A River Runs Through It — Two South of Granada

We have just enjoyed a micro-break.

In response, one of our loyal Instagram followers commented thus:

“OK, I’m being blunt - why do people who live in paradise with a beaut of a dog need a ‘restorative micro-break’? Not being funny, people get tired etc., but from where I’m sitting…”

Fair enough, this was written in Scotland and the author clearly has not witnessed Alfie at his most pestilent but by way of justification (if any were needed!) the trip could almost be described as ‘business’.

Casa Olea is one of the properties that joined our #MyTravelPledge campaign at the very early stages, and throughout a campaign that rather took over our lives, the owners of Casa Olea proved to be hugely supportive.

At a time when small tourism businesses in Spain have taken yet another blow thanks to the UK Government’s ill-conceived and politically-motivated quarantine restrictions, we find ourselves with time on our hands. Theoretically, we should have been getting ready to welcome guests to our Bed & Breakfast in the latter half of August and well into September. News of the quarantines swiftly brought with it the expected rash of cancellations and we look wistfully now at the erased names in our bookings diary. Casa Olea, and other establishments, are all having to deal similarly with the fallout.

Tim and Claire, the owners of Casa Olea, bought a ruin with a beautiful small hotel always in mind. Obvious, really, when you learn that the couple had spent their previous careers in hospitality and travel. We had heard much about this place, even before the #MyTravelPledge campaign came about, with snippets reaching our ears about the lovely Casa Olea and how much we should visit. Given that our bookings diary this week made for sorry reading, we got in touch with Tim and Claire and suggested meeting for a coffee, really so we could commiserate with each other but actually we had come to look upon the couple as people with whom we could discuss Andalucian tourism in a realistic and optimistic way. Delightfully, Tim and Claire suggested we pop over to their part of Córdoba Province and stay the night, providing a little more time to discuss our particular brand of tourism. To be honest, we didn’t need to be asked twice so we availed ourselves, once again, of the services of our lovely Alfie-sitter and shot off towards Priego de Córdoba and the nearby Casa Olea.

We have been once or twice to this part of Andalucia, but never really explored in depth. Priego is a very pretty little town and we did once consider this area as being somewhere we could live, until Moclín proved itself too much of a temptress.

Driving northwards from Priego, we found ourselves weaving through gorges carved out by rivers, surrounded by luxuriantly folding hills carpeted with olives and wrapped in a gentle and welcoming landscape. Casa Olea sits on a stretch of country lane and one questions why the lane was ever built, so few were the vehicles that used it. I counted possibly 2 cars that passed while we were there. The silence was extraordinary.

Casa Olea has been beautifully conceived and it is abundantly clear that Tim and Claire knew exactly what they wanted when they bought their ruin. They opened 10 years ago and have since built an enviable reputation and a solid hospitality business. The house is so lovely, and the couple pride themselves on a business model that is environmentally friendly, sustainable, embedded in the culture and way of life in the area and one that offers a unique view of a unique natural world.

One of the first things I noticed when being shown around the house was the glint of sunlight reflected off the river as it fingered its way gently between the rocks on the river bed, through the serene olive groves. The house sits just up from the river flood plain, an area rich in vegetation and wildlife. A heron floated gently by as we enjoyed an evening drink, and in her wake followed her child. Bee-eaters sounded their chirrups on the cooling late afternoon breeze and it was easy to imagine that this scene has changed very little in the past 50, or even 100 years. This is another part of Andalucia that belongs to nature and we are reminded that we are there only by the very slenderest of invitations.

We had a delicious dinner on the terrace overlooking the river as the sky darkened and the stars pricked their way through the rich plum-coloured infinity. This is a star-gazer’s paradise. Indeed, it is a paradise for anyone who wants to reconnect with nature, with oneself and with the simpler luxuries in life. If we have learned anything from our new lives in Spain it is that the most enduring memories are often derived from the simplest pleasures.

Our overnight trip rather prompted us to suggest an itinerary across Andalucia that provides the traveller with just that opportunity. At a time when travel continues to be blighted in every direction, we think it’s fundamentally important to just reflect on what travel can be, and it certainly doesn’t mean overcrowding. Europe still has vast swathes of under-populated wilderness - areas of staggering beauty, unchanged, unsullied by human intervention and where nature still dominates. Corners of the countries that are our near neighbours where we can still feel humbled by the sight of an eagle or a Griffon Vulture held aloft by thermals.

This is merely a snapshot of some of the places we have visited that can punctuate a journey across the most unspoilt routes through Andalucia; routes along which you may not encounter another vehicle for an hour, and through villages that might have a population of only 300 people.

ANDALUCIA ROAD TRIP

Finca Buenvino

The Grande Dame of Andalucian country house small hotels/bed and breakfasts. Passion is often the driving force behind many of the best places to stay, and Sam, Jeannie and their family of Chestertons have bucket loads of passion. There is an ‘Enchanted April’ quality about this place - the moment you pass through the gates and along the drive, time slows down to a standstill and there is a languorously faded luxury about the whole place. You just can’t rush; it’s impossible. You need time to savour every mouthful of Jeannie’s scrumptious food. You can’t possibly rush through the woods to the Cliveden-like swimming pool; the journey requires time and contemplation. Dense woodland filters the sun and provides protection from the outside world, and a dreamlike torpor descends as you drift from one relaxing corner to another without any cares apart from the possible whereabouts of the next G & T.

CONTACT: www.fincabuenvino.com

Almohalla 51

A different proposition, surrounded not by dense woodland but by the thick walls of a traditional village house. The walls provide the disconnection needed to relax and block out the stresses of what lies beyond. There is a library-like sense of cool and calm within Almohalla 51, enhanced by corners of squashy comfort and vibrant art. Doorways and stairways invite you to pry and discover areas beyond - a hammock lolling where chickens once roosted and beneath shade beside the pool; tinkling water and Andalucian tiles that push back the heat of the Andalucian summer. The bedrooms are comfortable and tucked away, and the temptation is to just simply stay put as soon as you set foot inside the front door.

CONTACT: www.almohalla51.com

Casa Olea

Little more needs to be added to the description of Casa Olea but, located as it is in the very heart of Andalucia, there can be few more perfect places to stay on any journey through the hidden glories of southern Spain.

CONTACT: www.casaolea.com

Casa Higueras

How could we not include our own humble abode? Of course, we are biased as we love this place; it is our home. It would be rather sad if we returned from one of our little jaunts and looked with disappointment at what we have achieved. Much like the other homes we have listed above, we believe that we have built our home on passion and that will never abate. We will never tire of the breathtaking views, the gorgeous spaces we have managed to create, both inside and out, and the heart and spirit of the place which can never be diluted. It was the architect Frank Lloyd Wright who said that the hearth is the psychological centre of the home; we have two.

CONTACT: www.casa-higueras.com

Travel is about experience, about building memories, relaxing; it’s about discovery, exploration and adventure. It’s vitally important that we take time to remind ourselves of a world beyond our own four walls and the Covid-19 pandemic has done its best job of trying to shove us all back into our own self-isolating caves - modern-day hermits, fearful of the light outside.

We can still travel. We can still explore and discover places untouched by time and mass tourism. It doesn’t take that much to uncover these places, but once you do, and you breathe in the clean air, and marvel at the stunning scenery and hear the sounds of nature you will realise that travel is safe and travel is essential. Without travel and the sensations it brings, it would be too easy to sink into a hermetically sealed world that slowly closes in around you blocking out the light. Take a trip through unspoilt Andalucia, stopping off at these warm and enriching homes and you will experience something unique, taking away your own memories but also taking away a fraction of the passion that has gone into the creation of something special.