Few approaches are more picturesque than the road leading to Bocairent, with the old town perched like a pyramid above the road and set against a mountain where a path zigzags steeply upwards to a lone church, the Hermitage of Sacred Christ.

Bocairent is still a very traditional town, with life focused around the busy church where wedding gatherings take over the nearby steep cobbled streets every weekend. The town hall square is another focus, circled by bars and restaurants which are particularly packed on Sunday lunchtimes and provide a popular meeting point on warm evenings.

Bocairent is starting to see the arrival of more foreigners who want a calmer, more Spanish life inland from the Costa Blanca and house prices are still amazingly cheap, with old houses in need of renovation available for less than £20,000. Then you have the puzzle of how to get your building materials up through the backstreets too narrow for a car.

A couple of luxurious independent hotels have sprung up recently, one of which has taken over the vast old railway station buildings by the small tree-lined park. Behind is an excellent open air swimming pool, open to the public in summer.

Bocairent sits amid great walking and cycling country. At 660m, it can become fairly cold in winter (around 4 C), though summers are very hot.