PUERTO DE LA DUQUESA & ADIÓS ESTEPONA

The last few days in Estepona were spent visiting some of our favourite places - and discovering a few new ones. For our last out of town “outing” we headed just 16 km westwards to Puerto de la Duquesa and the neighbouring Playa Sabinillas.
The scenic bus journey took us along the coast to Duquesa - 45 minutes from Gibraltar airport and just over an hour from Malaga’s - it seems more like a thousand miles away. Sharing the same fantastic climate, the scenery here is more unspoiled and the character more authentic.
Just at the western edge of town is the 18th century fortress of Castillo de la Duquesa. The area, which was excavated in 1989, uncovered most of a large Roman fishing village around where the castle stands. Despite many findings, including a bath house with underfloor heating, mosaics and a Roman villa, the area is now a waste ground. There is hope that more funding will be given in order to continue work on one of the most extensive historical sites found in Andalucía.
The castle itself - built in 1767, is now used for exhibitions and has a walk-in museum. Entrance is free. We had a good look around the remains of the castle, its battlements and some interesting displays of fencing - both old and new....all set in some of the original rooms. Fencing is still regularly practiced there.
The town of Castillo itself is small and quiet, with the air of a forgotten village, although a few of the very small restaurants serving lunch seemed to be doing a good business!
After the castle we went onto to the seafront promenade which ends at the western edge of the beach, where it continues only as a footpath and empty beaches stretch as far as the eye can see! We turned eastwards and walked along the Paseo to the Duquesa marina. The port offers full services plus opportunities for boat trips, fishing, diving, etc. The marina area has a variety of restaurants, bars and cafés and is surrounded by modern apartment blocks.
Another 10 or 15 mins further east took us to Playa Sabinillas - a 2km straight stretch of flat and wide beach. Very different to the more commercial marina just west of it, this beach is frequented mostly by locals and there are very few hotels or international tourists here. Sabinillas itself was the original fishing village of Manilva.....the fisherman’s cottages can still be seen - and a few of their boats are pulled up onto the beach.
Back in Estepona, we finally visited The Orchidarium - something we’d been putting off for a rainy day....but we were fortunate - we never got one! Opened in 2015, this striking, glass domed building was an immediate success. One level inside the dome creates the climate and environment of South America, the other level creates the same of Southeast Asia. With information boards to guide us around we had a lot of help as we tried to identify 5,000 different plants from the 1500 species that are contained there...it kept us both occupied - and interested - in the beautiful orchids surrounding us.
The self guided-tour takes visitors upwards, on a natural path, until opening up into the the area’s tallest glass dome, which is 30 metres high and from where three waterfalls cascade. This whole area creates a very effective picture of being in a tropical rain forest. The route then leads down a series of steps, which provides great views to both a pond filled with plants & water lilies, plus different views of the waterfalls....a path can be taken underneath the largest one. The route back up contains more varieties of orchids, including some miniature ones. Tiny and perfect this species are not created like bonsai, but just grow this way! The Orchidarium is not a large place, but for the couple of euros entrance fee - it’s a great way to spend an hour or so - and a must for anyone who likes orchids!
Our continued strolling of Estepona’s streets rewarded us with some new sights and experiences, including some interesting murals painted on buildings - over 20, done by local artists, are scattered around town. While strolling a “new” street we heard a Gaelic band playing late one night and followed the sounds to a tiny square to listen to their music....surrounded by the intense, nighttime scents of the all the flowers.
In a small shop, there was a butcher who cheerfully (and expertly) chopped our chicken into pieces and a fruit store where a group of local women offered and shared some (unknown) fruit with me. While at The Blue Dolphin, our favourite Chiringuito, we watched in delight one afternoon as the owner’s young daughter spontaneously practised her flamenco dancing, encouraged on by the few patrons who were there for drinks and tapas. Along with locals, we ate a Saturday morning breakfast favourite of the Spaniards - churros dipped in the accompanying cup of warm chocolate. We stopped at a café and shared a delicious Tiramisu late on a Sunday night when the old town becomes a quieter place.
On our last walk along the Paseo we went further eastwards than we’d done before, walking on until it became just a wooden path along the tops of the cliffs where it seemed to end in a bit of a strange park - that had a Roman theme! The views were great and in someone’s back garden we spotted what seems to be some remains of an old water mill and an aqueduct....maybe giving the idea for the park?!
Our leave taking of a place where we’ve called home for a few weeks is always a time for reflection and, perhaps sometimes a little sadness....this time in Estepona was all that - and much more....we’d received news that Trevor’s much loved mum had passed away peacefully in her sleep, so we were leaving to travel to Yorkshire for her funeral.
****Often mentioned in my blogs when we visited her - Clarice Irene Bloy (Barnfield) 1914-2019 - was much loved by all who knew her throughout her life.
To quote our son, Adrian - her only grandchild - who knows she was a rare gift:-
“Rest In Peace, Nanny. You have been an inspiration for the entire family and will be dearly missed!” ****