Spain’s Amazing Alpujarras

The supplement for sole occupancy of a twin room is £29 per night

Flights are from most UK regional airports to Malaga or Granada.
We transfer you from the airport – about an hour- into the mountains above the coast to our hotel.

Our five walks take place in and around the Alpujarras and Sierra Nevada. Transport to the walk start is part of the holiday and allows you to see so much. Our furthest drive is one hour.

Our walks have been established to allow plenty of time for you to really see the beautiful white Spanish villages and the abundance of wild flowers.

Walk 1

Lanjaron circular walk ( 13km, 600m ascent, 600m descent) Walking straight from our hotel a splendid circular walk giving you a good introduction to the town of  Lanjaron, and the gateway to the Alpujarras.

Walk 2

Los Pueblos mas Bonitos de España circular ( 10km, 550m ascent, 550m descent)

Starting and finishing at the Village of Pampaneira, ascending to Bubion, Capileira before descending the barranco of Poqueria.

Walk 3

Barranco de Poqueira circular ( 17km, 700m ascent, 700m descent)

 Starting at La Cebadilla, ascending through the barranco up to the open meadows before traversing along ancient water canal systems (acequia) to the village of Capileira

Walk 4

Soportujar to Lanjaron linear (15km, 380m ascent, 680m descent)

A linear walk starting outside of Soportujar following the GR7 along hillsides and gorges and passing through quiet villages back to Lanjaron

Walk 5

La Taha and Seven villages circular

 (12km, 600m ascent, 600m descent)

Starting at the tiny village of Mecina, a beautiful circular walk passing through the seven picturesque white villages of the La Taha region .

• superb location in the Spain’s Sierra Nevada
• walking in beautiful scenery – authentic Spain
• authentic white villages to explore
• authentic Spanish hotel but with all the modern facilities you would want
• our friendly tour guides to help you enjoy this area
• small groups
• our administration support

This holiday walking programme is designed for good competent walkers on a mixture of terrains. We walk between 6 to 12 miles a day and potentially average around 700 metres ascent/ descent. Ascents are taken slowly to allow plenty time to absorb the magnificent  environment around you.

The walks on this trip vary between moderate and challenging and each day involves a fair amount of ascent and descents.  The holiday requires a reasonable amount of fitness, ideally with some previous walking experience in similar conditions.

Underfoot conditions are generally good and we walk on mature paths and tracks.

It’s all about meeting new friends. Each holiday is designed to be a friendly, relaxed and stress-free occasion. Talking is as important as walking on Secret Hills Walking Holidays. We don’t go in for discos, we may use an event that is taking place in the area we are in to boost the weekend’s activities – but it’s good, old fashioned chat that makes our short breaks successful.

“Make new friends that turn into old friends” – that’s our motto.

You might be surprised by what fun you’ll have with people who are older or younger than you during a holiday with us, and that’s exactly the sort of atmosphere we encourage; people find it very rewarding. It doesn’t matter what your reasons for travelling with us are, we’ve had people who are single, divorced or widowed, people who have partners that are unable to travel, and people who can’t holiday with their friends anymore as they’ve all got married themselves. There are people who want to make friends, see sights, and experience something completely new. Whatever your reason, we’ll welcome you with open arms and our friendly hosts will help you to get the most out of your holiday.

Don’t worry if this is the first time you have ventured to join a group holiday – its always a bit daunting – but we will look after you and ensure that you get used to being amongst friends again. Trust us to to get you back into the swing of things.

Oh – by the way – it’s not a dating agency – over the years we have had people meet and fall in love – but that’s just chance. Our aim is that you make like-minded friends – just relax and enjoy.

Just arrive and enjoy.

There are other walking holiday companies that cover Europe but we believe we offer the best value for many reasons….

• We specialise in organising guided walking holidays for solos and singles.
• We are a small friendly company
• We have a loyal customer base who return again and again (so we must be doing something right) – read our testimonials page on the website
• We offer a lot of flexibility – you can stay extra nights which we are happy to organise for you. We are also very flexible on the walks we provide, adapting to suit walkers and weather conditions
• Our walk leading is second to none. Unlike some other large Walking Companies, we use LOCAL leaders who live in the area and who love their surroundings. They have expert knowledge of everything you need to know to make an area come alive.
• You are safe in our hands – our guides are experts, fully qualified in first aid. Also, because of their local knowledge of the hills, they can respond to any situation that might for example demand cutting short a route. They don’t need to consult maps – they know the hills intimately.
• Our leaders are all easy-going, genuinely sociable people who want to ensure that you have the best time you can with the rest of the group. They make the weekend fun by engaging with all members of a group, and ensuring that everyone feels part of the group experience.
• We give great value for money. Because we recognise that lots of walkers holiday on their own, we have negotiated no single supplement deals with all our hotels to ensure the best possible deal.
• We always use good hotels, selected and constantly reviewed.
• We have smaller groups than some of the larger walking companies because we believe the social experience is much better in a smaller group. People can talk to everyone, especially at dinner where you can all sit at one table in a small group. Our numbers vary from holiday to holiday but an average group size would be 8-12.

How to book a UK guided walking holiday AND holidays in France, Algarve, Douro Valley and Ireland
To reserve a place on any of our holidays, please follow these simple instructions.

Reserve online – once you have chosen your holiday, click on the booking button and complete the online form OR contact us by phone or email, and we will send by post or email, a booking form to you
OR you can call us direct on 01694 723600, and we will take your reservation over the phone. Please note we cannot take credit/debit card details over the phone; you can, however, post us a cheque. Alternatively, you can pay via the Pay Pal system attached to our website, which allows you to pay either by debit/credit card, or by using your Paypal account if you have one.

We will also accept a Bank Transfer and on request we will supply our bank details to you.

It is important that you read the terms and conditions before you sign the booking form.

Note – if you are reserving a holiday within a month of the start date then the full amount is due immediately and no deposit should be paid.

Address:

Secret Hills Walking, 35, Sandford Avenue, Church Stretton, Shropshire, SY6 6BH

Our Partners in Europe Walking

Secret Hills Walking are pleased to be associated with New Experience Holidays, who organise flights, accommodation and transfers for these holidays and provide you with ATOL security.
All your joining instructions and individual flight arrangements will be made by  them.  Once you have committed to a holiday, and have accepted the individual quote we send, New Experience will send you a reservation form and all deposits / final payments will be made to them. Secret Hills Walking is responsible for marketing and selling the holidays and for arranging your itinerary when you arrive at the airport in the country you are visiting. You will receive individual attention throughout your holiday from us.

ATOL Bonding – New Experience Holidays REGISTRATION

Insurance – you need to be fully covered

It is a condition of joining any of our holidays that you must be fully insured against travel, medical and personal accident risks (to include repatriation costs and air ambulance or helicopter rescue services where appropriate). Our partners New Experience holidays will ask for this information as a condition of reserving a place. If you are a UK citizen and travelling in Europe you should obtain the UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) which is available only online from the UK Government website. This gives you medical care at a reduced cost, and some cases for free, in many European countries, but should not be considered a substitute for adequate travel insurance.