CAPILEIRA is the highest of the three villages in the Poqueira Gorge and the terminus of the road - Europe's highest, but now closed to traffic - across the heart of the Sierra Nevada from Granada. In addition to the direct daily afternoon bus from Granada, continuing to Murtas and Bérchules, anything going to Ugíjar and Berja will come very close to Capileira; the bus out to Granada currently passes by at 6.20am, 3.50pm and 6.20pm.

 

The kiosco at the centre of the village near where the bus drops you hands out a village map , sells newspapers and large-scale walking maps, and acts as an information office. Just downhill from here lies the village's museum , containing displays of regional dress and handicrafts, as well as various bits and pieces belonging to, or produced by, Pedro Alarcón, the nineteenth-century Spanish writer who made a trip through the Alpujarras and wrote a (not very good) book about it. There are numerous places to stay and eat . One of the quietest places in town, well away from the main road, is the Fonda Restaurante El Tilo , Plaza Calvario (tel 958 763 181; ¬12-18), which also does a menú . Further uphill the pleasant Finca Los Llanos (tel 958 763 071, fax 958 763 206; ¬36-48) has apartment-style rooms with kitchenette and terrace together with its own pool and a good restaurant, while the Mesón-Hostal Poqueira (tel & fax 958 763 048; ¬18-27) near the bus stop has en-suite heated rooms, and also offers a substantial menú for around ¬6 in its terrace restaurant at the rear. Near the church, the Casa Ibero (aka the Mesón Alpujarreón ) serves excellent food and has vegetarian options.

Capileira is a handy base for easy day walks in the Poqueira Gorge. For a not-too-strenuous example, take the northernmost of three paths below the village, each with bridges across the river. This sets off from alongside the Pueblo Alpujarreño villa complex. The path winds through the huts and terraced fields of the river valley above Capileira, ending after about an hour and a half at a dirt track within sight of a power plant at the head of the valley. You can either retrace your steps or cross the stream over a bridge to follow a dirt track back to the village. In May and June, the fields are tended - laboriously and by hand - as the steep slopes dictate. Reasonably clear paths or tracks also lead to Pampaneira (2-3hr, follow lower path to the bridge below Capileira), continuing to Carataunas (1hr, mostly road) and Órgiva (45min, easy path) from where you can get a bus back. In the other direction, taking the Sierra Nevada road and then the first major path to the right, by a ruined stone house, you can reach Pitres (2hr), Pórtugos (30min more) and Busquistar (45min). Going in the same direction but taking the second decent-sized path (by a sign encouraging you to "conserve and respect nature"), Trevélez is some five hours away - you can also get to Pórtugos this way. More fine walking routes in this zone are detailed in Landscapes of Andalucía by John and Christine Oldfield and the Discovery Walking Guide .