Tarifa, Spain
Europe’s most exciting airport, surely, is Gibraltar. The Saturday morning Airbus from Gatwick touches down between the Rock and the frontier, on a strip of concrete that doubles as the main road into the territory. Ten minutes later, you can be walking across the runway on your way into this remarkable geological and political oddity: the fragment of rock guarding the Strait of Gibraltar. Hike or take the cable car to meet the apes who reside on the Rock, then descend for fish and chips for lunch in this curious Mediterranean version of 1970s Britain. An hour’s dramatic taxi ride, for a pretty reasonable €60 (£40), takes you onto the Spanish mainland to Europe’s southernmost point: the picturesque Andalucian walled town of Tarifa. The location provides it with a strong and steady breeze arriving from thousands of miles of open sea. Stay at the Hurricane Hotel where the location and atmosphere could not be better. On Sunday morning, stand on the wide, sandy beach, dressed in a dry-suit and attempt to control the kite attached to your body by some very strong line. After a couple of hours mastering the basics of kite-surfing, you are allowed into the sea with a board. Even if you manage just a few seconds of skimming along the surface, you will earn bragging rights in the surfers’ bars that evening. On Monday morning let someone else tackle the seas, with a whale-watching trip into the maritime superhighway that divides Europe from Africa. Then all that is left to do is have a long leisurely lunch before the evening flight home.
Hours from London: Four
Travel modes: Flight, walk and taxi
Number of nights away: Two
A double room at the Hurricane Hotel starts at €83 (£56) per night including breakfast. Call +34 956 68 49 19 or visit hurricanehotel.com. BA flies to Gibraltar from London Gatwick, visit ba.com
