ALL ABOUT CAVES

"New age living in age old dwellings"

Caves have been around for many decades, in some cases hundreds of years. Spanish families dug out these "holes in the mountain" as alternative housing instead of building a conventional house or cortijo which many families simply could not afford or construct.

The cool temperature inside the caves in the summer was a distinct advantage as well as the scope to expand simply by digging an extra room. Caves vary in size from the simple three room cave to the enormous containing dozens of rooms. Generally the bigger the cave the bigger the family was that owned it, sometimes with three generations living under the same roof.

The caves of Andalucia have been dug into sedimentary rock, in most cases a "slab" of rock which can be meters thick lies above and is impervious to water. Caves can even be on two levels joined by a staircase and modern day renovated caves have out buildings attached to the front (normally for the bathroom and kitchen) Old cortijo's can have cave rooms dug into the hillside behind the house, once such building exists in Fuente Nueva near Orce and has its own "cave church" 40 metres into the hillside.

Many caves remain unreformed but this is starting to change as these unique dwellings become increasingly popular. The largest reform projects tend to be taking place in villages and more recently caves in outside rural locations. Some of these locations are spectacular with mountain views and unspoilt countryside.

Inside a cave is very different to a conventional house but nevertheless all the modern day facilities you expect can be found, kitchens, en-suites, internet etc. Walls are very thick from room to room and the rooms themselves can be very large indeed with high ceilings and a multitude of doorways leading to other parts of the dwelling. Doors and windows are always at the front and in some cases a cave will have been dug all the way through the hill and can have front and rear access.

Sleeping in a cave is certainly different especially if you are accustomed to urban life, when the lights go out it is pitch black and so quiet you can even hear the silence, it definatly makes for a good nights sleep! With superb insulating qualities caves are cheap to run - no air conditioning in the summer and no gas central heating in the winter. Maintenance is required little and often, usually for small jobs like plastering but structural work is virtually non existent, no wall ties, roofs or subsidence.

The stereotypical image of a "cave" is dark hole in the ground with water leaking from the ceiling and a woolly mammoth parked outside. This simply is not the case; caves are very economical dwellings with electricity and water connections, fantastic layouts, beautiful rooms and design ideas. The way of life and the culture that goes with them in this corner of Andalucia is also very welcoming and desirable.