Andalucia Day 50 Playa de los Muertos y Mojácar

Time to move on, not so willingly this time, but sooner or later we have to head for home so it's time to make a move towards north, albeit just by a few kilometres today.

We drive through the open countryside fresh with green from the recent rains and tinged with pink and cream flowers on bushes. The light is bright as we stop at Agua Amarga beach, splendid wide and empty with pale yellow cliffs which must once have been inhabited on the right. The sun seems warmer this morning and there is hardly any wind.

We drive on, to Playa de los Muertos. Today is All Souls Day, día de los Muertos. Walking down the rocky path to the beach there are also two women with bunches of flowers, a sobering sight. The beach is shingle and slopes down steeply to big waves, the cliffs behind and especially at the left side are an agglomeration of big rocks held together, it seems, by very little. A beautiful beach but more than enough to justify its name.

It's still early so we go directly to Mojácar pueblo, one of the pueblos más bonitos de España. Hmmm, I came here a long long time ago and my memory may well not be accurate, but nowadays while there's a lot of blanco there's very little bonito.

Disappointing, the centre is full of modern buildings, there are lots of restaurants and yes, there's a wonderful view, but don't bother coming here especially. We are put off by Mojácar itself and its touristy and expensive menus del día but fortunately find Bar Freiduría el Alemán at the start of the village and eat some good tapas of fried fish, and yes, some chips.

This time we are staying in a sea front hotel for the princely sum of 40 euros. It lives up to its description, basic, old-fashioned but a sea view and large terrace where I get some work done.

Later, a walk along Mojácar playa, nothing special, lots of cars with British registration plates, inexplicably expensive restaurants, not much of a seafront. The wind has come up again and we walk more than Mojácar playa deserves. In the evening we  go back to the Freiduría because the tapas aren't only fried and are really rather good, then back to the room for an early night.

Kilometres by car: 64

Kilometres on foot: 15