Hart of Olive - Villanueva de San Juan..

This beautifully situated farm consists of a 3 bedroom main house and a 2 bedroom guest cottage which has been successfully rented out in the past set on a glorious plot of over 80,000 m2

This is what the owner says about her home

The moment I set foot on the farm in 1985, I fell in love with it and though it has been both a challenge and a dream throughout the years we have lived here, it has been a perfect place for my four children to grow up in and would be again for a younger dynamic and enthusiastic couple to set themselves up.

The approach to the farm is by a kilometre track which is shared by other farmers with land in the same area. The track is rough in parts due to the rain damage this year but is accesible for most normal cars.

The water is from an underground spring and fills two wells with ease all year round. The water is good and untreated. During our time here we have only used minimal fertilizer for the olive trees, in fact it was registered as an organic farm for 8 years.

The house is in two main parts; The original stone cottage which we used to rent out very succesfully as a Casita Rural, and the main, newer farmhouse with a large, sunny kitchen and living room, 3 bedrooms and a bathroom plus a large room to the back which is used as an office.

The smaller house has two bedrooms, a bathroom and a kitchen/sitting room and there is plenty of outdoor space around both houses which are connected by an inner courtyard.

There is a barbecue and a raised patio in front of the smaller house and a clay oven in front of the main house which is shaded by 3 wonderful white mulberry trees in the summer. We enjoy many home made pizzas and bread parties in this patio.

The house has electricity and good internet connection which would enable anyone needing to work from home quite easily.

During our time here we have had many animals, goats, sheep, horses, pigs, chickens dogs and cats plus a growing number of goldfish in the alberca, or water holding tank which feeds the garden by syphon.

The farm is situated at about 600m above sea level, ovelooking the valley of the river Corbones. Althought the farm is surrounded by trees, there are beautiful views on all sides, giving a sensation of both seclusion and openness.

The land is very varied. There are 150 olive trees which give excellent olive oil, mixed woodland, eucalyptus, silver birch and poplar, and a 3 hectare field where we grow hay and graze sheep and the horse during the summer months.

In front of the house is a large flat area where there are a variety of fruit trees (almonds, pomegranates, apricots and oranges) and which could be perfect for any small agricultural or permaculture project such as chickens, asparagus or pistachio nuts.

Visitors to the farm just love the peace, seclusion and the total quiet at night, away from the noise of traffic; the stars are wonderful to see on clear nights.

It is a place with so much to offer to the right people and is definitely not isolated as we are between two villages which are both 3kms away and have everything you may require from schools to health centres and small shops. The people in the area are friendly and welcoming and because the area is not over run with tourists it has maintained its traditional Spanish character. Oone only has to walk through the streets around lunchtime to appreciate the delicious smells of Spanish home cooking, or join in with one of the local fiestas to see Spain as it always has been.