AN EXCEPTIONAL PLACE: THE VILLAGE OF LOS PRADOS, YESTE, SIERRA DE SEGURA

PLOT FOR SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING

I offer you the possibility of acquiring a plot where you can build a detached house, with electricity, water and telephone on the plot, located in a village, Los Prados, immersed in the purest Nature that can be found in Spain, and I do not mean in a mountain outside of a city, or in the countryside on the side of a road traveled by noisy vehicles, but in an exceptional place, 16 km. of the beautiful mountain town of Yeste, in the southwest of the province of Albacete, bordering the province of Jaén, in the Sierra de Segura, in the Natural Park of the Calares del Mundo and the Sima and adjacent to the Natural Park of Cazorla Segura and the Villas. A territory that, incredible as it may seem, still remains virtually virgin today.
 

Photograph of the Village of Los Prados accessible at http://yestealbacetepaisajes.blogspot.com.es

Pure air, magnificent views of a first class natural environment, wild fauna and flora in perfect combination with the work of the human being who for decades has been dedicated to the cultivation of small gardens, livestock and forestry tasks.. 

Rincón Cavero farm house. Los Prados. Yeste.

The plot of about 400 m2 is in a small village, "Los Prados" which is located at 1,200 m. of altitude at the foot of the mass, wooded and immense, of the "Calar del Mentiras" ("Calar of Lies") or "Calar de la Sima" ("Calar of Pothole") (A Calar is a mountain of limestone). A small village that rises lazily occupying several terraces, from the small stream that irrigates the orchards where the inhabitants plant their seasonal vegetables to the forests of holm oaks and pine trees that surround it everywhere.

The Calar of Pothole (Calar de La Sima) also known as Calar of Lies (Calar del Mentiras) in winter

If you love Nature this place will really look like a jewel. The area in which it is located has exceptional landscape values ​​that do not coincide too much with the vision that is usually seen in southern Spain. Despite being located in an area with thousands of hours of sunshine per year, the rains are more abundant than in other areas of the south, with an average rainfall of 800 to 1,000 l/m2, which guarantees the presence of abundant vegetation, which in many areas seems typical of places much further north, and all-year courses of water, some as significant as the upper Segura River, or its tributary, the Tus, which, less than 30 minutes away on foot, presents an absolutely exceptional and not very well known landscape, the Tus River canyon, and its natural opening, the beautiful and atavistic valley of the Tus, where still (now, almost ending the second decade of the 21st century) it is possible to contemplate the tasks of plowing or harvesting of wood with draft animals, and it is not about exhibitions for tourists, but of the habitual works of the locals, works that, unfortunately, and if some kind of miraculous change does not mediate, they are called to disappear in a not very distant term, due to the depopulation after the emigration from these magnificent nature environments.

Tus River Canyon

In winter, snowfalls are frequent. On these occasions, the landscape of the area seems more typical of the Alpine mountain than of the Spanish south. But of course, even in winter there are a lot of days of sun to enjoy this beautiful place, as corresponds to Spanish south.

Yeste after a snowfall.

 

PRACTICAL DATA OF THE PLOT AND PRICE

LEGAL DATA

The plot is registered, in the Notary Office of Ms. Juana Motos Rodríguez, No. 512 of her protocol, in Yeste, dated December 2, 1993, and registered in the Registry of the Property of Yeste, dated December 17, 1993 , No. 1876, of the diary 42, folio 248, has no charges of any kind, and even, because it is a mountain area, does not pay real estate tax. The place is the Aldea de los Prados, zip code 02484, near Arguellite, in the municipality of Yeste, Albacete, surrounded by the Calar de la Sima Natural Park.

PHYSICAL DATA

It is a lot located on the southern edge of the village of Los Prados, which is accessed by a small street that ends on the same site. It is placed on an old orchard grass, of moderate size, about 400 m2, approximately square in shape (a square of about 20 meters on one side), quite profitable, since being located in a terraced area, the houses that are built in front are below the horizon line. This terracing makes the entire extension fully usable. It borders on East with three houses (which once were rural houses), which are located about 6 m. underneath, by the N it limits with a small building, by the W with an irrigation ditch of which it has hours of available water, and by the S with a plot also without building. 

Currently, as shown in the following photograph, is not leveled, which can be easily solved as is land without rocky outcrops.

 

The lot seen from its south side.

It is feasible to access the site with any type of car (the vehicles reach as far as the people in the photo above, which also coincides with the North boundary of the site), although the dimensions of the entrance area are not spacious.

Photograph of the site taken from its East side.

In the next photo, the site goes from the area closest to the photographer (the base of the photo), to the red line.

View of the site from the North side with the approximate limit

In front of the lot and under its visual line there are three houses built. Until not long ago they were houses of rural tourism, but at present they are only used by their owners.

Homes built on the adjoining terrace.

The views, towards the Segura valley, are majestic. The orientation of the main facade of a house would be East-South, which is quite adequate for the climatic characteristics of the area.

Views from the plot towards the valley of the upper Segura river.

Although it is not very wide, as it is located in a terraced area, with different levels, the final result corresponds to a much larger plot, as the adjoining houses are totally below the horizon line (they are located several meters below), so that the feeling of spaciousness is guaranteed. 

Regarding the conditions of construction, the last thing that was commented with the Town Planning service of the Town of Yeste, is that there is no problem to build a single-family house, provided that the construction permits are paid and that access to the following plots of the same terrace level is respected. The site has a connection of running water, electricity and phone landline. There is also coverage of several mobile phone companies.

The reservoir of La Vieja, among the Natural Parks of Cazorla and the Calares del Mundo and the Sima.

It is an interesting opportunity, since currently building in the area, outside the urban centers of the towns, is extremely difficult, since almost the totally of the land is occupied by protected areas, some with very strong protection figures, like the Natural Park of the Calares del Mundo and the Sima, or the Natural Park of the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas. Also, you may look for something that is not in an urban area, but more next to Nature. In this case the two requirements are combined, it can be built, as it is an urban centre boundary, and it is also in the middle of nature.

CONDITIONS OF SALE

The site is for sale, the price is 6900 €, it must be borne in mind that in October 1993, when I acquired it, it cost about 3,000 €, and since then almost 25 years have elapsed. 

More information, including price data, contact, etc., can be obtained at the following websites:

https://www.idealista.com/inmueble/81417073/
https://www.hispacasas.com/terreno/provincia-albacete/comarca-sierra-del-segura/municipio-yeste/los-prados/2678580/
https://www.milanuncios.com/anuncios/solar-los-prados-yeste.htm
https://www.fotocasa.es/Building/Building_Detail.aspx?ai=147287785&opi=10&cu=es-es&rand=43

Anyway, if you are interested you can send an email to the jmiguelruizmc account of gmail.com

You can also see the version of this blog in Spanish at: https://parcelavalledeltus.blogspot.com/ 

THE SURROUNDINGS

As for visits and activities, the environment of the area where I offer this site is quite rich. Let's see some options below.

ACTIVITIES IN THE NATURE

The area in which the village of Los Prados is located is magnificently well preserved from the natural point of view. The immediate surroundings are declared as Natural Park of the Calares del Río Mundo and La Sima, which adjoins the N.P. of Cazorla Segura and the Villas in Jaén, which in turn is bordering on N.P. of Castril, in Granada. There are large masses of pine and holm oak, with a lot of autochthonous vegetation, including relic forests (yew trees, oaks, arbutus, mountain ashs, gall oaks, hazel trees, holly trees, birches, etc.) that alternate with some small cultivated areas. It is an extensive territory in which human activity is limited to small fields for self-consumption, there being practically no other sample of human activity, such as inhabited populations, or even roads (except for those that give access to the village). 

Here it is possible to do all kinds of nature activities, such as hiking, mountain biking, wildlife observation, rafting, mountaineering, winter mountaineering, canyoning, caving, climbing, etc. A very interesting example is this extraordinary circular route on the Calar de la Sima on a mountain bike:

This is the entrance to the chasm that gives name to all the Calar de la Sima

The route, taken from the website batanriotus.com, passes a few meters from the village of Los Prados.
Or this one also mountain bike, which goes around the Calar de la Sima for 53 km. in which there are only about 200 m. of asphalt, and that also passes through the same town of Los Prados, the only inhabited village of the whole route (and where those 200 m of asphalt are, until the route goes wild through a path in the mountain).

Other possible Nature activities: 

• Ascents and circulars, walking and mountain bike, the Calar de la Sima. 
• Hiking routes in the Calar del Mundo. 
• Ascent to the Argel summit
• Hiking routes in the upper Segura river. 
• Rafting / canoeing in the high Segura river. 
• Caving in the area. 
• Canyoning in the area. 
• Via ferrata in Gontar. 
• Climbing in the area of ​​Yeste. 
• And to rest: hydrotherapy in the Spa of the Tus River.

Here is a blog dedicated to commenting on activities in nature in this area: http://sierradealbacete.com/actividades/  

GASTRONOMY OF THE SIERRA DE (L) SEGURA

This area, of marked mountain characteristics, presents a rich and forceful gastronomy, in which the products of hunting and fishing prevail, existing also many examples of dishes with totally natural base and of vegetarian and / or vegan orientation.

Terraced lounge of the Casa Pedro restaurant, in Góntar

Very close to the village you can visit the hotel-restaurant Casa Pedro that has a generous recipe book for the gastronomic specialties of these valleys and mountains.

I also recommend the restaurant of Hospedería Rural Río Zumeta, which also gives a good account of the gastronomy of the Segura river.

If you like these things do not hesitate to ask for the artisan marc in the area, in my opinion one of the best in Spain.


For more information on the gastronomy of the place, I advise you to visit this website.

THE TOWNS OF THE SURROUNDINGS

Some time ago the tourist posters of the area referred to it as "the Switzerland ot The Mancha". Fortunately, they achieved the touristic age of majority and were aware that this territory has its own idiosyncrasy, its natural and ethnographic characteristics, which make it unique and highly interesting as a place to locate a second residence.

It is one of the most peculiar areas of the geography of southern Spain. Towns with a very marked personality, with beautiful and well-preserved ancient urban centers, with a Roman and Arabic past that can be seen in streets and monuments, rich in traditions and still maintain, in some cases, a good vitality as populations.

Urban area of ​​the "capital" of the area, Yeste.

Yeste, Riópar, Ayna, Elche de la Sierra, Liétor, Letur or Molinicos are just some of the examples of beautiful mountain villages located a short distance from the village of Los Prados. I recommend you to visit them all, without haste, in depth, as life develops in them, going through its steep streets, eating in its restaurants, where traditional culinary art is combined with the modern airs of international cuisine, visiting its monuments and natural corners, etc.

If you want more graphic information about Yeste, the closest of them all to the plot of Los Prados, check out this website that houses an impressive photo documentary about the area.

INTO THE DEEPEST SOUTH OF SPAIN

INTO THE MOST EXTENSIVE PROTECTED AREA (NATURAL PARK) IN SPAIN

The village of Los Prados is located west of the municipality of Yeste, in a quite wild and well preserved from the natural point of view, adjacent to the Natural Park of the Calares del Rio Mundo and La Sima, which in turn It is bordering the Natural Park of Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas, which also borders the Castril Natural Park, constituting among the three, with almost 250,000 protected hectares, the most extensive protected contiguous zone in Spain and the second in Europe, after the Vatnajökull National Park in Iceland. 

In the following map the location of the village has been highlighted to enable its easy location.

HOW TO GET TO THE LOT

Access by vehicle is made from the town of Yeste, and up to here it is usually reached from Elche de la Sierra and Hellín, the latter city located in the layout of the A30 motorway. They are good kilometers on roads that, although they have modern tracings and are in good condition, present some fairly winding sections, such as the one that goes from Elche de la Sierra to Yeste, or the small mountain road that, from Yeste, brings us closer to Los Prados passing through the village of Arguellite. It is the price that must be paid to access an environment with such special characteristics. The driving time, at legal speed, from Hellín to Los Prados is approximately 1 h 30 minutes.

Main roads of the province of Albacete (connection with Yeste)

In the following photo of Google Maps ® you can see the location of the plot. The map is interactive and can be expanded to see where the terrain is located in relation to the area, the province, Spain, or the whole world.



And below is a snapshot of the raster map of the geographic service of the Spanish National Geographic Institute, in the area of ​​Los Prados and Arguellite:

Map of the area (obtained from Map 1: 25000 of the Spanish National Geographic Institute ®)

HERE IT LIGHTS THE SUN ALMOST ALL YEAR, BUT ALSO RAINS AND SNOWS

The southern area of ​​Albacete is located southeast of the Iberian Peninsula, an area characterized by the presence of not very abundant rainfall and a large number of hours of sunshine per year. However, despite this abundance of solar radiation, the mountain environment of Los Prados and Tus records much more abundant rainfall than other nearby areas, which translates into a much more developed and dense vegetation, and in the presence of rivers , streams and fountains that remain with abundant water all year round.

Pluviometría de la provincia de Albacete.

CORNERS TO ENJOY

Within the Natural Park of the Calares del Mundo and the Sima there are places as beautiful as the birth of the Mundo River, popularly known as "Los Chorros".

The impressive waterfall of the birth of the Mundo River.

My friends and I fording the Arroyo de la Espinea, a small tributary on the left orographic margin of the high course of the Segura River.

Fording the stream of La Espinea

It is an extraordinary environment to enjoy nature sports, such as mountain biking, hiking, rafting, mountaineering (even winter), caving, climbing, canyoning, wildlife observation, etc.

Ascending the extraordinary canyon of the river Tus

 

El Saltador waterfall, in the Tejuelo stream, one of the channels that join to form the Tus river.

In this area there are also many abandoned villages, still standing, silent witnesses of the depopulation of a different world, the hard survival economy in the mountains, which only a few decades ago was still the way of life of many people in deep Spain.

Abandoned village of Tinadas Nuevas, next to Arguellite.

If you want more information about the natural and anthropological values ​​of the area, you can visit the following link about the Natural Park of the Calares del Mundo and the Sima.