Canillas de Albaida is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga

Málaga

Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...

, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia

Andalusia

Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...

 in southern Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. The municipality is situated approximately 50 kilometres from Málaga

Málaga

Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...

 and 2.5 kilometres from Cómpeta

Cómpeta

Cómpeta is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately 28 kilometres from Vélez-Málaga and 52 kilometres from Málaga the provincial capital...

. It has a population of approximately 800 residents. The natives are called Canilleros.

The town has seen considerable growth and renovation after the millennium, as a result of an increase in tourism and the number of ex-patriot residents from northern Europe. There are restaurants and shops. Three hotels has been established after 2000.

The staple industry here is agriculture, the principal crops being avocado

Avocado

The avocado is a tree native to Central Mexico, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel...

s ("agaucates"), raisins and wine from moscatel grapes, and olives. Kitchen vegetables are also grown extensively on ancient irrigated terraces, for local sale and consumption. Farming is mostly done by hand, the only significant "machinery" being mules which are used as beasts of burden and for ploughing. The arrival of a more modern community has not obliterated the traditional lifestyle of the village and its surroundings.

Canillas is now also an increasingly well-known centre for hill walking. Routes having been developed in recent years mainly by Peter Strange and Phil Lawler, based on old out-of-use mule trails which have existed for centuries. Being on the very edge of the national park of the Sierras Sierra Nevada National Park (Spain)

Sierra Nevada National Park (Spain)

The Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada is located in Granada and Almería provinces in south-eastern Spain. It was declared a national park on 14 January 1999. It stretches from the Alpujarra to El Marquesado and the Lecrin Valley, covering a total area of 85,883 hectares, making it the largest national...

, Tejeda

Tejeda

Tejeda is a Canarian municipality in the westcentral and the central portion of the island of Gran Canaria in the Las Palmas province in the Canary Islands. Tejeda is the main city of Cumbre and is the second smallest village on the island as well as the highest municipal seat on the island. The...

 and Almijara, the town is ideally placed for this activity.