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This treasured village of Gaucin in the mountains of Andalucia is blessed with views stretching across three countries and two continents, also known as the Serrania de Ronda. It has an immense history and is surrounded by spectacular mountains embracing a mass of cork oak, chestnut, olive and almond trees with\u00a0endless wild adventures.<\/p>\n
Driving up from the coast of southern Spain, the road to Gaucin traverses the flat countryside littered with windmills, crosses the river Genal and continues winding upwards through the mountainside full of wild flowers, mature trees and captivating views. The village is surrounded by valleys and peaks where there are powerful walks and treks allowing you to admire the raw beauty of this delightful landscape including Los Alcornocales, a vast cork oak forest with over a million specimens. The peaks\u00a0and viewpoints draw you to admire the breathtaking views across the landscape to Gibraltar and over to Africa. On a clear day you can see the ships slowly drifting across the Mediterranean and through the straits of Gibraltar with the fabulous backdrop of the Riff mountains reaching up in the distance. The area is also popular with mountain bikers, climbers and of course horse riders. If you are so inclined, there would be no better way of taking in this stunning countryside than on the back of a beautiful Andalucian horse.<\/p>\n
Inside the village the streets are a labyrinth of narrow passage ways, lined with beautiful white washed houses. Little do you know that behind these modest doorways are many delightful and grand homes with cultural influences in their architecture and interior design. Wandering through these streets you will find numerous tapas bars, the hidden ones always show the real side of old traditional Spain where the local workers will no doubt be sitting with a coffee and a brandy at 10 o\u2019clock in the morning!! There are also a small number of restaurants for the more sophisticated palette to enjoy, together with local shops, two banks and a paper shop even though papers are not sold in Gaucin. For the older inhabitants the only way to keep in touch with the outside world is through the television. The internet has only recently taken off and is mainly used by the younger people and tourists. At night many of the bars come alive and if you are lucky a merry Spaniard may take to his guitar and delight you with some flamenco music.<\/p>\n
Gaucin also celebrates traditional fiestas throughout the year. The largest of these takes place during Holy Week. The festivities culminate on Easter Sunday with the \u2018toro de cuerdo\u2019, (bull on a cord). Many people come from afar to join the locals in this fascinating event. A bull is let out into the streets of Gaucin, tied to a rope which is held by the local macho Spaniards. Amid chaos and adrenalin people run after the bull, scaling up walls and clinging onto the bars of windows as the bull charges past them. The event is totally thrilling with plenty of feasting and drinking throughout the day.<\/p>\n
In the month of August there is a flamenco festival organised by a select few of the men from the village who have in depth knowledge of the art of flamenco. It is advisable to have taken a siesta beforehand as the performances normally start just before midnight and finish at around 4am.<\/p>\n
Although the village still holds many traditions and the locals still live as they did many years ago \u2013 tucked away in the mountains – Gaucin has also become a fashionable retreat. The tourist popularity began in the 18th<\/sup> century with the Gibraltarians. It was a delightful escape from the static heat and claustrophobia of life on the rock. This then led to an influx of British tourists visiting, many of whom decided to settle. Now the tourists visit from many countries around the world. It is not hard to see why, the ambience, surrounding mountains and views are exquisite. The village has become extremely popular amongst writers, artists and photographers with the surroundings being full of colours and inspiration. In the spring, the group of local artists now even organize an annual art fair, where you can visit them in their homes or studios.<\/p>\n It is also known to have many famous visitors. The area offers a world of seclusion and peace for the famous where they can hide from the hustle and attention of their normal lives.<\/p>\n Gaucin holds a wealth of history dating back to pre historic times, confirmed by cave paintings found deep inside the mountains. The town\u2019s legendary castle Castillo de Aguila was built by the Romans later to be invaded by the Visigoths and was subsequently taken over by the Arabs and turned into a fortress. Due to its prominent positioning since then the castle has witnessed mayhem, impoverisation and slave trade. In the 19th<\/sup> century the French invaded Gaucin who stripped the town by vandalising its treasures and terrorising its citizens and their homes in the war of independence. This French invasion is re-enacted every year and is quite a dramatic show. Men travel from Cadiz dressed up in French army uniform, parading through the village firing cannons and rifles, while the whole of the village dress in peasant clothes.<\/p>\n The Spanish Civil war of the 20th<\/sup> century saw more than 50 people shot down before the nationalists captured Gaucin in September 1936. Memories of this internal struggle still remain with some of the elderly.<\/p>\n All this history together with its fabulous location has enticed many visitors to return year after year. Once you visit you will know why.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This treasured village of Gaucin in the mountains of Andalucia is blessed with views stretching across three countries and two continents, also known as the Serrania de Ronda. It has an immense history and is surrounded by spectacular mountains embracing a mass of cork oak, chestnut, olive and almond trees with\u00a0endless wild adventures. Driving […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,16,73],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-explore","category-travel","category-travel-2"],"yoast_head":"\n