Casa El Regüelo is a charmingly restored holiday home which sits in a peaceful hamlet  on a quiet country road between Fuensanta de Martos and Castillo de Locubin.

The main agriculture here is obvious - olive  oil, olive trees are everywhere. Jaen produces around 25% of the world's olive oil production.

In the hamlet of El Reguelo there are no bars, no beaches and no shops, A daily bread van passes by and the nearest shops are in Fuensanta de Martos, 6km away or for larger supermarkets there's Martos - the olive oil capital - which is 18km away.

This is a place for soaking up the silence and relaxing, admiring the view or strolling along the quiet roads or country tracks among the olive trees. There is some excellent walking country, just head out the front door and between the olives, it's not flat terrain but there are plenty of tracks. We're working on some walking routes which will soon be available. And possibily some guided walking holidays - we'll keep you posted.

The house is registered with the Spanish Tourist Board and complies with all the regulations meaning that it is wheelchair friendly. The whole of the ground floor and out onto the patio is level. There are steps down to an enclosed garden which along with the upstairs of the house is unfortunately not accessible by a wheelchair.

From the patio there are lovely hill views and olive groves! You can sit in private with a glass of local wine in hand and inhale the peace, watch the birds and listen to the humming of the bees and chattering of the swallows.

Many bird species reside in the area and we've seen eagles, hoopoes, kingfishers, swallows, house martins, bee-eaters what we think was a rock thrush and many we don't know the names of!

In the hills behind wild boar trails linger in the dirt, frogs croak from the nearby stream and barble congregate in the small pool which is always busy with visiting dragonflies.

If you're looking for a time out nature watching and quiet, interspersed with day trips into glorious countryside or historical towns then this is a good base.

Daytrips are possible to the towns of Baena, Baeza, Cordoba, Granada, Jaen and Ubeda among others and inumerable smaller towns and picturesque white villages.

Martos is the next largest town and it has a large muncipal swimming pool, Torredonjimeno just 3km further on has a complex of four pools ranging from a baby pool to an olympic-sized pool

The nearest airport is Granada which is a 75 minute drive and then Malaga which takes two and a half hours. A car is a necessity as public transport is limited and available only from Fuensanta and not El Reguelo.

The house is available to rent all year round, but please bear in mind that even though the sun shines nearly every day, it can get pretty cold in winter. This is the area called Sierra Sur de Jaen and it's well inland and about 1,000 metres above sea level, snow is not unheard of here. 

These cooler days of winter and spring can make excellent walking weather of which they is no end of possibilities right from the front door or back garden gate.