Ten years on...

It's ten years since we first started Costa Brava Living mostly to write up the walks, villages, beaches and highlights of this wonderful area.

In the beginning, everywhere was somewhere new and something to write up, whereas now we know our local area pretty well, and most of our favorite paths and routes have been written up. It's only travelling further afield, out to the Pyrenees or further reaches that we really find new as yet unwritten gems.

In ten years, we've noticed a lot more walking and walkers about, from casual family strollers to full on backpack and sticks hikers.

For visitors who only think of the Costa Brava as a summer destination, walking is a beautiful reason to visit at the shoulders of the season, like at Easter when the flowers are out and the temperatures are pleasant without being too hot, or into October or November when the air is clear, as an escape from the grey fog and cloud of more northern Europe.

Since we started, generally signposting has improved and paths along the coast have been upgraded. The maps have got a lot better - it's still a surprise that at the start there was a paucity of walking maps for places like La Selva. The tourist board here also recognises 'senderisme' or walking and hiking as major tourist attractions for the region.

And it's not just walking, cycling too has had a boost. Girona has always been a prime cycling centre for pro-riders, but cycling is much more mainstream with new paths and greenways, and plenty of opportunities to hire electric bikes if actual pedalling seems too much.

However, the best part is that the walks and routes remain largely unchanged - still as beautiful and out the way as ever. The winter storms wash away the paths or make repairs necessary, but the essential quality and character always remains. If we do see changes, we do add updates but by and large the walks remain the same.

We'll continue dipping in and out with articles but otherwise we'll just gentle pace ourselves with the odd bit of news now and then.