A wonderful dream home at the foot of "La Sagra"
Cortijos Nuevos de la Sierra - La Puebla de Don Fabrique - Granada

"La Escuela", a lovingly restored farmhouse (finca) is situated at the foot of the beautiful and imposing mountain "La Sagra" in one of the most beautiful nature reserves of Andalucía.

From farm house to church to village school to home

"La Escuela", which means "The School" in Spanish, was originally a farm house. The 9,040 m2 (2.25 acres) of fertile soil laid out in terraces around the house were used for agricultural purposes. Almond trees are still there on the borders of the several terraces.

In the first half of the twentieth century the house was used as the local church. It also served to hide people who had fled persecution during Franco's regime. The little statue of the Virgin Mary in an alcove in the dining area is a small reminder of that special time.

Latterly, the building was used as the local school. However, following Franco's death, most of the young left the village and the school fell into disuse.

The house had been empty ever since, until Adrian and Sigrid Verhoeff (a Dutch couple) bought the house, stripped it down, and rebuilt it. The restoration was carried out with a lot of love, preserving as many of the original features as possible. The gorgeous stone floor, the beamed ceiling and the antique fire place in the dining room are just a few examples.

Because of all this, "La Escuela" is a home with a very special atmosphere, far away from all the pressures of today's speedy modern society.

A house with true character

"La Escuela" is a very special finca which balances in a very natural and easy way the beauty of the old with modern comfort. The house is built in the typical traditional local style with very thick walls. These keep the house cool during the hot summer and keep the heat in during the cold winter. The newly added living room is along the same style and so is also very comfortable during all seasons.

The original fire place, a modern wood stove and several movable gas heaters will definitively keep the house in a comfortable temperature during the cooler days and evenings.

A solar panel on the roof provides electricity to all lamps and the satellite telephone. Kitchen equipment like the oven, the boiler, the cooker and the refrigerator are all gas-based.

Water is sourced from a local spring coming straight out of "La Sagra", the mountain upon which the house is built.

The house consists of the following rooms:
Entrance/dining room
Kitchen
Bathroom
Livingroom
Two bedrooms
Guesthouse with bathroom

Mountains, flowers and wild boars

"La Escuela" is located in the tiny village of Cortijos Nuevos de la Sierra, at the foot of the imposing mountain "La Sagra" meaning "The Holiness" in Spanish. The village consists of 17 authentic Spanish houses, which are at the moment used as weekend houses by the local Spanish.

The gorgeous mountainous area borders the "Cazorla" nature reserve. In the reserve you can find rare flowers (for instance orchids), but also larger wildlife like wild boars, deer, foxes and a large variety of birds (like the large vulture, the eagle, the pied woodpecker, the golden oriole and the hoopoe). The nicely kept, but still pretty wild garden of "La Escuela", joins neatly to this wild and untouched environment.

Over a well maintained road, the village of Cortijos Nuevos de La Sierra is about 20 minutes drive away from the small town of Puebla de Don Fadrique. This picturesque little village has very good services, like a supermarket, a bank, an Internet café, several other shops, a church, a doctor and a primary school.

26 Kilometres (16 miles)away from the Cortijos you can find the larger town of Huescar. The hotel "Collados de la Sagra" is only a 3 kilometre (2 miles) walk (or drive) away. This has an excellent restaurant. For the people who are interested in swimming: 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) away you can find a large storage lake.Alicante and Málaga are both about 2.5 hours drive away. The airport of Murcia is only 1.5 hours drive away.

Summerhouse? Bed and Breakfast? Or a nature camping?

"La Escuela" offers many opportunities for those who need holidays with guaranteed rest, freedom and an amazing environment. The finca is a true haven of refuge.

The wonderful terraces around the house as well as the large garden, offer many opportunities for relaxation and pursuits. This large garden is surrounded by a wooden pleaded hand made hedge (originally used to keep the sheep off the grounds).It also offers many opportunities for the enterprising and ecologically minded.

The guesthouse with its own shower and toilet can be immediately used as Bed and Breakfast. The 9,040 m2 (2.25 acres) of land can be used as a small nature camping.

Other items like water obtained directly from the mountain, electricity provided through solar panels, ideal for many outdoor pursuits (such as hiking, horse riding, mountain biking, star gazing etc) as well as the wonderful environment, will be truly liked by eco-tourists.

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Price: 269.500 €

Note: The information in this report has been provided by the owner.