Casares del Sol Holiday in Costa del Sol, Spain

As a dog owner in the UK, I am used to my daily 'fix' of walking around the fields with our mad springer spaniel. And its always abit of a shock when we're on holiday and there is no dog to walk!

But of course there are lots of opportunities and places to walk in the

Costa del Sol apartment area, you just have to look abit harder.

One of my favourite walks is the walk along the beach from Casares beach bar to Sabinillas and on to Duquesa and Castillo. Its about 4 miles of golden sand and walking bare foot along the sand can be bliss. Of course in the peak of summer the sand gets really hot, hot enough to burn bare feet so you have to be careful and all the more reason to splash along bare foot in the wash on the beach edge. If a walk along the sand is difficult, you can walk part of the way on the esplanades at the edge of the beach.

Walking aroung the lovely white villages of Costa del Sol is another favourite, with Casares white village very close to Casares del Sol Apartments. Wander around the tiny streets, climb to the highest point, take in the view.

Inland, its not so easy to get footpath maps, and many of the roads are not really designed for walkers, maybe its because of the heat they assume people don't want to walk. But the Manilva Town Hall has a programme of guided walks designed to develop walking and hiking in Manilva

which not only improves fitness, but also raises awareness of the environment and provides an opportunity to improve your knowledge of the surrounding area. The activity also helps to maintain the rural roads and footpaths whilst providing an activity open to a wide range of people.

Transport is supplied for each walk and leaves at approximately 8.30 am. Pick up points are the Health Centre in Manilva (near the Las Viñas Sports Pavillion), the Castle in Castillo, and from the petrol station in Sabinillas. There is a charge of 4 euros per walk to cover accident insurance cover during the course of each activity. There is a maximum number of 50 places for each route. For more details and full calendar of events contact the Delegación de Medio Ambiente on (0034) 951 27 60 50.