CAVE LIFESTYLE . . . FIREWOOD

"A warm glow and glass of brandy . . . "

An essential part of cave living is firewood. Winters become very cold especially during the night and early mornings so a good supply of firewood is an absolute must. Caves have fantastic insulating qualities but heat is required, this is usually by open fire or more commonly a wood burning stove. There are many designs and variations available with most being cast iron or part cast iron ranging anywhere from 200 - 2,000 euros. In some cases, although rare caves can have radiators similar to Spanish town houses. Fire places tend to be at the front of the cave although some have more than one chimney and can be at the rear of the cave.

The most common woods used in Spain for heating are almond and olive, dried oak and pine is also available but the oak tends to be more expensive and pine being a soft wood doesn't last very long. The size of your stove will determine the size of the wood you order. Large pieces of wood are better for bigger stoves and open fires; each piece can weigh up to 10 kg and will burn for hours generating a constant heat. Smaller pieces are also readily available - these generally come in the form of cut branches or the larger pieces which have been split. The price is the same and wood can be ordered in any quantity. Lorry loads can be ordered for around 400 euros (2 winters worth) half lorries and more commonly in villages with more problematic access for big vehicles a trailer load for around 65 euros.

One alternative is to collect some wood yourself, it is doubtful that enough could be acquired to last a full winter but pine in more rural hamlets can be legally obtained from the woods that grow along the mountain ranges. Most years the forestry commission cut down sections of the woods to create fire breaks and then re-plant in different areas. Trees are also regularly cut beneath power lines for safety reasons and all this wood needs to be cleared. The forestry commission will tell locals where the trees have been felled and every now and then you can see the locals collecting and stocking up for the winter. Alternatively you can ring the forestry commission and they are more than happy to tell you where the latest felling has taken place.

To sum up, depending on your location this is a good idea, sticks can be collected to help light that dense and sometimes "moisture full" olive or almond. Handy tools to have are a hand axe for splitting big chunks into kindling sticks and a splitting axe for the inevitable big pieces that just won't fit through the door of the stove! A chainsaw is also handy - these are available from any hardware store in electric or petrol and cost from 120 euros depending on manufacturer.