Walking With Friends
We take pride in our walking holidays and adventures, offering unique locations and personalised itineraries, perfect for independent travellers, friends, small groups, and walking clubs.
The Little Walking Holiday Company
We are unashamedly proud of being small. Our holidays are always in small groups, allowing us to move inconspicuously through the villages, towns, forests, and mountains. It also builds wonderful camaraderie, especially if you're travelling alone.
We also want to give you an authentic experience wherever we walk. So we try to avoid the tourist areas, preferring to visit places not on a guidebook or sightseers' radar.
The Team
Our small team invigorates your holiday with inspiration, passion and fun. Experienced in leading groups, with a knowledge of the area and walking routes, our aim is to make your holiday safe and enjoyable.
Phil Mills
Owner and Guide
Simone Singer
Guide
Julia Hill
Guide
Welcome To Andalucía On Foot
Andalucía On Foot is owned and primarily operated by myself, Phil Mills. I am a native Bristolian with a maternal link to the valleys of South Wales, which may explain some of my draw to the mountains!
More by chance than anything else, my introduction to walking, and what would become a significant part of my first few decades on this planet, occurred in the Black Mountains, the eastern part of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
The footpaths and bridleways that ran through the valleys and ridges of that most spectacular landscape were my weekend home for many summers and winters in the mid-to-late 1980s, and they fueled my love of the outdoors.
Walking felt like quite an adventure back then. Very few of the paths were marked as any particular route, so it really felt like I was exploring the unknown as I set off, joining up the various marked paths that would, hopefully, bring me back to my starting point.
My hunger for walking and exploring new areas took me to many areas of the UK, including Mid and North Wales, the Lake and Peak District, the Cairngorms, and my first overseas walking holiday, by Land Rover, to the Pyrenees, where Francs and Pesetas were still legal tender!
On my move to Spain in 2013, where I was to meet my wife and partner in my business, Simone, we started offering outdoor activities based on our guesthouse in El Romo. In the Autumn of 2014, I guided my first group of walkers to the Moorish Town of Comares, and from that tiny seed grew into the walks that I offer today.
I continue to explore the immediate areas of Malaga, Cordoba, and Granada, searching out exciting and fulfilling routes for great walking holidays.
Andalucía, I believe, doesn't receive enough credit for its walking opportunities. While most people are familiar with the coastal areas, they might struggle to name any of the magnificent natural parks or inland areas that offer stunning scenery and authentic Andalucían culture.
There is a uniqueness to walking in Andalucía, primarily due to the few people you can meet out on the trail, which combines the great weather, impressive landscapes, Moorish architecture, the welcoming villages and towns, and a feeling of freedom.
We can be the only walkers on the trail all day and not see a living soul. It is bliss.
When you book your walking holiday with me, I want to ensure that you find the walks, accommodation, and daily journeys enjoyable and engaging.
I try to ensure that each walk has excellent views, unique scenery, historical and cultural significance, and tapas; we definitely want to have a walk where, during or at the end, we can pick over a few dishes of tapas and wash them down with a cool drink.
Above all, I want the walks to keep you interested and engaged. It is not important to me how far or fast we walk, but rather that the walks satiate any curiosity and that you have discovered something new when you leave.
I research a route thoroughly to ensure that it will make a great day of walking. Investigating a route often requires that I walk it several times, in both directions, omitting or adding sections, seeing which bar has the best tapas, and ensuring the walk is suitable for a holiday.
The most enjoyable part of leading these walks is witnessing the delight expressed by my fellow walkers as they discover the beautiful scenery and varied landscapes along the trail. I do believe that Andalucía is a place of surprises.
Naturally, I enjoy all the walks I offer, as each has a unique attribute, and I have my favourites. Unsurprisingly, the walks offered on my 'A Taste Of Andalucía' walking weekend are the ones I enjoy most.
These three walks offer everything I love about Andalucía: open spaces, mountains, spectacular views, history, geology, and authenticity. And tapas. The tapas that we have in Comares and Teba are superb.
My love for tapas is the perfect way to conclude this short introduction. There's nothing more satisfying than sitting in the shade of a side street at the end of a walk, resting your sun-soaked legs, enjoying a few delightful local tapas dishes, washing away the dust from your throat with a cold drink, and hopefully pondering when your next trip to Andalucía will be.
What Makes Us Different
It is the small things that make a difference.
With You All The Way
From your first contact to the day you arrive, we keep you informed and updated on your holiday.
From equipment tips for your walks to what tapas you might enjoy, we will get you excited about exploring Andalucia on foot.
More Than Just A Walk
Enjoy and explore fascinating Neolithic remnants, Roman ruins, Moorish castles and villages, and modern-day wonders.
And no walk is complete without stopping for a local tapas or sweet pastry, taken with a delicious café con leche.
Supporting Local Businesses
Whether it is a hotel, tapas bar, or restaurant, we endeavour to support the local economy.
Our choice of hotels, where we may stop during our walk, and even the suppliers to our business reflect this philosophy.
Safety And Wellbeing
Enjoy your walking, knowing that your safety and comfort are our priority.
We research all routes thoroughly, ensuring that the walks meet your aspirations, and with a willingness to adapt, we leave nothing to chance.
How It All Started
In 2014, we started our business, Active Andalus, in a small guesthouse located in the inland hamlet of El Romo, Malaga. We offered adventure holidays for those looking to explore Andalucia, both above and below the water. Over the years, the company grew steadily, with walking holidays becoming a more significant part of our activities.
Like many in the tourism industry, we faced the significant challenges brought on by the pandemic. Yet, as the travel sector recovered, we developed our vision for the future.
Our journey into providing walking holidays has been a deeply fulfilling one. The joy of meeting fascinating people and the privilege of spending time in the natural areas of Andalucia have shaped our future. In 2022, we proudly re-emerged as Andalucia on Foot, a company dedicated to walking holidays and adventures.
The locations where we choose to walk, the places where you stay, and our everyday interactions are all meant to reflect the personal touch of our holidays. When you leave us, we want you to feel like you've been walking with friends rather than being guided as part of a group.
Supporting Other Busineses
We'd like to offer our support to other like-minded people, so please check out their website.
White Village Cycling Tours, Ronda.
