Tarifa

In the three years since we've lived here in Olvera, we've never been away for an overnight stay anywhere so it was a real pleasure to be accompanied by our good friends Dan and Alison for a two night short break in Tarifa, the southern-most point of Spain and only 11kms from the coast of Africa.

We had pre-booked our hostal, the "Tarik", which was undergoing some external restoration but inside the rooms were clean and tidy.

Within a short while of arriving, we were heading down to the beach area to have a look. In both directions, it seemed to stretch for miles. However, it's fair to say that the "Paseo Maritimo", the walkway between the beach and town, was a little disappointing with graffiti scrawled upon its length and quite a bit of litter about.

We were however really pleased to find the old town, entry into which was through the 13th century "Jerez Gate".

The narrow streets and alleyways were a real delight with a variety of bars, restaurants and small shops.

One of many pleasant squares that we came across.

The port of Tarifa is the point of entry and departure of the ferry to Tangier in Morocco.

In the evenings we returned to the old town to savour the sounds and the atmosphere of the bustling streets and squares, sitting down to enjoy the food, drink and musical entertainment on offer.

Near to Tarifa is the large town of Algeciras, where we drove to for a short visit.

Pictured here is the view to Gibraltar.
















Again, the beaches were fantastic though not too crowded.
Returning to Tarifa, we stopped off at a viewpoint to have a look at the Rif mountains of Africa across the straits of Gibraltar, here just visible through the haze.

Our friends Dan and Alison.......

.....and Calcetines came too of course.

Tarifa was a very busy town, popular for its wind and kite surfing activities and now doubt there is more to discover.

For us though, the real delight was the old historic part of town. Well worth a visit if you get the chance.