1 Toyota MR2. He was now on his way back south and called in to see us. Lovely to hear all about his amazing trip and I think we have made ourselves a new friend.

And then, a very special visit from our lovely friend Hannah – we hadn’t seen each other for 6 years so it was an amazing catch up. We left Steve immersed in World Cup Cricket and enjoyed a short walk and then lunch and a ‘long chat’ in the garden. A fantastic day and hopefully Hannah will be able to return soon as she is often in the area.

So limited rambling as yet … but watch this space – Steve is about to start off solo. And I hope to be able to join him very very soon. 😘

Monday 20th May – Monday 27th May 2019

Another week of minimal rambling I’m afraid due to metatarsal repair!  And not that I’m looking for equal attention or anything but I’m now also suffering from injury – seems like I have a return of bursitis to my knee (oh the delights of running)!  So we’re a couple of poorly little soldiers – having to sit and relax and enjoy the countryside from a horizontal position.  Not that that’s too traumatic – we have stunning views and the birdlife here is keeping us fascinated – we’ve become quite the ‘twitchers!’

So a huge variety of birds come to feed in the garden and then as the garden overlooks this amazing pond we get to watch ducks, geese, moorhens and cormorants glide around in the water.  And really we can lose hours just spectating this beautifully simple slice of nature.  In the time we’ve been here we’ve already noticed the young ducklings and goslings growing and losing their fluffiness.  And we’ve observed the parents teaching their young to bob down into the water to feed … they seem to enjoy learning this new skill of sticking their bottoms in the air – there’s a lot of splashing goes on.  So as well as twitching, we’re also developing our wildlife photography skills.

On Wednesday we took a trip into King’s Lynn to do a spot of essential chain store shopping – a quick in and out and then we stopped off at Hunstanton on the way back.  This is clearly a popular seaside resort – some amazing Victorian houses but also it’s swamped with amusement arcades and souvenir tackiness!  We stopped off first at the quieter end – Old Hunstanton Beach with its spectacular rock formation.

When we got out of the car, both Steve and I headed for the nearby public toilets.  Even we laughed at ourselves as we crossed the road both hobbling and limping like good’uns!  The onlooking cafe users would never have known we were a Marathon Man and his 5k side-kick!  Our pride wanted to shout out “we’re runners you know!”

Even though it was on the chilly side we found a quiet sheltered spot and settled down with our picnic box and chairs, enjoying the peace and the views.  Very shortly however we were joined by chatty neighbours with two boisterous dogs.  All would have been fine if it hadn’t been for one of the dogs insisting on jumping up at our cool box and sniffing into our beef sandwiches and drinks.  The lady half-heartedly called out “come away Lucky” … but seemed to have no intention of following through on her instruction!

I headed down to the beach for a little walk while Steve packed up the picnic.  In my absence Steve suffered further annoyance from our neighbours!  He had taken out his much treasured travel binoculars (which apparently have great magnification) … only for the chap to sidle up to him with a rather larger pair, saying “now this is what you call binoculars!”  And to make things worse, the wife said “Oh you Boys!!”  I just wish I’d seen Steve’s face!

On Saturday, Steve volunteered to do the bar code scanning at the Holkham Hall Parkrun.  As I was also unable to run I went along to spectate and for some photo opportunities – beautiful place.  Hoping I’ll be fit to run it next week.  Before we left we joined hundreds of runners in the very luxurious cafe, for coffee and sausage rolls.

And so, apart from popping out to a Church book sale in Docking on Sunday, it’s been a very ‘house confined’ time.  The Bank Holiday weather has been grim too.

So not much action to report this week but we are getting ourselves geared up for David Attenborough’s retirement!  Plenty going on without having to leave our post – woodpeckers, chaffinch, swallows, blackbirds, blue tits, jackdaws, pigeons, doves, robins, magpies, swifts and swallows in the garden …. ducks and geese of unusual varieties, red kites impressively gliding overhead, cormorants perching majestically in the trees … and our very own ‘goose on the roof.’

We’ve managed to tear ourselves away from our chocolate box cottage this week to take a look around some of the nearby towns and villages.  How the other half live … it’s pure escapism up here … escape to the country, literally.  Pretty flint cottages and houses so wonderfully individual and tucked away, often interlinked with village ponds boasting numerous families of ducks and geese of many varieties.  And churches standing proudly at the heart of each community.

On Tuesday we took a drive to Brancaster Beach.  Being southerners, and optimistic southerners at that, we took towels, suncream, picnic blankets, beach chairs etc. etc.  Now it’s a stunning beach but not the kind you’d probably swim at … you’d have to walk about a mile just to reach the shore …. and boy was it windy!    As an alternative I had a bracing 2 mile run while Steve sat sensibly resting his foot.  Surprisingly enough I was the only runner on the whole stretch – loads of dog walkers, in fact we were probably the only people without a dog, but no other runners …. the obsession clearly hasn’t reached these parts!   Then we drove on to the Brancaster Harbour area where we discovered the most delicious of crab sandwiches, and we had a little relax in our beach chairs admiring the many different seabirds in the ‘waterless’ harbour.  The life of the retired!!

Our next stop was Wells-Next-the-Sea (seems like they missed a word out)!!  Another pretty little town which I spent a wee time exploring while Steve took another rest.  I left him in the sunshine with ice-cream so it’s not all bad!  Lots of arty shops and classy boutiques – all I bought was a tube of toothpaste!!

Drove through lots of other villages that day including Holkham, Burnham Overy Staithe and Burnham Market.  Incredibly narrow roads but it all seems to work – me holding my breath and closing my eyes seems to work particularly well as wider vehicles pass us by!  Lucky I’m not driving!

 

Weather-wise it’s been a bit mixed this week.  And of course there’s been lots of cricket on so some days the ‘foot resting’ is more essential than others!  On Saturday though we left the cottage again to take a look around the Holkham Hall estate.  Steve had booked us on a tractor and cart ride – he knows how to treat a lady!  Whilst a few of our friends are travelling around the country and the world abseiling, bungee jumping, white water rafting etc. – this is how we roll.

What a stunning place though and the ride was excellent – such a great tour guide.  Learnt all about antlers being seasonal and falling off (I never knew this) and also how the males groom themselves by whitening their antlers in order to attract the females.  Also that when you see hares standing up boxing, it’s the female letting the male know in no uncertain terms that she’s just not interested!  Also learnt about the history of Holkham Hall, ice-houses and pre-refrigeration, the estate’s renewable energy system, walled gardens and palladium style architecture.  So impressed – we’ll be back for more.  They even have a Parkrun here every Saturday so no doubt we’ll be visiting again.

 

And so the week has flowed.  In between our little trips out we’ve enjoyed the tranquility of our temporary home – two ‘Townies’ learning to be inactive and relax.  We do have our chores which as well as the usual domestics include mowing the lawns, watering the plants, filling the bird feeders, chopping wood (Steve loves this … memories of childhood) and lighting the log burner.  Come to think of it, Steve does all those things …. well, I do have a blog to write!

 

So lovely to snuggle up in front of the log burner after dinner each night whilst watching the latest Netflix Box Set … sometimes we even stay up till 10.00pm!!  So Rock and Roll.

 

As I mentioned in the last blog, we’ve been selected to do a house-sit for 3 months in Stanhoe, West Norfolk. This is our first ‘assignment’ since we joined the ‘Trusted House-sitters’ group so we made the journey up with some trepidation, not knowing what to expect. We were met by the friendly house owners, Virginia and Joss, at the garden gate of their stunning property – Honeysuckle Cottage.

After a cup of tea, a get to know each other chat and a quick handover, Virginia and Joss set off on the drive to their other property in the South of France. And Steve and I were left in charge of this absolute dream cottage!

We unloaded the car and unpacked our belongings to make ourselves feel at home, didn’t take long to feel settled. Took a little drive around some local areas – Burnham Market (so gorgeous but expensive looking!) and then into Fakenham – to get our bearings and to do the inevitable food and drink stock up. Bearing in mind our nearest supermarket is 10 miles away, we stocked up big time. Stanhoe is picture perfect but pretty remote – it does have an excellent pub however we’ve been told so all is not lost. And …. we have royal neighbours you know – Sandringham is just 4 miles away.

The driving and loading/unloading of luggage has been pretty arduous for Steve as he has a fractured metatarsal … but he soldiers on. The hospital have provided him with a ‘nice’ walking shoe. I think he decided the agony to his foot in driving was preferable to being a passenger to my driving – I can’t say I blame him! Adding to the pain unfortunately is the fact that the doorways in the cottage are built for midgets – every 5 minutes I hear yelps of pain and find Steve holding a newly grazed bump!

The foot issue also means we will not be able to do the coastal walking as planned – well not for 5 or 6 weeks anyway – hopefully, we’ll still have time towards the end to fit some in. Steve will probably be climbing the walls not being able to run …. and I’ll need to wait on him hand and foot to encourage him to rest up. However, what a perfect place to rest up …. I’m not complaining – and I have my trustee Yoga mat with me to keep me exercised.

We had a great first night’s sleep and woke up to the most perfect morning of sunshine and clear blue sky. Sadly, Steve had managed to bump his head in the night on a beautiful antique cabinet beside his bed, with particularly pointy corners – he had stuck tissue on it to stem the bleeding and it was such a funny spectacle to wake up to. Shouldn’t laugh, his head is getting such a battering.

So it was breakfast in the garden, looking over on to the pond with baby ducks and geese being paraded around the water, carefully watched by their doting parents. There’s some amazing bird life here and the farm next door has an abundance of bunnies running around its field as well as horses. We have been forewarned however that the farmer and his wife are infamously rude, so we’re not to worry if any unpleasant words are exchanged – that could be interesting! And it smells of the country, in a nice way, the country air is so flowery, fresh and clean … and it’s unbelievably quiet. Can you tell I’m smitten!

 

We’ve managed to spend the first day so far relaxing, reading, blogging, enjoying the scenic views … oh and we’ve lost the internet. When it does appear it’s slow and intermittent – I’m going to have to have the patience of a whole host of saints to keep any sort of blog up on this stay away.

Planning a few easy days now for maximum metatarsal rest and then hopefully get out and about around Norfolk. But for now, ‘best foot forward’ is on hold – it’s all about ‘feet up.’

❤️ Country living

Saturday 6th – Wednesday 10th April 2019

So the last few days have drifted by in the blissfully relaxed routine we seem to have established here in Benalmadena. Healthy eating, walking/running/yoga, daily chores, beach time, swimming, reading, early nights, late mornings and the occasional sundowners and dinner out. So no road trips this week, or city sightseeing … just a chilled few days to round things off nicely.

Had a great last night out in Benalmadena Pueblo, taking a last look through the beautiful cobbled streets and shops with their pretty Easter displays. Settled in the Plaza de España for dinner where we were perfectly serenaded by some local singers.

Now as we sit in the airport awaiting our departure, I’m already reminiscing about the things we will miss:

1. The tapas – definitely our favourite way of eating.

2. The wine! We have always loved Rioja but particularly love the prices here! And I will miss my perfectly chilled vino (pronounced Beeno – can’t believe I’ve only just learnt this, thanks to Alice!) blanco being served in small delicate measures in large balloon glasses – heaven.

3. The tastiness of the food – pineapples, strawberries, Serrano ham, goats cheese, avocado, olives, churros dipped in chocolate etc. etc.

4. The wafts of Spanish cologne from Spanish women and men.

5. The pretty whitewashed houses with their terracotta roof tiles and potted geraniums, prettily contrasting with the blue cloudless sky.

6. The lush mountains that wrap around Benalmadena and Fuengirola, an ever stunning spectacle.

7. The parakeets – often invisible to the eye but deafening to the ear, camouflaged in the promenade palms.

8. Appreciating nature in a different environment – plants and flora previously unseen.

9. I’ll even miss the friendly beach hawkers parading their wares – sunglasses, bags, watches etc …. and the sweet Filipino ladies offering ‘massageeeeee’ …. every five minutes!!

Having said all that we’re really looking forward to being home too – some special family time and catching up with friends. Also getting back into Redway Runners, Parkruns and yoga classes. We’ll be home for 5 weeks and then we’re off to Norfolk for 3 months – house-sitting and coastal walking.

Any news on Brexit!!!!! 😉

Saturday 30th March  –  Friday 5th April 2019

 

Well, Alice certainly left us as she found us – she arrived on Saturday night in torrential rain and when we left the apartment on Friday lunchtime it was bucketing it down!!  Luckily in between we had plenty of sunshine … and plenty of fun …. beach-time, swimming, walking, shopping, eating and drinking, sightseeing – a very special time together.

We had a late night on Alice’s arrival on Saturday – we didn’t get back to the apartment till gone 11 and so were up till 2.00am for our first night catch up, accompanied by a Cava session naturally!  We all got very confused with our times that night – we knew that British time was changing but we had no idea that Spanish time changed too!  The next morning all our clocks and watches were saying different things so it took us a little while to work out just HOW late we had slept in.

Mothering Sunday

But of course it was Mother’s Day – so in fact today was all about me!!  A lovely start – banners, cards & presents, messages, delicious breakfast …. not such great weather but hey ho!!  After breakfast we went for a walk along Benalmadena beach – the clouds were still around so a lounge or swim were out of the question.  Took Alice to the marina shopping area – she needed her retail fix!  On the way back stopped for coffee and churros – wow, my first time – they’re scrumptious.  The weather started to cheer up a bit too – yay!

Mid-afternoon we headed up to the Benalmadena Pueblo for a Mother’s Day tapas crawl.  We tried out a few bars/cafes – delicious food, delicious wine … perfect company and so relaxing.  The sun shined most of the time but we ended with a spot of rain.  And we missed you Tom …. but otherwise it was perfect. 💕

 

On Monday we were going to do the cable car ride but again it was quite cloudy, plus it was April Fool’s Day, so we thought we’d do it another day!  Instead we took the train into Malaga – wanted Alice to see the city and there were still things we wanted to do there.  Well, I say ‘we’ – cultural experiences are not always Steve’s first choice but he does join in sometimes!

Walked down to the port area with its fancy shops and cafes – stopped for a bite to eat and guess what …. it started to rain.  Can’t believe after the 4 weeks of sunshine we’ve had, how unlucky Alice is.  But we soldiered on – our first stop (via a few shops of course) was the visiting Van Gogh Alive exhibition – a multi-sensory experience, portraying the artist’s life and works.  It was just amazing – the images at enormous scale filling giant screens, walls, columns, ceilings and even the floor … and accompanied by such powerful classical music.  Even Steve was enthralled!

 

On leaving the exhibition we headed for the city centre – weather was cheering up.  We walked along the beach promenade and then up through the winding city streets until we came to Malaga Catholic Cathedral.  Our next ‘cultural’ stop.  And with audio guides in place, we set off to enjoy this magnificent building –  with its range of architecture styles and stunning artworks … not to mention a truly religious experience.   It is nicknamed ‘the one-armed lady’ as the 2nd tower was not completed.

Steve was on cultural overload by this time so opted out of the next visit to the Picasso Museum – Alice and I went alone.  Not my most favourite of artists but being a local lad felt it was important to visit … have to admit there were many exhibits where you just wanted to say that classic line – “I could do that!”  – was quite pleased Steve hadn’t come in!  But some talented pieces all the same.

Now with the cultural bits done and dusted we hit the bars.  Sensibly started off in El Pimpi for some good nourishment.  Alice took this to the extreme with the largest plate of meat you have ever seen – clearly taking a break from her vegetarian lifestyle!

A few more bars including our favourite sherry bar – Antigua Casa de Guardia – where Alice got to sample some deliciously fine, sweet Moscatel.

 

Believe it or not, on Tuesday we all woke up to blue sky and sunshine (not to mention a fuzzy head)!    There was only one thing for it – head to the beach.  Drove to Fuengirola, Steve went for a run and Alice and I wandered off to the market.  Alice was fascinated by the size of it and we picked up some real bargains – trousers, tops, bags and shoes … lots of fun bartering.  Then we hit the beach for the rest of the day and truly relaxed.

Wednesday was much of the same.  Our itinerary had us down to do a road trip to Nerja but Alice was in favour of staying local and relaxing on the beach …. and why not when you only have a few days off work.  So, relax we did … and read, and snoozed, and swam and enjoyed our picnic lunch.  Home and showered and then down to one of the Benalmadena beach restaurants for dinner.  Alice got chatted up by a lovely waiter with minimal English and even more minimal teeth!!  We shared a fabulous paella – our first since we’ve been here so another tick off the list.

 

On Thursday we could put it off no longer – we had to face our fears and head for the cable car ride from Benalmadena to the top of Monte Calamorro.  We joined the queue and watched as each party embarked on the journey.  I had no idea the pods (or gondolas as they call them) would be so small.  The two other cable car journeys I’ve been on in South Africa and Sydney have been substantial carriages – these were like something off a ferris wheel.  As the people in front of us boarded I noticed that their gondola had the number 12 on it!!  I can tell you now, there was no way I was getting on if a number 13 turned up.   As it happened it was number 16 – Steve was hilariously delighted in suggesting that maybe 13, 14 and 15 had fallen off!

But bravely we boarded – me with my claustrophobia and Steve with his fear of heights … poor old Alice was like our carer, supporting us every inch of the way.  After the initial swinging and bumping we soon adjusted to the ride – the views were absolutely incredible.  And at the top even more so, looking over the Costa Del Sol in all its glory.  We went on one of the many walks which took us even further up … and we had a slippery descent as Alice and I hadn’t worn the most sensible of shoes! 😚

 

 

Going down it felt a little bit speedier but Steve said he just wanted to get to the bottom as soon as!!  Having been such brave soldiers we rewarded ourselves with some beach time and then a delicious beachside meal in the evening.  Steve and I enjoyed barbecued Sea Bass … and Alice fitted in another meat fest (a fillet steak) before returning to her chosen vegetarian life in Manchester!

 

And so Friday came around all too quickly – it was time for Alice to pack her bags and leave us.  And it was raining – how miserable is that!?

We were going to have lunch in our favourite square in the Pueblo but it was far too wet for that – so we opted for an indoors restaurant pizza instead – it may be Italian but it was just the job and cheered us up.   And then we accompanied Alice by train to the airport, by which time the sun had started shining – timing is everything!

It’s been such a fantastic week – thanks for coming to join us Alice … for keeping us company, making us laugh, helping us with the Spanish lingo, sorting out our technology needs, caring for us … just being you.

And in my favourite new phrase you taught me “hasta luego!” ❤️

 

 

Thursday 21st March – Friday 29th March 2019

Another week of activity plus wonderful inactivity too!  For someone’s who’s not great at relaxing, I’m certainly learning the ropes here – it’s part of the culture.  We are truly immersing ourselves into Spanish life and have willingly adjusted to the ‘manana’ philosophy … there’s always tomorrow.  We’re blending in with the local people and their pace of life, we’re improving our Spanish language skills by practising new words and phrases daily (and sometimes they even understand!), we’re certainly enjoying their foods, loving the price of their wines, getting around on local transport …. just settling in really.  We’ve established little routines for daily chores, running and walking, shopping, eating in, eating out, beach time and generally exploring.  We never stop feeling incredibly lucky that we have been able to retire (so young!) …. we plan to use the time wisely while we gently transition into old age!

So Thursday and Friday we just chilled on the beach after walks and runs.  Steve has ventured back out and is building himself up despite some continuing discomfort.  He has the small matter of a marathon in May and naturally will be doing everything in his power to be on those starting blocks.  I’ll naturally be on the sidelines with the jelly babies!

On Saturday, Steve got up early to do a local run – well I say early, we’re becoming like teenagers, not surfacing till mid-morning some days … and we’re not even having wildly late nights.  If we’re not careful we’ll soon be going to bed before we get up!!  Chilled?  We’re practically horizontal!

Malaga

Later in the day though we ventured out by train to Malaga – there’s so much to see and do there and we’ve only just scratched the surface.  It’s a stunning city and a perfect size for exploring on foot, the streets and magnificent buildings are tightly packed together and accessible – I believe the town planning was of Moorish origins.  We wanted to retrace our steps from the amazing wine and tapas tour we had done with Alicia – we got a little sidetracked at times but we did find all the amazing bars she took us to (we’re practising for when Alice arrives – she’ll be SO impressed with our local knowledge)!

We walked through the famous Malaga market and saw the vibrant food stalls – and at each corner the popular tapas bars we’d been told about, great atmosphere.

We wandered around the city, soaking up all it had to offer.  At one of the many squares we noticed a group of young adults, dressed up in colourful tutus and flamenco dresses – we guessed they were going to embark on a traditional performance so slowed in our pace – when the music started they broke into the ‘Macarena’ routine … it was all I could do to hold Steve back – he knows all the moves you know, thanks to Emma’s meticulous training during our kitchen dancing over the years!

Walked on further and found a perfect tapas restaurant in the cathedral square – we sat and enjoyed the scenery as well as a jug of sangria and a few tapas dishes – it’s all so affordable too – we’re living like students.  From there we had an interesting walk – churches, art galleries, shops, sculptures and quirky sightings …. and then more tapas bars – a little vino blanco and some more tasty tapas in each one.

On our way back to the station we popped into our favourite quaint little sherry bar to finish off a great afternoon/evening – cheers!

Castillo Monumento Colomares

The next few days saw us back to general routines of running, walking and beaching – weather not so great, even some rain at times, and windy!!

On Wednesday we decided on a little walk uphill to a very ornate castle type thing we had seen from a distance, and wanted to explore further.  Google maps indicated a 50 minute walking route but guess what …. Steve knew a shortcut – of course he did!!  So before long we found ourselves on an off-road trail with a steep incline.  Now I hate to be a wuss so I go along with these things … but then I am a wuss – I ended up on all fours going up, because my rucksack loaded with heavy camera was pulling me backwards, and I descended mostly on my bottom (through thistles – and I have the grazes to prove it) due to the steepness.  Once back on normal paths we still faced an extremely uphill trek … and naturally the sun decided to beat down at this point.  Made our way to the Castillo de Colomares though and it was well worth a visit.  It is a monument in the form of a castle, dedicated to the life and adventures of Christopher Columbus.  Not somewhere to spend hours but something to admire and the views over Benalmadena were stunning.

From there we walked further uphill to the beautiful Benalmadena Pueblo.  Cheated the very last bit by getting into a pretty battered looking and very jumpy street lift – always such a relief when the doors open!  And yes, you guessed it – we found ourselves in our favourite tapas joint in our favourite square in the Pueblo – wine/beer and tapas as our reward.

Fuengirola 

Had a relaxing couple of hours at our apartment pool in the afternoon – so sunny but still only the ducks making use of the pool.  I keep trying the water but it’s not getting any warmer.

Took the train into Fuengirola in the evening.  Alli had recommended a Spanish bar/restaurant that they had enjoyed on a recent Redway Runners’ trip – Tabanko El Callejon.  We found it and loved the place – full of Spanish charm and bullfighting memorabilia.  All the tables were reserved though so we just had drinks and moved into another pretty square for yet more tapas – can’t get enough of these tasty selections of food … and everywhere you go the choices are quite different.

Preparing for Alice!

And apart from all that – it’s soon to be all about Alice!!  One more sleep – not that we’re excited or anything!!   I’ve written up an itinerary for her 6 days, want to maximise every minute … I have left her some free choosing time though like any good tour guide would!!  So time to get the room prepared and we’re off soon to buy in those essentials – nutella, croissants, pineapple, chocolate, humus, snacks …. oh and the odd bottle of two of vino blanco.

Safe flight Alice – see you for big hugs tomorrow!

Another glorious week in Southern Spain. Well, the last few days the weather has been a bit iffy – hoping it’s a blip. (How British am I starting off the blog with a weather report)! Still, it’s encouraged us to get a few other things done, rather than that relaxing on the beach temptation.

Thursday 14th March 2019

A beach day – our usual spot in Fuengirola – beach beds 3 euros each including a free drink (bargain), near to shops, cafes and toilets – sun, sea, sand …. everything we need. I started off with a 5 mile walk (ran for one mile of this too), then felt justified to blob for the rest of the afternoon. Big waves today so didn’t venture in for a swim – have still not been in the sea since my memory loss incident last Saturday – need to get myself back in though, it’s a bit like falling off a bike. Although there was a wind today it’s definitely getting hotter, you can tell by the burning of your feet on the sand.

Friday 15th March 2019

Decided to take a drive to Ronda today – we had been recommended it as a place to visit for its stunning scenery – even that’s an understatement – it literally took our breath away.

We managed to get our hire car GPS set (trying to reserve our phone data) and even though it was in Spanish, the pictures helped. The first part of the drive was plain sailing – the A7 is a marvellous stretch of motorway. In time however we found ourselves on the mountain roads that lead up to Ronda …. and when I say UP – they go up and up and up and up – they’re not excruciatingly steep but they twist and turn with blind corners and just get higher and higher …. and they seem to go on forever. I was doing my usual clutching on to everything as the drop at the side of the road got more mind-blowing (spectacular but mind-blowing)! We laughed at the ‘no overtaking’ signs thinking “how obvious.” Our ears popped continuously as we climbed and our eyes popped out at the oh so incredible views. And pretty houses perched on hillsides – some original old farmhouses, many in need of repair, but also state of the art majestic mansions. And villages with pretty pastel and white homes spectacularly lined up, all so very Spanish looking.

Believe it or not there were a fair few cyclists making the ascent – just why!!!? And they have to come down at some point – that’s even worse!! 😘

We eventually arrived in Ronda, parked up and started to mooch around the town. Of course our first stop was some tapas refreshment as it was lunchtime. From here we set off to find the El Tajo Gorge, walking through the pretty white housed cobbled streets till we found the gorge and its impressive arched bridge. From here it was just jaw dropping all the way round – an absolute must if you’re ever in this part of Spain. I could wax lyrical but the photos speak for themselves.

We left the old part of town to walk into the new part of Ronda, passing the its famous bullring – the oldest bullring in Spain.

Local legend tells that God, fed up with the constant squabbling of the people of Ronda, sent a huge bolt of lightening down to earth and split the city in two, with the women in one half and the men in the other. Now there’s a thought!! Apparently the bridge was built across the gorge though to reunite the community. A good point for discussion methinks!? 🤔🤣

Before leaving this most characterful of places, we decided to refresh ourselves with some liquid refreshment, ordering what we thought to be hot chocolate as we know it. It was like drinking a bar of chocolate, you could literally stand your spoon up in it. I only had a few sips and I felt a migraine coming on …. and I don’t suffer from migraines! Steve naturally came to my aid and polished it off.

And then we began the long descent down the hill …. well, what can I say. We started off with a slow driver in front of us and that suited me just fine – slow is my favourite speed. However, other motorists behind us were not quite as patient as Steve and so the overtaking began – we just couldn’t believe it, having thought the ‘no overtaking’ signs were stating the bleeping obvious, we were wrong! My heart was racing harder than ever. And then, two motor cyclists came around the corner making their ascent at Grand Prix speed, practically horizontal and knee scraping. Unfortunately my anxiety was going into overload – lucky I wasn’t driving I guess.

I love travelling and all it involves, sightseeing, trying new foods, attempting the languages, new activities and adventures – I even don’t mind the flights and train travel …. but, I absolutely hate travelling on roads, especially where speed is involved. And I would love to overcome this. No-one would believe that I’ve driven a van to Romania and back, twice. Why does age commonly plague you with anxieties? In particular, my ‘nervous passenger’ fear is getting way out of proportion – any recommendations for specific therapy/cures for this would be so gratefully received.

Despite this, it was the best of days … think a relaxing day on the beach tomorrow however!

Saturday 16th March 2019

Yes, we had a quiet relaxing beach day. I walked from Fuengirola back into Benalmadena … found a pretty little beach called Playa de Carvajal. Also came away from promenade walking for a while and more onto coastal path walking (ah, felt like home)! Walked back to Fuengirola and had two swims during the afternoon – and I still remembered who I was and where I was – no memory loss today!

Sunday 17th March 2019

Took ourselves down to Playa de Carvajal this morning for a couple of hours – pretty beach, quieter than Fuengirola – but still not the bargain prices … and still no loos! We did swim though, even Steve took his first swim – well, a couple of quick dips under the water and then back to the sunbed.

Late afternoon we headed off by train to Torremolinos. We’d heard there’d be some interesting St. Patrick’s Day celebrations going on there … and we fancied a night out seeing somewhere different. On arrival there was a marquee in the square with Irish celebrations in full swing – live Irish music and dancing, revellers swathed in all things green and oversized squidgy top hats with Guinness branding … and evidence of drinking sessions from the early morn!

We thought we’d have a look around the town first and so wandered down to the beach area, descending several flights of slippy marble steps to get there. I know it’s out of season but it didn’t seem that bad – Torremolinos often gets a bad press but the beach area with its bars and restaurants was perfectly OK. We stopped at one to take our first drink of the evening.

Then we started to wend our way back up to the top of town, through busy winding streets full of retail opportunities. Settled on a tapas bar halfway up that looked to have a sea view – it was only once shown to a table that we noticed there was no-one else in there … and the views weren’t all that either. And as for my ‘vino blanco’ – it was undrinkable – luckily there was a plant just behind Steve that came in handy for disposing of said liquid. We moved on.

Once back in the square, St.Patrick’s Day celebrations seemed to have burnt themselves out …. so we just found ourselves a restaurant for tapas and vino and then headed off home for a reasonably early night. So, no Guinness hangover for us!

Monday 18th March 2019

Our first real windy and cloudy day. And so we did something unusual for a holiday activity – we planned our next travelling adventure! We actually spent the whole day planning flights, accommodation and itinerary for six weeks travelling around Cuba later in the year – and we are very excited.

We did get out of the apartment late afternoon for a walk from the Marina to Castillo de Bil Bil – one of Benalmadena’s attractions – it looks like a medieval Moorish fortress but in fact was built in the 20th century.

Tuesday 19th March 2019

We were up early this morning – alarm set for 6.30am (unheard of – felt like the middle of the night)! Another colder weather day had been forecast, and so with Steve’s foot on the mend we had made the magnanimous decision to get those walking boots back on and head for the hills. We had read an article in a local paper this week about Malaga’s own mini Camino de Santiago – a 15km path from Villanueva de la Concepcion, through El Torcal natural park and finishing in Antequera. The article made it sound quite magical – a spiritual experience … and described it as a “fairly undemanding hike.”

GPS set (and now speaking to us in English!) we had a smooth hour’s drive to Villanueva de la Concepcion, a sweet looking village set up in the hills. We parked up outside a school and a nearby shop, having identified the start of the Camino Mozarabe. Popped into the shop for some provisions – interesting stocks – lots of stationery, party decorations and dressing up clothes, random selections of food items and then the largest selection of school bags you have ever seen. Picked up water and biscuits, essential for the trek – then stumbled across freshly baked chocolate covered custard doughnuts – 3 for a euro – well, how could you resist? It was only later that we had the thought that we might have deprived a school child of their daily treat – there was only so many to go round!

So we were off to a good start but very quickly took a wrong turning and found ourselves scrabbling up rocky hillsides and then, more importantly, sliding down them again. Identified our mistake (the sign had a cross on it – seems obvious in hindsight) … from then on we got the gist of how to find and correctly read signs and all was well.

We walked on through dramatic countryside with the most breathtaking of mountain backdrops and its renowned limestone rock formations. All so peaceful, we passed 3 other walkers and two farmers in the whole day. The greatest noise of the day were the canine sentries barking ferociously as we walked past isolated country houses – an occasional dog ran out to have a look but left us alone once we walked a safe distance past. Wouldn’t have wanted to have messed with the ones that were chained up however!

Our first spot of civilisation was a lonely goat farmer – we were sat on a rock scoffing chocolate covered custard doughnuts at the time – not sure which of us had the most unusual spectacle!

We also walked past a farm with bulls – luckily the farmer closed the gate just before we walked past – they didn’t seem so friendly – certainly wouldn’t have wanted to walk through a field of them – no way!

The first half of the walk was fairly uphill but decent paths and nothing too stupendously steep, not a patch on our UK coastal path walking (or so we thought)! The terrain varied along the way but cut through the most scenic of farmland and we enjoyed lots of chatter side by side, or sometimes Steve was a pace or 20 ahead of me – for three reasons:

1) I like to take in the scenery

2) I like to take photos

3) Have you seen the difference in the length of our legs!!?

The newspaper article had mentioned a ‘slightly tricky descent’ – this was probably the major understatement and this part of the trek was what compared it to our Cornish coastal walking. We had met a friendly German couple at the top who had just climbed it … and mentioned it was steep. Going down was no picnic – small parts of it had been cemented but largely it was loose stones … and very long and steep. We just took a step (or slide) at a time and made our way to the bottom.

From the bottom we had a fairly straightforward 4 km to our destination of Antequera – so pretty once we had our first glimpse of the town. Found our way to the nearest bar and rewarded ourselves with beer and tapas.

It was only on leaving Antequera in a taxi that we realised how big the town was – not sure our weary legs would have been up to much more wandering however. The taxi drove us pretty crazily back to Villanueva de la Concepcion – and again this village looked way bigger than the one we had set off from, and with our limited Spanish we couldn’t convince the driver to drive around until we found our car. So, we basically got dumped and then had to search nervously, not recognising a thing and at times doubting we were in the same village – finally using google maps to locate schools and so traced the whereabouts of our trusty Citroen Cactus.

And so two weary ramblers returned home – it was great to have had a new adventure though – we loved it.

Wednesday 20th March 2019

It’s Wednesday, it’s cloudy – this could only mean one thing …. household chores, supermarket shopping and blog!

Amongst this though we did fit in a walk from Benalmadena to Torremolinos … and Steve tried out a bit of running. Bit grim on that front however, the left knee was painful, but it took his mind off the foot pain! We covered 5 miles all in all and so tucked into sardines, prawns, avocado and vino blanco at a local chiringuito, as way of recovery.

And so … we’re already half way through this Andalucian adventure – we’re certainly missing everyone back home but loving the experience of living in Spain. And we do see it is as that rather than a holiday, just doing every days things and having the luxury of time to both relax and to explore.

We’re hoping the sun returns tomorrow though – enough’s enough. We’re ready to get back on that beach. We’ll keep you posted. 😎

7th – 13th March 2019

During our second week in Andalucia we’ve managed to venture a little further – a road trip inland, some more city sightseeing and discovering Benalmadena Pueblo. Steve’s getting steadier on his ‘foot’ now, although it’s still not up to running or long treks. Oh well, mustn’t grumble – loving the chilled way of life!!

On Thursday we took a wander around Benalmadena Marina and then to the nearby beach. Loved the marina and discovered it to be the pretty end of town with interesting beachside shops and cafes too. The sunbeds are more expensive than Fuengirola though and toilets not so accessible (very important factors when you’re pensioners!), so our other beach days this week have seen us return to a favourite spot along Fuengirola beach. Steve’s happy resting up while I fit in my 5 mile promenade walk most days – wherever you are along this coast the promenade just seems to stretch for miles. There’s also plenty of exercise equipment dotted around for stretching it out too. It’s not that I’m a fitness fanatic (I wish I was) – I just have to compensate for that ‘essential’ holiday eating and drinking!

However, on Saturday’s beach trip I had a bit of a ‘funny turn!’ After my walk I went in for a swim – it was pretty cold as usual, I seemed to be the only person in the sea that day. I came out and must have very quickly dozed off in the sun …. and when I came too I had lost part of my memory … I knew who Steve was but I just couldn’t remember where we were, how we had got there, where we were staying etc. It was really scary and I think I freaked Steve out. It was a good hour or so before things starting to return to normal. We’re guessing it was sunstroke or my body reacting to the extremes of temperature. Of course Steve’s had plenty of mileage out of it since … trying to convince me that I don’t like G&T … and apparently I hate shopping … oh and I’m married to George Clooney (still waiting for evidence of that one)! 😆

So on Friday we decided to embark on the 180 miles return road trip to Granada to visit Alhambra, a palace and fortress complex steeped in Moorish and Spanish history. The drive was pretty spectacular in itself – the vast stretches of farmland and hills and the snow capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada. The road systems were amazing too, we were often one of a few vehicles on vast 4 lane motorway stretches. The GPS went a little astray towards the end, due to new roads we think, (plus navigating never was my strong point), however we eventually found our way into the car park and eagerly set off to join the queue. Only to be informed that as I had no ID we could not enter the palaces. I was devastated … I tried the “we’ve driven 2 hours to get here” “I’m English and we don’t carry ID” …. I even considered trying to raise a few tears … but it seemed that nothing was going to make them budge. Some compensation however in that we managed to save ourselves some euros and there were parts of the grounds we could visit without an entrance ticket – and it was all stunning – so all was not lost.

On Saturday, after my mysterious ‘memory loss’ incident, we were booked on an evening Airbnb experience – a wine and tapas tour in Malaga. I was still feeling a little bit dizzy but we set off with the thought that we could return if I didn’t feel well at any time. It turned out to be a fantastic evening. We met up with our host Alicia (https://ohmygoodguide.com/) and 4 others in the group, all youngsters in their twenties – all so friendly. We learnt so much about Andalucian tapas and the local sweet wines. During the evening we wandered through the beautiful city of Malaga and sampled tapas and wines in a few different bars. There was a fair bit of standing up although a few times they found me a stool (age does have its compensations)! The local sweet wines are what we would call sherry – delicious – reminded me of the odd schooner at Christmastime. And later we had Vermouth – now that reminded me of 70s nightclub drinking! We ate little bits of food in different bars – tortilla, gazpacho, olives, broad beans, goats cheese, Serrano ham, tuna and breads. For old’uns we kept up well with our party until it was time for us to leave to get the last train back to Benalmadena. Sat amongst the late night revellers in their tipsy states on the journey back – we felt like teenagers!

We’ve been back a couple of times this week too to explore the delights of Benalmádena Pueblo, and we’ve absolutely fallen in love with it. We spent the whole morning up there on Sunday, enjoying the pretty streets and houses, visiting the church with its open doors as the mass was being said, beautiful hymns ringing out and we soaked up the amazing views over Benalmádena. We sat and had coffee in the square – such a great atmosphere, the sun shining down.

We returned late Tuesday afternoon to do a little wine and tapas tour, sampling in three bars …. and loving the life. We’ve been looking longingly in the Estate Agents’ windows – could absolutely live here – as well as its quaintness, mass is at the reasonable time of 12.30pm …. and they sell ‘Yorkshire Tea’ in the local shop! What’s not to love!

On Tuesday we took ourselves off to the very large market in Fuengirola – even if you don’t buy it’s an experience. We managed to restrain ourselves from overspending but I did come away with a sun hat and Steve splashed out on some walking socks and some very snazzy red shorts. Afterwards we wandered into the old town of Fuengirola, mostly searching for reading material as stocks running low. Found one bookshop with extortionate prices for English books and limited choice, but needs must. I’m alright Jack – I have my kindle!

We spend occasional time too at our apartment pool although the water is definitely on the chilly side. Another couple of residents were there on Sunday – and ‘Macho Mike’ jumped into the pool to impress his stunningly attractive young girlfriend but almost stopped breathing with shock in the process … and made a quick exit out!! So I’ve decided not to venture in quite yet.

 

Adios for now. The sun is shining … wish you were here 😎🍷

Alicia’s Wine and Tapas Tour: https://ohmygoodguide.com/