Property Maps and Zones - Sierra Nevada West and the Alpujarra - Granada Province

Dominated by the Sierra Nevada mountain Range with its highest peak (the Mulhacén) reaching 3,482m above sea level, the Alpujarras stretch down to the coastal ranges of the Sierra de Lujar, the Sierra de Contraviesa, and touching the Sierra de Gador to the East and finish on the Mediterranean coastline.

In the mountains the air is the cleanest in Europe and, because of the altitude, the heat in mid-summer is not as oppressive as it can be on the coast.

This area is also a paradise for walking and trekking with a myriad of footpaths snaking their way through the Sierra Nevada, overnight stops too, are possible with the refuges dotted along the way.

The ski station at the Estación de Esquí de Solynieve (“Sun and Snow”) is also known as Pradollano and is Europe’s southernmost ski resort and one of the biggest in Spain, with good skiing and facilities, so good in fact, they hosted the 1996 Alpine Ski Championships. It also lies in the heart of the Monachil municipality.

he resort has 45 downhill runs totalling 65km, of which five are graded black, the most difficult; 18 graded red (difficult), 18 blue (easy) and 4 green (very easy). Two cable cars run from Pradollano (2100m) to Borreguiles (2645m), and from here other lifts will take skiers to higher slopes; some of which start almost at the summit of Pico de Veleta.

Western Alpujarra is the territory of the Valley of Lecrín, the Sierra Lujar, and the Contraviesa and has the highest peaks with perpetual snow. The main town and administrative centre in the valley is Orgíva - close to Granada and on the north side of the Sierra Nevada where the snow lies thick are the ski slopes which provide world class skiing.

Also here are the picturesque villages of Pampaneira, Bubión and Capiliera who cling to sides of the Poquiera Gorge. Due to the excellent national roads and extensive local road network there is easy access to Granada city and to the Costa Tropical as well as Almería and Malága, this area is also easily reached from Motril.

Chris Stewart author of "Driving over Lemons" and "Parrot in a Pepper Tree" lives in a remote but enchanting part of this area of the Alpujarra.

Trevélez is said to be the highest inhabited village in Spain and is famous for its jamón Serrano (Cured ham), which is dried "in the wind of the mountain", and for the trout streams provided all year round by the snow melt of the high peaks.

The Central Alpujarra is best reached by La Rabita and it provides a wealth of history in its many villages one of which is Yegen where the writer Gerald Brenan spent some years and wrote "South from Granada".

The highest point is at Puerto de la Ragua (2000 metres), which, in the winter provides cross-country skiing and dog sledging; all year round it is perfect for walking, mountain biking, trekking and horse riding.

The Costa Tropical, just an hour away, is warmed by the warm winds from North Africa and with the backdrop and protection of the Sierra Nevada this area enjoys a microclimate of more than 320 days of sunshine a year, thus encouraging the growth of subtropical fruits, and Mediterranean plants