Archez - a lovely village in the Axarquia

The 1980s were a great time for solar energy, and many people were off grid. Competa, just up the road from Archez is a great walk, passing some lovely restaurants and bars.  The energy was supplied by two solar panels and a 12v battery, and that's it.

Now, all these years later, solar has developed exponentially and we have wind as well, both offshore and on shore. However, there is of course plenty of scope for living off grid, in both Scotland and southern Spain.

Walking, horse riding and mountain biking are just three of the activities you can enjoy in the beautiful village of Archez in the interests of sustainable travel. It is a blank canvas... there are no defined trails, marked trails, which makes it a nature lover's paradise, really off the beaten track.  Views down to the coast are second to none. 

Archez is  "the Crown Jewel of the 17th Century", and a delightful village, tucked away in what the Irish would call a "glen" the weather has extremes. At 430 metres above sea level, it can get very cold, and the summers are short, warm, arid, and mostly clear and the winters are long, cold, and partly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 3°C to 30°C and is rarely below -1°C or above 33°C. the town is located at the meeting point of the Sierra Tejeda and the Sierra Almijara.The  Arabic heritage is apparent, and  has a big influence on the centre of the village.  The walk of the three white villages, Canillas de Albaida, Competa and Archez, is very popular with the locals, even though some of the roads we used to walk back in the 1980s are now tarmacked.  The scenery has not changed though. It is on the "Ruta Mudejar" (the towns of the route all have a similar architectural style). Five villages make up the Ruta Mudejar - are Salares, Sedella, Canillas de Aceituno, Arenas and Árchez.

For lovers of shopping, there is a busy market, once a week, in the Plaza de Andalucía. The local craftsmen produce objects made from wood and wicker. They also make wine that is sold in bulk by some bars.

The typical dish is guiso de hinojos con arroz (fennel stew with rice). Other delicacies on offer are ajoblanco (chilled almond soup served with peeled grapes), migas (fried breadcrumbs with herring or sardines), chivo (goat with garlic), potaje de garbanzos con bacalao (cod and chickpea stew) and tortas de bacalao con miel de caña (cod and honey cakes). For dessert there's roscos de vino (small, round pastries made with sweet wine), uvas al vino (grapes in wine) and pasas moscatel (Muscatel raisins).  There are excellent local restaurants.

Ecology and heritage combined... a haven of peace and tranquility.

Not only does Archez have cultural and heritage links with Northern Ireland and Scotland, but it is the central point of looking at sustainable living.  With an old ruin at the centre of the study, we have already come up with a few ideas.  Water and electricity are a problem, especially water, in this area.  The water tables are low, and local people report water cuts in the summer lasting as long as two months.  Drilling for water is common place, but if the lakes around are empty, the water table cannot be of a level to reach Archez, a beautiful remote village in the foothills of the Sierras Almijaras.  There is no walking infrastructure as there is in neighbouring Competa and Canillas de Albaida with signage.  It is a blank canvas, ready for exploration on foot, walking and on horseback.

Today I visited Archez in the Axarquia for the first time for many years.  It was an experience driving in the mountains out to a magnificent site.  Archez is a lovely village and has links with Ireland and Scotland, as well as England, through the daughter of Isabella the Catholic, Catherine of Aragon who married King Henry VIII of England.  The Catholic Kings captured Velez-Malaga in 1487.