Ojen's beauty

Before travelling to Malta my family and I travelled to Malaga, Spain. Spain is one of my favourite countries as its lifestyle and relaxed pace of living is simply sublime.

We always try and make time for an annual holiday, whether it be in the UK or abroad. This opportunity means I am able to spend some valuable time with my family, as I do not see them often throughout the year.

Malaga has always been a preferred destination of ours, with our vists accumulating to four holidays there now.

There are many things that one can do when in Spain, as its ever-widening scope for activities is remarkable.

Spanish culture and heritage differs greatly to that of England’s, so it is always intriguing to witness such a different way of life and being of the local people.

One of my favourite places to visit, is Ojén.

Above: Winding track that leads you further into the hillside

Ojén is a beautiful town that is situated behind Marbella. Its winding hills and narrow country roads make for a daunting commute up into the hillside, however, it is most definitely worth the trip.

Surrounding Ojen are various other beautiful villages and towns that are steeped in culture and heritage. These places are great to visit if you want to immerse yourself into the localised culture that can be found in such places, with various markets and other events taking place.

However, this was not mission for the day. I wanted to see what landscapes the highest points of Malaga had to offer.

Myself and my uncle chose to make the nerve-wracking trip where we drove high into the hills of Ojén which overlooked some of the most beautiful scenery.

We noticed a sign for a photography point, which immediately spurred us to explore further. We drove higher and higher until we came to an opening of gravel-laden ground which led us to a car park for the Ojén Forest.

We leapt out of the car and began our hike up the beautiful hills and into the lush forestation that surrounded us. I had truly never seen something as stunning as the scenery around us. As I am from an area where countryside is probably more so prevalent than that of city centres, I am always drawn to nature and the outdoors. I will travel far and wide in order to catch a glimpse of some lush greenery or sprawling trees. It fills me with so much joy to see that countries continuously work to maintain and keep the prominence of nature alive.

Above: Some of the nature present during the hike through the valley

The hike to get to one of the photo points was around 45 minutes long, taking us through shaded forest and rocky climbs. The photography point overlooked a breath-taking vantage point of the hill’s valley, with fresh greenery protruding the 180 degrees viewing expanse.

The Arroyo del Tejar Valley was truly a sight to behold and one that I will hold dear to me.

Above: View of the valley

After admiring this specific vantage point for some time, we decided to explore further. Unfortunately, the 35-degree heat made the hike unpleasant at times, but its was most definitely worth the exploration. As we began our incline, we were reaching levels of 800 metres above sea level, quite the achievement one might add.

We stumbled across an open vast array of grey-branched, almost willow-like trees that were swarmed with a kaleidoscope of butterflies. The more we analysed the trees and the butterflies, we assumed that this must have been the site for protected wildlife, as the trees all obtained yellow tags. One could assume that the butterflies are an endangered species and that the plants and foliage growing, have been known to be habitats of the species’ of butterflies prominent there.

The hike to the next photo point took us around 50 minutes and led us between two valleys. Either side of us were beautiful, soaring peaks.

We only passed two other groups of hikers that day, which made for a very relaxed and quiet journey. The quietness meant that we were able to take in all of the elements around us and get a true feel for some of nature’s most impressive wonders.

Then came the pinnacle moment in our adventure. We began to notice some areas of rock and open space, with a slight scent of salt in the air. We must have been close to the sea. What we did not expect to see next, is to just how far we had actually climbed.

The astonishing views left myself and my uncle breathless. The beauty of such a place is one that you simply cannot comprehend until you see it for yourself. The horizon seemed to stretch for hundreds of miles with houses looking as small as thimbles.

This was the real beauty of Spain.

The town below us looked reminiscent of the city of Gondor in Tolkien’s Lord of The Rings trilogy. The city definitely could have been used as a part of the film production as its stark white walls and clean, crisp structures made the buildings appear seamless.

Above: Vantage point of the town of Ojen below us

We probably stood in awe of this spectacle for around 10 minutes before we decided to utilise the perfect sunlight as the means of taking some very Instagram worthy photos.

Our exploration then took us further round the viewpoint where we are able to capture all angles of the view below us. This view is one that has to be given credit through the persistent efforts of the local council to ensure that people are not damaging the environment when visiting such reserves. There are frequent signs asking that people respect the domain surrounding them, as many of these reserves are maintained and looked after by local volunteers.

If you ever get the chance to visit the beautiful valley and reserve in Ojén, I would highly recommend doing so. You will not be disappointed.

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