The Sierra Almijara in Nerja is considered one of the great natural areas in the province and the authorities have slowly been trying to make it more attractive for tourists. The Fuente del Esparto recreation area, opened more than a decade ago, was one initiative aimed at tourism.
Another initiative along the same lines has been the restoration of a couple of cottages, formerly homes of miners, to be used as a sort of mountain lodge. This has been ongoing for a few years now and the project is nearing completion, just the toilet modules needing to be installed.
However, in the past few months, major damage has been caused to these buildings by vandals, with several doors being forced open and broken.
The Council, though, is busy with repairs and hopes to have the lodge open as soon as possible. This is not, of course, the first incident up in the hills. Last year, the sculpture of the Ibex was stolen from the Pinarillo recreation area and has yet to be recovered or replaced.