Events
In true Spanish style, cultural events are almost
inevitably celebrated with a wild party and a holiday. Among the festivals to
look out for are Festividad in San Sebastian in January, when the whole
town dresses up and goes berserk. Carnaval takes place throughout the
country in late February; the wildest is said to be in Sitges. In March,
Valencia has a week-long party known as Las
Fallas, which is marked by all-night dancing, drinking, first-class
fireworks and colorful processions. Semana
Santa (Holy Week) is the week leading up to Easter Sunday with parades
of holy images through the streets; Seville is the place to be if you can get
accommodation. In late April the Feria de Abril in Seville is a week-long
party counterbalancing the religious fever of Semana Santa.
The last Wednesday in August sees the Valencian town of
Bunol go bonkers with La
Tomatina, in which the surplus from its tomato harvest is sploshed
around in a friendly riot. The Running of the Bulls in
Pamplona in July is Spain's most famous festival. Along the north coast,
staggered through the first half of August, is Semana Grande, another
week of heavy drinking and hangovers.
Hiking
Spain is an extremely mountainous country and there are lots of varied walking
opportunities. The best hiking areas are in the north throughout The Pyrenees
and The Picos de Europe. One of the best known long distance routes is the
Camino de Santiago. This 460 mile route has been trod by pilgrims for the last
1,000 years. The countryside surrounding many of the beach resorts also
offers good walking outside the very hot season. The trails are not always
obvious or marked, however there are a number of English language books with
detailed maps and descriptions available.
To find out more about hiking and tours go to onfootinspain.com/
Climbing
Steep sided mountains and deep gorges offer a wealth of climbing opportunities
all over the country. Particularly spectacular is the El Chorro Gorge in
Andalusia, which is up to 1,300 feet deep and has over 200 routes with bizarre
names such as The Policeman Stole My Walkman and Mama Wants to be a Bullfighter.
The gorge has a rusty, crumbly walkway along part of its length which fills up
with hundreds of strollers despite the fact it looks ready to collapse.
For more information go to www.mountainguides.co.uk/pages/rockclimbing_spain.htm
Skiing
The most reliable snow is in the Pyrenees where the best known resort is
Baqueira-Beret. Candanchu/Astun has a reputation for tough runs and there are a
number of smaller resorts such as Formigal, Panticosa, and La Molina. Sierra
Nevada, which used to be called Sol y Nieve is close to Granada and can often be
too warm for good snow. However as it relies on completely different weather
patterns from the Alps and Pyrenees, it can have excellent conditions when they
are suffering. On a good day you can see right across to the Atlas Mountains in
Morocco.
To check out ski resorts go to spainforvisitors.com/sections/skiing.htm
Water Sports
Water-skiing, swimming, sailing and windsurfing are everywhere along the coast
and it's easy to hire equipment and arrange lessons. Tarifa on the Straits of
Gibraltar is host to the world windsurfing championships. The lakes in Castilla
and Extremadura also have good windsurfing facilities. The northern coast around
Bay of Biscay has some excellent surfing, particularly around Mundaka where deep
tubes up to 12 feet high attract surfers from all over the world.
Find out more about water sports by visiting www.lamangaspain.com/spain-watersports.htm
