Country holidays with the family: three places in Spain that’ll take your breath away

Güéjar Sierra is a small mountain village in Sierra Nevada National Park in the province of Granada, Andalusia. The park offers lots of opportunities for different activities such as skiing and snowboarding. Although depending on the time of year it might be better to try an excursion on horseback, hiking, climbing, or if you need a bigger adrenaline rush, paragliding. Güéjar Sierra is one of the three highest municipalities in the whole of the peninsula. Along the way you can admire the impressive peaks of Pico Veleta and El Mulhacén, and see where the rivers Genil, Guarnón and Real rise. It's no surprise that this village is the jumping off point for different mountain routes. You can also visit the Canales reservoir, and if you're feeling energetic, have a go at some of the many activities and watersports on offer. Enjoy a landscape rich in flora and fauna, with thick woods of chestnut trees, and local species including the plant that has come to be symbolic of the park, estrella de las nieves (Plantago nivalis). There are hundreds of things to do for a great day out with the family.

In the Sierra de Cuera mountains of western Asturias, the fishing village of Llanes has lots of surprises in store for you. Take a walk along the Paseo San Pedro between meadows and cliffs, looking out over the sea and the mountains. You can also visit the Basilica of Santa María del Conceyu with its 13th century tower. And as if that wasn’t enough, you’ll see the city walls, palaces and churches that have earned the old town centre the heritage designation of ‘Historic-Artistic Site’. Take advantage of your visit to explore the Asturian coast, as Llanes has some of the most unusual beaches on the Costa Verde, such as Poo, Torimbia, and the secret Gulpiyuri, one of the smallest beaches in the world. Along the way you’ll see the famous bufones, where jets of seawater spout from holes made by erosion in the limestone cliffs. The bufones of Pría, Arenillas, Santiuste, and Santa Clara are some of the most interesting.