- LOCATION
Just 20 minutes
from the capital city of Granada, the village of Nigüelas is located in a
privileged setting half way between the city of the Alhambra and the tropical
coast.
Fig 1.
Location of Nigüelas in relation to Granada and the Mediterranean coast
Connected to both of these
tourist centres by way of Highway A-44, its strategic location makes it
possible to go from the snow-capped landscapes of the Sierra Nevada Mountain tops
to the subtropical croplands typical of Granada’s Mediterranean coast in no
time.
Photo 1.
From snow-capped mountaintops to the
subtropical climate on the
coast in barely an hour and fifteen minutes by car
Nigüelas, a
“natural balcony overlooking the Lecrín Valley” also has privileged
surroundings and views, being the starting point for numerous excursions to the
Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Photo 2.
Springtime contrast of the snow-capped peaks
of the Sierra Nevada mountains
and poppies on the Nigüelas lowlands
Photo 3.
Location of the house where we will be
staying in Nigüelas. Beautiful panoramic view from the Sierra Nevada Mountain
slopes with the Lecrín Valley in the distance.
3. THE
HOUSE
2. THE
VILLAGE
The marked Moslem
influence in Nigüelas is patent in irrigation pools created for storing water, cisterns
for supplying water to homes and, above all, the design of the irrigation
ditches running throughout the village.
In addition to irrigating
the gardens in the valley and terraced slopes croplands carved out from the
Sierra Nevada mountain slopes, the irrigation ditches were used for routing the
water to hydraulic inventions such as the olive oil mill located next to the
Church square.
This is a
structure dating from the Nasrid era (13th -14th century A.D.), housing one of
the oldest olive oil presses in Spain.
Photo 4.
View of the exterior of the “Las Laerillas"
Olive Oil Mill Museum in Nigüelas
Photo 5.
Hydraulic mill mechanism inside the Oil Mill
Museum.
3. THE
HOUSE
The house is a
modern, two-storey building of an architecture perfectly integrated into the
rural environment where it is located, with three bedrooms, two baths and a
spacious kitchen. All of the bedrooms have central heating.
Photo 6.
Upstairs bedroom. The three sunny, spacious
bedrooms are
located upstairs on the second floor of the house.
Photo 7. Downstairs bathroom. The other bathroom, similar to
this one,
is located upstairs on the second floor
Photo 8. Spacious kitchen located adjacent to the
downstairs living room,
equipped with refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher and
oven.
Photo 9.
Upstairs hallway and stairs going down to
first floor. The entire house is decorated
with photos from exhibits of
photographs of landscapes and animals taken locally.
The downstairs
living room with its quaint, impeccable fireplace will be the ideal setting for
breakfasts and dinners and even for the group’s meetings proper whenever the
weather may keep them from being held in the garden or on the roof terrace.
Photo 10.
Living room downstairs. To the right, the
stairs leading to the main
entrance to the house
Photo 11 . Cosy corner of the living room, by the
hearthfire.
Photo 12.
The garden at the house has its own
microclimate sheltered from the cold north winds, making it possible to grow mandarin
oranges, lemon trees, loquats and even bamboo.
The major
advantage this house has to offer is its strategic location in the village, its
entrance and front façade facing the village centre and the northeast and
southeast façades facing the Torrente River and the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
The roof terrace
provides fantastic views of the slopes of Caballo Peak (3015 m) in addition to
a panoramic view of the Lecrín Valley and the Padul Lagoons:
Photo 13.
View to the southeast. The Torrente River making
its way toward the Lecrín Valley. In the foreground, the village of Acequias.
In the distance, the village of Pinos del Valle.
Photo 14a/b.
The rooftop terrace being situated in a south-easterly direction affords
the possibility of enjoying an excellent panoramic view of the Cerro Alto Mountain
peak (1217 m) and the Plúnez Plains, in addition to some magical sunsets on the
Caballo mountain slopes. From here, one can enjoy watching the animals
in the surroundings with the naked eye without even needing binoculars.
3. THE SURROUNDINGS
3. THE SURROUNDINGS
The privileged location
of Nigüelas guarantees direct contact with the wild animals and plants just a
few short meters from the house.
Sunny, fertile
lowlands surround the village, comprising a mosaic of croplands sagely
cultivated since the Moslem era. Seasonal crops such as corn, potatoes, broad
beans and all types of vegetables grow in the shade of the pomegranate, fig,
quince, olive and almond trees growing along the boundaries of the “hazas” or
individual parcels of croplands.
Photo 15.
Nigüelas from the Plúnez Plains, with the lowlands
extending toward the village of Dúrcal (in the middle distance). The last
village that can be seen in the far distance is Padul. Its lagoons are an
excellent setting for watching waterfowl.
The dense network
of irrigation ditches with their abundant flow sees to quenching the thirst of
these lands in the summertime.
Photo 16.
An enjoyable short stroll along the road
from Pavilla takes us to the Torrente River by following the course of the
Torrente irrigation ditch.
Photo 17.
Scotch broom and poppies along the banks of
the Torrente River, upstream from the village.
Photo 18.
Beautiful scene from the Pavilla road, in
the nearby vicinity of the town centre of Nigüelas, with the Torrente river in
the foreground and the silhouette of the Cerro Alto peak in the distance.
Although the planned schedule of excursions
will be taking us to visit interesting areas representative of the different
ecosystems of the province of Granada every day, some short trips (no more than
one or two hours) have been planned around the surrounding area of Nigüelas.
On the days when we return to the house early,
different activities will be carried out, such as viewing wildlife, setting up
trail cameras, etc., depending on the preferences of each group in particular.
Photo 19.
The rocky cliffs of Cerro Alto Mountain peak
(1127 m) which can be viewed directly
from the garden or roof terrace at the house are an ideal setting for watching
birds of prey and mountain goats in the late afternoon.
Photo 20.
Except for the case of mountain goats, which
can readily been viewed from the area surrounding Nigüelas, trail cameras will
be set up for locating more elusive animals such as foxes, martens, genets or
badgers.
Photos 21a/b/c.
Padul Lagoons. Located less than 10 km from
Nigüelas, the Padul Depression is an ideal setting for observing ducks, cranes
and herons. The area surrounding the Lagoons is a hunting ground for large
birds of prey such as Bonelli’s eagles and golden eagles, or other small ones,
such as the peregrine falcon, kestrel and Merlin (the Merlin, in wintertime).
In the wilderness habitat surrounding the wetland area, species emblematic of
this natural setting such as the Dupont's lark can be seen.
Photos 22 a/b.
The Lanjarón Castle and the Cónchar Watchtower.
The Moorish influence is patent in numerous Nazrid structures surrounding the
village of Nigüelas.
