Mave & Glenn's Adventure & New Life
Welcome to Cueva Ellina-Poppy
After several years of holidaying throughout Europe we decided that we no longer liked what was being offered by package companies, so we trawled the Internet to find a holiday with a difference that also suited our budget. To our amazement we came across a cave to holiday in, yes a CAVE !!
We drove from Telford in Shropshire to Dover and crossed by Speed Ferries to France, now this is where you start paying tolls, not a pleasant things to do but then again it is out adventure and we did not mind as the roads were that much better than in the UK and a pleasure to drive on as there was very little traffic.
"Time for a rest?" asked Mave . So at the next town we stopped to put in more fuel and had a bite to eat from our vast hamper of food stored in a cool box in a scenic layby. "Just off to the loo" Mave said and came back saying "Oh my goodness, its a hole in the ground, I will need a pulley".
As our adventure continued we saw a sign to “Le Mans” and we decided that we would find a nice motel and stop for the night. And so for 55 Euros, which we consider cheap, we stopped for a good night’s rest.
Setting off again the next day we drove through loads of sunflower fields on good roads and into the never ending vineyards in the south of France. Now with thoughts of good wine and cognac – I reached into our box of magic supplies only to find a can of Red Bull – you can imagine my disappointment at that.
Later the same evening we crossed the border into Spain. Looking for a hotel Mave cried “Is that a hotel?” and then said “Glenn are you listening to me or the radio?” “No” I replied “I am trying to find the turning.” Mave went into the hotel to ascertain if it was habitable. She returned saying that she had booked us in for the night and it only cost 80 Euros – I was horrified at the thought of what we were letting ourselves into. However, as I walked into the hotel my jaw dropped at what I saw, had I died and gone to heaven I thought, this was by far the best hotel I had ever stayed in – there must have been mistake on the price!!
Our adventure just gets better – we had a drink at the bar that evening, a brandy for Mave and a Whiskey for me, these were not only “large” as you would find in the Costa’s they were “huge” – it felt like we had had a quarter of a bottle each. Staggering we found a restaurant and had a fabulous meal and lying in my bed that night I thought – I will never go on a package holiday again.
Refreshed and raring to get on we drove though the many breathtaking views of Spain when Mave said “Glenn I thought we are on a holiday with a difference – lets leave the motorway and drive though the country.” So with Sat Nav at the ready I punched in the scenic route, made sure of a tank full of fuel , snow shoes and a Kendal Mint Bar and off we set on our new planned route. Mile after mile goes by, no people and no cars in sight just brilliant views. Getting worried Mave said “ I don’t think we should be driving here!” I replied “The Sat Nav has not been wrong in 1200 miles – we are to turn right in about 29 miles,” I have to admit I was starting to get concerned myself now. The road was getting worse and we ran out of tarmac, all we saw were olive groves after olive groves followed by almond groves after almond groves – dodging the holes and ditches in the road but we plodded on in true British tradition ‘upwards and onwards’.
Two hours later we finally get onto a decent road again and drove into a little village – it appeared as though we were the first “English” to set foot there! We found a bar where we sat basking in the sunshine with a drink and agreed that this was “real” Spain. Mavis asked how much longer to our destination and I said “three more hours and we will be wearing our loin cloths dragging you by the hair, swinging the club in my hand!”
Three hours later we reached Galera, a pretty whitewashed village where the cave we had rented was located, entering the cave I kicked the bear out, lit the flaming torch and got rid of the bats; not really, the cave surpassed all our expectations. Settling in we realised that it was around 32° C outside but inside that cave it was a pleasant 20°C – we actually thought that the cave was air conditioned only to discover that that is the normal constant temperature in the cave.
Touring the surrounding area we fell deeper and deeper in love with the Andalucia region. The local folk were more than helpful with a genuine desire to please at every turn.
The bug for Cave Life had bitten!
Having found a fascination for cave life we decided to look at some of the reformed caves in the area and were amazed at how they differed and are unlike any conventional house. As for the windows the Spanish believe that there is no need for a window in a bedroom as keeping the rooms dark keeps them warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Also their saying is 'why do you need windows - when your eyes are closed it is dark anyway'.
Our 3 week adventure eventually came to an end and our "budget" holiday cost 1,400 Euros in 2002, this included tolls, fuel, ferry crossings and the cave rental. At this point i must mention that we were not skimping as 3 course meals were 5 Euros and a beer or a glass of wine with tapas was a mere 1 Euro.
We enjoyed our stay very much that we returned to the area many times taking in some of the fiestas and other events in the year, until in 2006 we bought our very own cave. It is here that we invite you to join us - we would be delighted to tell you of all the restaurants and places to visit in the surrounding area.
The secret of Castillejar is leaking out slowly, but this is still truly rural Spain as it should be. We hope that this encourages you to book a break with us - rest assured you will be welcomed by every man, his dog and his donkey!
This could be the start of your own adventure.