Pure Mountains is based above the village of Bérchules, in the Sierra Nevada Natural Park in Andalucía, southern Spain. We’re about two hours from Málaga and the Costa del Sol and 90 minutes from Granada and the Costa Tropical.

The area, which stretches south from peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountain range to the Mediterranean Sea, is called La Alpujarra. Mulhacén, the highest peak of the Sierra Nevada, reaches 3,482 metres in a lunar landscape. The coast is known as La Costa Tropical, for its balmy climate and exotic fruit plantations. Between these two extremes lies a paradise of south-facing meadows and terraces, irrigated by snowmelt and ancient water channels and dotted with authentic, flat-roofed, white villages. Bérchules is a traditional, working village. It’s off the tourist trail but it has a bank, pharmacy, shop and several bars.

On our centre-based bike holidays, you stay at Pure Mountains’ beautiful, off-grid lodge. The emphasis is on simple luxury, high quality, home-cooked food and local beer and wine. The lodge sits in its own grounds, at an altitude of 1,650 metres. There are panoramic views of the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada, the Mediterranean and the Rif Mountains of Morocco.

The lodge is registered with the regional tourist board as a casa rural, guaranteeing high standards of comfort and safety.

The south of Spain enjoys a generally dry and sunny climate. Having said that, we are in the Sierra Nevada mountains and the weather can change suddenly.

View the weather forecast for our local village of Bérchules here. You can find annual statistics and averages here.

January to March is usually sunny, with snow on the tops. It can be chilly, but great for mountain biking, gravel riding and hiking. April to June are lovely months, with the mountains in flower and water gushing in the streams. July and August are too hot for riding bikes! September to December are cooler and a perfect season for mountain biking, gravel biking and hiking, with chillier nights gradually creeping in.

The air is incredibly clean and fresh and the night sky is a revelation.

Because of the huge range of altitude locally, we plan the mountain biking, gravel biking and hiking routes according to the weather. In the cooler months we tend to use lower routes and in the hot months we use the higher tracks and trails.