Discover hidden treasures of Spain

AUTHOR Harry King is back with his eighth book and offering a voyage of discovery, he is celebrating the hidden treasures of Spain, his adopted home of 20 years.

Packed with 140 colour photographs, ‘Out of Sight Spain’ is a travel guide with a difference – its aim is to get people away from following in the footsteps of almost 70 million visitors a year who enjoy its well-publicised attractions.

Harry, together with his wife Joan, have spent time travelling the country and discovering a few of its secrets, thus bringing a guide to the ‘top 150 cool places to visit’.

The couple currently live in Orba and Out of Sight Spain is both a labour of love and as Harry explained, for a writer ‘what you do in lockdown’. He added: “There is 20 years of my life in Spain in this book.”

The book presents an alternative to the popular images of leisure time in Spain; the sun, sea, sand and sangria. Nor is it about art in Madrid, Las Fallas in Valencia, a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, or running with the bulls in Pamplona, flamenco in Sevilla and tomato throwing in La Tomatina.

“Those activities are all described in good visitor guides… but not in this book,” explains the sleeve notes.

Instead, Out of Sight Spain offers the legacy of ancient history – its links to Celts, Romans and Moors – as well as the remains of the follies of the 20th Century all gently growing older both under and above ground.

It explores villages and hamlets and offers a different perspective on cities. It is inspired by Sergio Leone’s film locations, heroes and villains, artists, poets and sex workers – and also finds room to enjoy Spanish gastronomy along the ‘highways and byways.

Out of Sight Spain is available from Amazon in hard copy or Kindle forms, Waterstones.com, and as a ‘best buy for expats’, from BookDepository.com