Looking for a hideaway to escape from routine? Well high up in the Sierra Morena sits one of Spain´s most isolated retreats. Dubbing itself, “Spain´s most primitive hotel”, the Sierra Mountain Refuge was once an old goat shed.

Warm and welcoming, the Sierra Morena Mountain Refuge

Now fully restored using only local, natural materials this beautiful retreat can sleep up to 15 people.

It sits in the heart of an organic estate, where visitors can help out with daily activities.

“You can cook over an open fire and sleep on hand-made beds, explain owner Javier, a 38 year- old lawyer from Sevilla.

Now guests can visit local cheese and wine producers, hike the highest peak in the province, visit the ancient Tentudía monastery or simply relax

Want to really get away from it all?

Why not try out Spain´s most primitive hotel, a fabolous new mountain refuge, set in stunning, wild, virgin terrritory, just one hour from Sevilla or two hours from Faro.

Set in beautiful scenery in the Sierra Morena

The wonderful colours of autumn have now arrived here in the Sierra Morena. The temperatures have fallen and it is now time for us to start our fires in the evenings in the refuge. These photos were taken by some of our latest visitors to the refuge.

winter-refuge-1

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We leave behind

The tractor´s parade, coming in and out town, dancing, one by one , leaving behind that smell, unmistakeble, to smashed  grapes.

We leave behind

That dog, lagging behing, partner, friend and witness of the reached farm work.

We leave behind

Women, with a shawl in their head, bent down, perfumed with romero and lavanda, their faces, weather-beaten by the winter cold , their mothers, right there, rest in peace.

Their teethless mouths, their run away looks, their wounded hands, and still, threre is no time for rest.

Now

The village, at La Mancha, is changing, hard to distinguish between summer people, retired, Acisclo´s son, Kuki´s brother or Aunt Benancia.

We don´t know if the came to stay, or if they didn´t leave because of fear from moving.

But this ” El Pueblo”, this is  La Mancha, Here, we still are loyal to the morning cold, to the rain stars, to the morning gossip.

The refuge has become  a learning, a vital experience.

Wind, bringing and carrying things away, and also the ideas.

Water, blood and origing of life.

Wood, that is the shell, the skin that protects us.

Earth, upon which we gravitate.

Fire,  power to transform, heat for the rest.

May 2.010

Sierra Mountain Refuge

The harmony of the disaster, of no intervention turns a scenery into something wild, hostile, inhospitable.

Beauty turns into suffering.

Man´s work, from his hands, stops, slows down the chaos, the infinite.

The balance from both powers, nature and human is the representation of a scienctific filosophy, from Mother Earth.

The refuge is an isolated as well as anonym manifestation of that phenomenon.

June 2.010

 The hardness

the reality of life

the wild,

the vulnerability,

the inmediacy

the eternal,

the unreachable

Just half and hour from Sierra Morena Mountain Refuge we can enjoy the most famous among livestock fairs. From the first October to the seventh October every year since 1380 we celebrate this international livestock fair. when King Juan I allowed a weekly market, since then it grew bigger and bigger.

Today it still is a reference for all farmers, they come from Castilla, Extremadura, Andalucía and Portugal to know current livestock prices at the public auction. Besides animals we can find a wide range of craftworks from Extremadura (pottery, …). You are welcome to join us and learn a little bit about autochthnous breeds and traditional customs

Life is present at Cortijo Biensevive”

Summer has come and as it was expected lack of rain and increase of average temperature. Still this is a privileged area and if you get to know it well you will get the best from it.

Just yesterday I adventured myself to discover the birth of the Ardila river, and I did find it. It was surrounded by humid vegetation, there was chestnuts trees, and other river bank trees, there was also the typical vegetable garden. There is a big amount of water just coming out a rock, it is fantastic. The rough walk was really worth it. The area is full of cortijos (ranchs), nowadays every rancher wants to get there by car, and tracks are all over.

Still with great knowledge of the area, hidden places will only be apt to walkers and hikers. When you come and visit us on our tentudia walking and trekking holidays be open minded,  and besides doing great exercise (as much and tough as you like) you will discover a mediterranean forest and dehesa that  besides their lack of good care are still wild places.

Javier

Water is the origin of life. Sierra de Aracena (north of Huelva, Andalucía) and Sierra de Tentudía  (south of Badajoz, Extremadura) are very humid, with more average raining season than in the rest of surrounding sierras.

For this reason, we can enjoy off beaten track springs, of small quantity, but extremely important for gardens as well as animals during the dry season, giving way to oasis, and an specific river ecosystem with particular flora and fauna.

Fortunately these areas are still quite virgin and you will enjoy them with our walking tours,  as well as staying at Farmouse Biensevive.

Water comes from aquifers, subterranean water that naturally overflows to the surface through rocks. These springs,  “manantiales”, have  historically been  venerated, doing pilgrimage or constructing a fountains right where they are. Springs are small and most of the times in hidden forested areas. There are different kinds:, permanent or temporary, running out, or diminishing the flow during dry season.

Nice thing about living in a place with so much biodiversity is that there is always something to collect from the woods. This past Sunday it was the turn for mushrooms, and in particular Gurumelos.

There it goes some brushstroke to familiarize with this delicacy.

Amanita ponderosa (Gurumelo) is an edible mushroom. It is believed that comes from the portuguese word for mushroom –Cogumelo-. Creamy white colour skin, white inside,  rapidly becoming red when being cut and it has a very characteriscic smell to damp soil.

Its habitat is mainly southwest of Iberian peninsula, mainly Huelva (Andalucia) and Badajoz (Extremadura). It is a spring mushroom. Traditionally we can find it in helm oaks, cork oaks areas.

It is an edible mushroom catalogued as excellent, especially charcoal-grilled with salt, or as an extra ingredient to any recipe