Costa de la Luz is a gastronomic delight

Spain’s Costa de la Luz, or Coast of Light, sweeps in a great arc from the Straits of Gibraltar up to the Portuguese border. It is an elemental land of “vivid, piercing” light, as its name suggests, but also “endless” dunes, “Wild West” horizons, and often relentless sea winds, says Lydia Bell in Condé Nast Traveller. 

Inland, Moorish pueblos blancos “dust the hills like icing sugar”, and vast wetlands, forested mountains and pristine river estuaries are protected in a series of glorious national parks. The hiking on offer is wonderful – and so too are the food and drink, from earthy meals prepared in village kitchens to Michelin-starred restaurants, all rooted in the region’s distinctive produce.