Calamity Jo visits the highest village in La Alpujarra during its fiesta weekend…. and sees the nearby campsite, a neon ‘columpio’, and some ‘jamon’…
ON THE weekend of October 18, I set off for Trevélez — one of Spain’s highest (and chilliest villages) — to experience its annual ‘‘Feria Ganadera’, or livestock fair. The plan was to “take in the scene”, which included bull-running, a ‘cintas de caballo‘ race, and DJs. Predictably, I managed to miss these events! I arrived during the evening “no-man’s-land”. when local ‘fiesteros’ have their dinner or are completing their ‘siesta’, ready for a fun-filled night.
“Starting too early” – again!
Things started to unravel before I’d even left the Órgiva environs. On the Friday evening, I popped into my local bar for “just one vino” with some locals who were rehearsing their fiesta songs – or do I mean an “insulting serenade”, not suitable for the local ‘Musica de las Mozuelas‘. Let’s say the ‘cancion’ was more rude comedy than romantic ballad. Still, it was fascinating in a sociological way. Allegedly.
The next day, I set off for Trevélez – considerably later than planned. This delay reaped some obvious rewards, in the form of Golden Hour photographic light, and moody clouds. The road from Órgiva climbs through Pampaneira and Bubión, before spiralling towards the Rio de Trevélez. Even feeling slightly debilitated, I appreciated the photo opportunities that would not have existed at midday.
I had booked a cute, triangular wooden cabin at Camping Trevélez. It was charming — warm, cosy, and accessed by an extremely steep cement staircase (not for anyone after 10 ‘cervezas’, I thought!). When booking, I assumed that it had nearby cooking facilities and a bathroom. I was wrong! The air was sufficiently fresh that a fridge was not required. There was an efficient electric heater, which I came to appreciate as the night progressed! Furthermore, the campsite staff were lovely and helpful.
Meteorological misjudgment
Even though I am accustomed to La Alpujarra, its weather, altitude, and what to pack, this trip was a reminder that the area has a microclimate.
It was 29C when I departed my own village. Sweating, I removed a warm hoodie from the car, thinking that it wouldn’t be needed. Mistake! Trevélez was 10 degrees colder than Órgiva, and the evening air was already sharp when I arrived at the Camping. By the time I made it to the town’s ‘barrio bajo’ – wearing a long-sleeved, long(ish) dress with a denim gilet – locals were appearing in quilted puffers and faux-fur jackets. I hovered close to a patio heater, gritting my teeth.
As customers departed, I edged nearer to the heater, until I was practically hugging it! This was not really part of my trip plan.
The fiesta I missed
According to the official fiesta programme, Saturday’s highlights included the bull run at midday, followed by a “Gran Príx” and a ‘suelta de vaca’ (loose cow) in the temporary bull ring, plus music and dancing until dawn. I, however, arrived in central Trevélez at 21hrs. To my horror, my planned restaurant was closing its doors just as I entered. At this time, the main entertainment was a large ‘columpio’ (fairground ride) positioned in the middle of ‘barrio bajo’. This cast interesting pink, neon highlights across the nearby landscape. Get the camera out again!
With very few bars open in ‘barrio bajo’, and difficult parking in the higher ‘barrios’, I ended up with a small ‘tapa’ of olives and traditional ‘jamon’. I thanked my lucky stars that I’d bought snacks from the Coviran in Pitres, en route.
As I was more hypothermic than ecstatic, at 22hrs, I retreated to my cabin to eat the packaged ‘chorizo’ and watch Sirat — a great movie that won an award at Cannes.
Sunday improvements at Trevélez
The next morning, I pottered happily around the campsite, which is gorgeous. Based across several steep terraces, it has views down the Trevélez valley. The light was decent again, reflecting off autumn leaves, so I took some more landscape shots.
By 13hrs, I returned to town, spotted the ‘carpa municipal’ in ‘barrio medio’ (vacant!), and took a few more photos. My favourite restaurant was open, hurrah, so I ordered my long-awaited meal. Proving that the world is VERY small, the couple at the next table turned out to be friends of a porter I’d met on a family holiday in Scotland in July. We all marvelled at the strange coincidence. It was a highlight of the day!
By 17rs, when the ‘Cintas de Caballo’ race began — riders galloping under ribbons to spear them with sticks to win decent prizes — I was already back in Órgiva. Never mind – there is always next year!
A great road trip to Trevélez
On the way home, I stopped at Fuente Agria, the iron-rich spring near Pórtugos, where mineral water flows from red-stained rocks into mossy pools. This is worth a visit to see a genuinely unusual feature.
The three nearby white villages of Pampaneira, Bubión and Capileira are also very pretty – but there were so many cars and so few parking spaces that I drove on, deciding to save these for another photography trip This was a wise decision as, reportedly, all badly-parked cars were receiving fines. And I already had my very own ‘multa’ looming at home – from my own village!
Trevélez is special – fiesta or not!
Even without catching the main fiesta, Trevélez is worth the drive. Located at roughly 1,476 m above sea level, it’s officially one of ‘Los Pueblos Más Bonitos de España‘ – awarded by the national association recognising Spain’s most picturesque villages for their heritage, landscape and gastronomy. The crisp mountain air also cures its famous ‘jamón de Trevélez‘, a delicacy with its own protected designation.
Don’t forget to visit ‘barrio medio’ and ‘barrio alto’ – not just ‘barrio bajo’, which is located on the main road passing through the town.
