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Tight clusters of old, square- edged white houses and churches, from a distance looking like a child’s building blocks, cling to the tops of lonely hills and crags across southern Andalucia, their whiteness and their red- tiled roofs picked out sharply in the fierce heat against a brilliant blue sky. These are the pueblos blancos, the “white villages”, all uniformly whitewashed in line with old Moorish tradition. The words de la Frontera in many place names refer back to the times when this was indeed the frontier between Christian and Muslim Spain, and these villages were built -by one side or the other- as semi- fortresses, huddled together for safety in locations that seem to defy all logic. Each village is a maze of narrow lanes that wind, climb and fall, their whiteness offset by vibrant red flowers. And, far below, is what is now called the Costa de la Luz, in recognition of its exquisitely clear light- a line of great, broad beaches facing the windy Atlantic and washed by crashing surf.

Much less well known than Spain’s Mediterranean coasts, this area nevertheless offers one of the most distinctive mixes of character and landscape anywhere in Andalucia. Its two main towns offer a complete contrast- Jerez de la Frontera, once a Moorish fortress, but long the capital of sherry and now filled with elegant bodegas that give it a special air of gracious living; and Cadiz, the oldest city in western Europe, a salty sea port with streets full of echoes of voyages of discovery. Just to the north across the River Guadalquivir is the Coto Donana, a vast expanse of wetland that is home to some of Europe’s rarest wildlife, including lynxes and flamingoes. Southwards, the long beaches run down to the old Moorish citadel of Tarifa. The meeting of the Atlantic and Mediterranean in the straits is also a prime feeding-ground for whales and dolphins, and a trip from Tarifa out to see them, with the mountains of Morocco as a backdrop, is an unforgettable experience.

Beyond all these attractions, the Costa de la Luz is also an ideal place just to relax. Beach towns like Zahara de los Atunes, “Of the Tuna”, are still fishing villages, and as you sample the local delicacies you can find an easygoing friendliness that often seems lost elsewhere.