I’m taking to the road again to find you some hidden treasures. I shall wait until the summer is over before venturing too far on the minor roads.
The motorways of Spain are great. They love constructing them.
Yes, as is the case everywhere, they destroy some of the flora and fauna when doing so.
But in Spain they don’t wait for a route to become a traffic nightmare before building a motorway.
I have travelled all over Spain and, with the obvious exception of the manner in which many people drive, I have found it to be a pleasure. I shall never forget a four hour journey on a Saturday where I saw so few other cars that I convinced myself the world had come to an end.
But the joy of driving on Spanish motorways also revolves around coming off them and discovering some charming locations within minutes of the autovia.
Galera
Take Galera, for example. Where? I hear you say.
Well it is one of those many lesser known Spanish towns located not far from a motorway, but which do not suffer for that. They offer good stop off points that are more refreshing than sitting in a motorway service station.
Not all of the 1500 people who live in Galera reside in caves. Far from it. It is one of half a dozen villages that make up the ‘Altiplano’ area of Granada centred on Huescar. The landscape here is also famous for containing sparkling crystal deposits and eye-catching rock formations. The great city of Granada is around 140 kilometres away via the A92 and A91 motorways.
Murcia a further 40 kilometres in the opposite direction. So Galera is well placed for both of these must see cities.
Caves for sale
The Altiplano region will not attract those who want the buzz of a city outside their front door. People who buy or rent here are looking for something altogether more peaceful as Ian Banks, who owns a holiday home here, confirms.
He says: “I am not interested in going to the coast and if I want to spend some time in Granada I often stay there overnight so that I have plenty of time to see the sites. This area provides the sanctuary I seek from a busy life in England. Galera is, for much of the year, a peaceful little place. It is somewhere that the locals have lived all their long lives and it has a homely feel to it. I am rare in being an outsider but I am not made to feel unwanted.”
The Phoenicians called this place Tútugi, as did the Romans who followed them. The Moors changed both the name and location of the village. Galera was born. Much later, in the 19th century, the new railway bypassed the village and therefore much of the cultural heritage of the place remained intact. Much of it is on show today.
An archaeological museum housed in the chapel of the old convent exhibits several artefacts and there is an underground bodega where a typical wine cellar of the past is recreated.
Galera is a paradise for archaeologists. For example, there is a dig of national importance, consisting of some 170 graves in tombs. It is the largest burial area of its kind in Iberian culture and was officially declared a national historic monument in 1931. There are many other sites of interest.
Cave homes above Galera
Caves continue to be popular places to buy or rent. A dozen years ago locals were astonished that foreigners wanted to pay money for cave ruins. Then they saw what was possible and how many buyers had turned them into lovely, cool homes. So the Spanish began buying them for considerably less.
The cave house tourism industry is based further down the motorway at the very distinctive Guadix.
A town that has much more going for it than troglodytes, but it is the caves the coachloads go there to see. You’ll no doubt be met by a man beckoning you into a cave that has been turned into a not so typical cave dwelling. You’ll be lucky to get out without making a donation. It’s all a bit fake. Far better to do your own thing and walk on the roofs of the caves and look out on the magnificent scenery.
Places like Galera are much less tourist orientated. People do stop here in summer, but it is more a place where locals go about their daily lives irrespective of whether the coaches arrive.
Going underground in Guadix
Huescar is another location to visit in this area. Known as the ‘city of peace’, it is home to fewer than 10.000 people. Huescar is famous for its provision of lamb to all corners of Spain. It is surprisingly green around here. You can drive for miles through the countryside without seeing another soul. Just the odd horse, lots of goats and many, many sheep.
This is somewhere favoured by the outdoor activity brigade and those who like to see Spain on foot. Walking in the Vidriera pine forest is popular as is biking in the nearby Sagra mountains. A fresh water pool close to the town is busy when the sun shines.
The Convento de las Dominicas is a large convent that is still home to the order of Dominican Sisters. During the Civil War the convent acted as a hospital for those wounded in action.
The view from Orce
There are many fine churches in Huescar but one building that does stand out is the Penalva Serrano House in El Paseo del Santo Cristo. It stands out not least for its Gaudi like qualities. It has a modern style that is vastly different from the architecture around it.
Maria Pugh lives not far from Huescar. She tells me: “I bought a three bedroom cave home that has a garden. Only one room required modernisation. I had looked in other locations closer to Granada but the property prices there were too high. Once I discovered that I could easily get to either Granada, which I enjoy visiting, or in the other direction for my favourite city, Murcia, then I was happy to live in Huescar.”
I asked Maria what she liked most about the region.
She said: “That’s easy. Only the sheep farmers and tour buses know where it is and their vehicles only stop here for part of the year. Nobody else knows where on earth I am in Spain and all those hangers on (aka friends) in the UK don’t want to come and see me because there is not a beach close by. That suits me just fine.”
Orce
Another town in the vicinity that is worthy of mention and a good place to holiday, is Orce. It calls itself the ‘cradle of European humankind’. Clearly a place only too willing to sing its own praises.
For millions of years only prehistoric animals wandered here. In those days Orce was a lake and little more. Today it is home to Iain McDonald and his partner Gayle Hartley. Iain was the son of a farmer in Northumberland before his move to Spain, so perhaps he was destined to like this Spanish countryside.
He says: “I always say that Orce found us – we did not find Orce. I enjoy the mountain views and the clean air. The local produce is organic, the lifestyle healthy and the village is a genuinely friendly place to be. The choice of property is by no means conventional either. We live in a cave house. They have had a huge revival in Andalusia.”
Gayle was born in Newcastle but speaking Spanish has been crucial to the success of their business selling serrano ham and traditional terracotta and ceramic kitchenware which they sell to clients worldwide. She also teaches English to locals. Well, Geordie anyway!
Seeking shade near Huescar
Travelling through this region I get the impression that it is ideally suited to the more reclusive type. Someone who seeks out the quieter side of Spain rather than busy beaches or naughty nightlife.
It is a good area to base yourself for a travelling holiday. You could take the minor road to the vast and varied province of Murcia and come across plenty of small villages and towns where you can take a break from your travels.
Or you can hit the highway. Outside of rush hour, motorway driving is a pleasure.
And that’s not something you find yourself saying too often.
*additional photography courtesy of Orce Hams
