The Area of Carranque

Cortijo Carranque is in the rural hamlet of Carranque, which sits within a loop of the Rio Grande river.  The river offers an oasis of greenery and wildlife throughout the year, to delight the nature-lover and especially birdwatchers.  The surrounding countryside, which is on the edge of the Sierra Las Nieves Natural Park www.sierranieves.com is breathtakingly beautiful, especially in Spring, and walks are available to suit everyone, from a gentle evening stroll down to the river, to more challenging hikes along the river valley or over the hills.  See www.andalucia.com/rural/walking for more information. The area is famous for horse-riding, and there undoubtedly plenty of inspiration for those who enjoy drawing, painting or photography.

The Town

Coín is our local town, and is about 7K from the hamlet of Carranque.  It is a medium-sized market town which has been relatively untouched by tourism, and is therefore still an authentic Spanish working town.  It has an attractive central square dominated by the lovely church of San Juan el Bautisto, where one can relax with a beer and watch Spanish life just happening all around. 

Town life revolves around its fiestas and cultural events, throughout the year, including Easter and other religious parades, the renowned New Year street parties, the Horse Fair in March, and the Orange Festival in May.  For its size the town is surprisingly cosmopolitan, so there are ample shops, bars restaurants and clubs to suit most people's requirements, 

Touring

Coín is well positioned for touring Southern Andalucía, with such magical cities as Ronda with its amazing gorge and historic bull-ring www.andalucia.com/ronda, Granada with the famous Alhambra www.alhambra.org, and Cordoba with the lesser known but equally magnificent Mezquita www.mezquitadecordoba.org all within reach.

The area is sprinkled with charming little white "pueblos" (towns), each with its own character, while the more sophisticated coastal resorts of Marbella and Puerto Banus are less than an hour away.  For more information on towns and resorts in the area visit www.visitacostadelsol.com.