At Walking Ibiza, we love seeing so many different nationalities joining our walks. Lydia from Spain has made so many new friends since she started walking with us.

“After my first walk everyone enjoyed a paella lunch together in Es Cubells and I had such an amazing day! I met so many lovely people”.

Please meet Lydia Contreras Jiménez from Ibiza.

1. Tell me a little about yourself, where you come from, your occupation and your connection with Ibiza.

I was born in Madrid but left when I was eighteen. I’ve lived and worked in several different countries because I love travelling. I’ve known Ibiza since 1979 but I first looked for a job in Mallorca, the largest of the Balearic Islands, but found a job on Formentera the smallest island! While I lived there, I taught in a school for a short time but the island in winter is totally dead, so I used to go to Ibiza by ferry almost every single weekend! After six months I left Formentera and came to teach English to Spanish people and other foreigners in a language school on Ibiza, which I still do.

2. How did you find out about Walking Ibiza and do you remember the very first walk you came on?

I was looking for things to do in my spare time and came across Walking Ibiza on the internet! I saw there was a walk to Atlantis, a place I had heard of but knew nothing about, so I went along, and it turned out to be rather a tough one! After the walk everyone enjoyed a paella lunch together in Es Cubells and I had such an amazing day! I met so many lovely people.

3. What three things would you tell someone new about the walks and Walking Ibiza to encourage them to join a walk?

That you are very professional, so friendly and nice. It’s a great way to meet people and make friends and get to know different places that you wouldn’t find by yourself.

4. You’ve been on many walks and listened to the guides talking about the history and facts about the island. Tell me 2 things that you have remembered that have captured your imagination.

For me, what really captures my imagination is when you tell us about how the old Ibicenco people used to live in years gone by. I come from a big city and had only lived in big cities before I came to Ibiza, so I love hearing about the old way of life here all those years ago.

5. What is it that you like best about the walks and what is it that makes you get up in the mornings and keeps you coming back?

To see my friends again, the same people I have been doing the walks with. To just have a day to enjoy the nature of Ibiza, to have some time for myself and to share time with friends. After the walks, to have our tea and cake and sometimes a beer in a local bar completes the experience! Even if I am feeling tired on a Wednesday, I will call up one of my walking friends and suggest we meet for a coffee before the walk. We are all just dreaming of the Short & Sweet walks on Wednesdays, to walk and get together again! I don’t even mind driving to different places all over the island for the walks.

6. Do you have a favourite walk and if so which one is it and why?

My favourite walk is the one that goes to Portixol from Isla Blanca. A tough one but I really love it, the walk all the way down to the beautiful secluded beach and even the climb back up. The whole area around there is lovely.

7. Would you know the island as well as you do now if you hadn’t joined Walking Ibiza? Has it enhanced your knowledge of the island and helped you discover new places that you didn’t know before? What are your two most memorable places?

Well, definitely not! I am not confident walking on my own. All the walks I have done on the island have been with a group and a leader which I prefer. Thanks to Walking Ibiza I feel I know the whole island!

My two most memorable places are Atlantis and the hidden parts of the island. A lot of people prefer the coast, but I also love the countryside and the interior. The ancient Ibicenco architecture of the old houses really captures my imagination.

Ibiza, 05/03/2019
by Sheila Falconer