Everyone arrived on Saturday by different flights. Taxis had been arranged to pick them up from the airport and take them to Finca el Cerrillo - our friendly hotel for the next 7 nights.

Sue and Gordon had prepared welcoming tapas to start our meal off, followed by a wonderful bowl of paella.

Today, Sunday, we walked up the Cajula River crossing the stream several times - including on a Roman bridge - then we walked around the head of the valley.

The flowers were the sort you mainly see in garden centres in England, including some beautiful flat leaved irises.

We crossed the Llanada de Turvilla river on lovely old mule tracks and walked up to the beautiful Santa Ana hermitage.

From here our path took us down through the village of Canillas to the central square, then back towards Hotel Finca on further mule tracks.

We had a relaxing afternoon admiring the view of Archez, the little village at the bottom of the hill, or wandering around the hotel taking photos.

That evening was one of our evenings out - included in the holiday, and we had taxis back to the Placa in Canillas. The restaurant there served lovely food, with a very friendly atmosphere. All in all, a great evening altogether.

Today we walked up onto Loma Alta and saw the secaderos where the grapes are dried to make raisins. We also passed an ostrich farm!

Continuing along a lovely ridge, there were views of the sea and up to Bentomiz Mountain with its Moorish fort ruin on top.

We dropped down a lovely spur after lunch to reach Sayalonga, past goats, orange and lemon groves smelling really sweetly, avocados, and loquats.

We stopped in Sayalonga for refreshments at a bar.

We also visited the historic round cemetery and saw the narrowest street in Andalucia, only 56 centimetres.

That evening we had more tapas and spicy lamb courtesy of Remi and Chester, and we played a very amusing game of Llame mi Bluff - in several languages!

Today, Tuesday, we walked up into the Almijara range to the lovely rural hotel at Case de la Mina.

As the cloud was low, we descended down from there to cross the river and follow the path from Frigiliana to Competa.

Along the way we had splendid views over the deep gorges towards some of the mountains that weren't shrouded in cloud.

Our path back from Competa abounded with flowers as it followed a acequia (water channel).

Today we went to see the Alhambra in Granada. The bus journey took us along the coast and up through the Alpujarras with views of the Sierra Nevada.

We had booked several weeks in advance to be sure of getting in to the Alhambra at this peak season.

Before the Alhambra we visited the viewpoint of Mirador San Nicolas and the beautiful and tranquil Arabic baths. From the Mirador you could see the whole Alhambra complex.

Our visit was for the afternoon so we also found a good place for lunch.

Once admitted to the Alhambra we saw the Nazrid Palaces first - equisitely, constructed and decorated with stucco like stalactites.

A lot of it dates from the 15th century. The tiles are beautiful and the use of water and light in the courtyards is stunning.

Archways and windows frame fantastic views across Granada to the Sacromonte, where people still live in the caves.

The gardens were magnificent and full of colour. Finally you walk through an oleandar walkway to reach the exit.

Everyone agreed that this is one of the world's great unmissable wonders. The gardens were splendid and the palaces out of this world.

Today we were dropped off by our hired transport at the Fabrica de la Luz for a lovely walk up the hidden valley of Cueva de Melero.

Along the way we saw goats in caves, deserted farms, cork oaks and lush vegetation of oleander, euphorbia and other luscious plants.

Eventually we reached the Blanquillo pass at 1200 metres above sea level. Definitely time for a break and a little sunbathing!

We then dropped down onto the old silk route through the mountains from Granada, stopping for lunch at an old deserted farm with a threshing circle and gorgeous mountain views.

From here the path continued past more deserted farms until we started our descent back to Canillas.

To avoid the road at the bottom, we took a roundabout route along the acequia to Santa Ana, then followed a mule track over the Roman bridge back to the hotel.

Friday was our last day. We had a leisurely but high level walk, starting from our drop-off point at Forgarate, 800 metres above sea level.

From here we contoured below the Tejeda range with lovely views of the highest mountain in the area, Maroma, at 2300 metres.

A lovely shady spot by a stream and waterfall was irresistible, and we watched the boatmen darting on the water and making interesting shadows on the submerged rocks.

However, an even more impressive waterfall waited for us around the next corner.

It was time for lunch, and after passing a farm we stopped on the end of a wooded spur from where we could see eagles.

From here we took a lovely wooded path down into the valley of the Tuvilla River and back to Canillas.

We were back relatively early, so most of us decided to extend the walk to Archez with its 13th century Moorish tower and rather incongruous Gaudi style housing compex. There were ceramic plaques to tell about us the local Moorish history.

From Archez we crossed the Cajula River and went steeply back up to the hotel.

It was hot enough to take a well-earned swim in the hotel pool, making a great end to a lovely day.

That evening our hosts Sue and Gordon and other guests at the hotel all joined us for a last evening's meal, delicious as usual.

Saturday it was goodbyes all round, and the Gatwick people had the luxury of a day in Malaga before their flight. (Here's one of the photos they took: the caption was "5 go mad in Malaga!")