We have a beautiful
casita (Casa Chica) in La Alpujarra , the foothills of
the Sierra Nevada between the
Mountains and the Mediterranean,
60 minutes drive from Granada and
40 minutes drive from the Sea
Surrounding Area
In these stunning
foothills are many little pueblos blancos (typical old Moorish
white villages) and ours is
called Bayacas, which is a ten minute (hair pin bend) drive,
or a 25 minute walk along the river valley to Orgiva, a bustling
market town
Orgiva
.
(
(You may have heard of
Cortijo Romero the personal
development centre near there.)
Bayacas
has the oldest church in La Alpujarra, and the area surrounding is rustic
fertile agricultural land, full of lemon, orange, avocado, almonds,
vines and olives. The Rio Chico runs through the village from the snow
capped high sierras. You may have read about the area in Chris Stewarts
“Driving Over Lemons”
The area is irrigated
from the old Moorish system of acequeas. The road climbs steeply beyond Bayacas
to the high sierras and pretty soon the scenery changes to alpine species such
as chestnut and firs.
.
There are some
spectacular walks in the area , some starting beyond Capileira that go to
Mulhacen, (3,478 m)the highest mountain of the Sierra Nevada, and then through
the famous Poqueira Gorge which takes in the three towns of Pampaneira,
Bubion and Capileira.
The roof terrace
overlooking fields, mountains, sea and village church
.
Sierra Lujar taken from
the Balcony
Between the
snow-capped mountains of the high sierras and the Med
(approximately 50 kilometres as the crow flies) are four microclimates
ranging between temperate, alpine, Mediterranean and tropical. The adjacent
coast is in fact called the Costa Tropical and between La Alpujarra and the sea
there are bananas and other topical fruits grown. It is cooler than the coast,
because it is over 700 metres above sea level, but warm enough during the winter months of the year to sunbathe and eat out. There
can be an odd exceptionally cold week but you can’t predict when between
January and March it might be.
The house is
completely renovated to a really high standard and is beautifully tiled
with alcoves and arches in the traditional Spanish style.
Not only does the wood
burning stove keep you toasty on chilly days,
but there is also central heating.
Main bedroom 2 with beamed ceiling
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We bought this house in May 2004 when it was in a dilapidated state, with the intention of slapping some paint on, tiling the floor and sticking in a sink. 3 years later, having rebuilt all the walls, renovated all the beams, and spent a fortune on it, we now seem to have done a 'Holycombe' on it
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The en-suite shower
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Downstairs Bedroom
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The downstairs bedroom has twin beds, that can be made into a double. It is very pretty and is outside and down steep steps, underneath the sitting room. Possibly because of this it may not be suitable for the very old or very young or very drunk.
The
downstairs en-suite shower
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Sitting room in daylight
The sitting room opens out to a terrace shaded by an ancient vine that is perfect for eating lunch under on a hot day, and beyond that are two ruins we have yet to reclame. We put the gates up in the garden as a health and safety measure to prevent accidents happening in the ruins.
As you can see, this
is a great place to take breakfast, and when the sun goes off the balcony at
around 2 pm then it is a nice shady area to relax.
Dining room with seat/beds 2
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.
The whole area
is private
Bayacas does not have
a bar or a shop or a school. It comprises tiny narrow streets that
not even a smart car would get along, and is mostly populated by locals
who speak a sort of pigeon Spanish. (They don’t recognize our Michel Thomas
Spanish).
.
When we first bought
our house there were animal houses in the streetbeside
and beneath people’s houses. Apart from locals, who are friendly there are
other European people of mostly alternative nature who are building their own
houses or renovating like us. (There isn’t a sign of the Costa Del Sol
architecture or temperament.) There is a bar/restaurant in the next
village up the hill Carataunas, which is walkable (1/4 hour)through the deserted village, or
further up the mountains in the numerous pueblos, or in Orgiva a ten
minute drive along hairpin bends or
20 min walk along the valley.
It is not long ago
that there were only mule tracks around here, as written about in “South from
Granada” by Gerald Brennan, a contemporary and friend of Virginia Wolf, who
lived in Yegen, a village further east. Mules are still to be seen in the
village, along with the goat herd with its tinkling bells. In fact, they are
very important, because they brought the building materials up to our house
There is a riding
stable in the village, and towards Orgiva, there is a yoga dome and T’ai Chi
temple which one can go to on a drop- in basis
The yoga dome in
the Temple Garden on the track up the river valley between Orgiva and Bayacas
The beautiful city of Granada
is 50 minutes away, through the Lecrin Valley via the spa town of Lanjaron.
The Moorish Alhambra Palace with the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada, is a
sight to see.
La Alhambra Palace
and
Cantarillon near the Cerro Gordo tunnel. The nicest beach is beyond
Calahonda called Rijana 12 miles
east of Motril– you go under the road. If you drive East towards Almeria you
are in for a ghastly experience – there are hectares and hectares of green
plastic greenhouses, that are both unhealthy for the workers and an eyesore
Granada – 50 minutes
away
Malaga – 2 hours
away. Ask us about car hire, airports
April May June
September and October £350 a week
July and August and
Easter, Christmas and New Year and over Bank Holidays £420 a week
Nov-March £250 a week
(Extra price per person for more than 4 adults sharing is £50 a week)
See Availability calendar
For Further information contact Sally Birtwell on 01608 684239
or Andy on 07771 983738 or Sally on sally@holycombe.com