The Lakes of Malaga, Spain

The three lakes of Malaga are located some fifty to sixty kilometres north of the City of Malaga on Spain's Costa del Sol, in the province of Andalucia. When people think of this part of Spain, they think most often of the coastal resorts, such as Torremolinos, Benalmadena and Fuengirola. Perhaps they may even think of the harsh, desert-like inland landscapes which form the bulk of the Andalucian countryside. Few indeed will think of beautiful lakes, green forests and scenery to literally take their breath away.

It is possible to get to the Lakes of Malaga from the city of Malaga itself by taking the motorway route in considerably less than an hour but taking the scenic route, although lengthening the journey time to around one and a half hours, allows us to see parts of Spain which are so often missed by visitors. In the first instance, we travel through landscapes of rolling green fields, almond trees and olive groves, growing ever closer to the mountains we can see in the distance.

As we make our final approach to the Lakes of Malaga, we come to the Garganta del Chorro - near the small village of El Chorro - a spectacular river gorge between the mountains and to what has come to be referred to as The King's Walkway (Caminito del Rey.) The walkway is quite literally a narrow ledge, built on the side of the mountain, largely with no handrail or safety facilities, which it is possible for those with nerves of steel and the surefootedness of mountain goats to traverse.

There are a great many scenic walks to take along the shores of the Lakes of Malaga and in the surrounding countryside. Unfortunately, we found ourselves a little pressed for time during our visit which gave us only a couple of hours on the shores and were not able to take in a fraction of what was available to see.

There are a number of restaurants and cafes available in the small villages dotted around the area and I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed my first taste of kid (young goat) in one of them. I perhaps did not expect it, however, to come with chips (French fries)!