When John Perry and Judy Farrar bought a holiday home in Almáchar eight years ago, it was the first step on the path to a better kind of life. Words Annie Wilson
Almáchar is one of the traditional white villages set in the choppy foothills of the Sierra de Tejeda, north-east of Málaga. The area is known for producing luscious raisins from the moscatel grapes grown on its steep slopes. It’s not far from the coast, but a world away in character – still truly Andalucían in its culture and pace of life.
For John and Judy, this was a perfect escape from their busy managerial jobs in London. Judy worked for Which? magazine as Head of Services Research. John was Head of Development at ArtsEd, schools that train students in the performing arts.
It all began when they went for a holiday in Frigiliana, a famously pretty village inland of Nerja. “We were so taken with the area we decided to return and look at properties,” says Judy. “But there was nothing we liked or could afford around Frigiliana.
“Finally, we met a Danish architect who had a business helping to restore old buildings. He brought us to this house in Almáchar. The builder who owned it was still in the middle of the reconstruction work, but you could see it was going to look fantastic. Despite being much bigger than we planned, it was in our price range. We just fell in love with it.”
So, they bought Casa de Luz before the renovations had been finished. “It took us about a year to furnish the place and turn it into what we wanted,” says John. “We’d fly into Málaga for the weekend and ask the car hire company for a roof rack – which perplexed them – so we could buy furniture from the markets in Fuengirola or Nerja.”
The five-bedroom house is light and airy, built around a central atrium; its style is a mix of Moorish and rustic. Items such as the soft furnishings and quirky lamp stands have been made by Judy, showing her creative flair. From the roof terrace there are stunning views towards Mount Maroma.
The idea of moving to Spain came a couple of years later. John explains: “The pressures of work began to get on top of us. But we realised we didn’t have to just buck up and buckle down; another option was to sell up, pull up our roots and go. The house in Spain opened the door to a new life; it changed our outlook.”
They decided to seize the opportunity for a new adventure before it was too late. They sold their house in London and bought another Spanish property, two adjoining casitas (cottages) with a plot of land, in the tiny village of Cútar, a few miles further into the hills. They resigned from their jobs, said their goodbyes and headed south in a camper van, with their Russian Blue cats – Sovka and Rouble – in the back. “Madness,” laughs Judy.
The plan was to set up a small business offering self-catering accommodation. “We had so much to do when we first arrived, we didn’t think about the huge step we’d taken.” First they had to refurbish the cottages – Las Casitas de la Luna – while starting to market the business via a website John created.
They are building a flat for themselves in the old stables under the casitas, where they now live, although it’s not yet finished. For now, they move lock, stock and cats, back and forth from the house in Almáchar to the cottages in Cútar, depending which isn’t being rented out.
“It hasn’t been easy developing the business, living in a building site for a lot of the time, and spending 24 hours together,” says Judy. But their hard work has paid off, and their holiday business, Vivasiesta, is doing well. They have visitors from all over the world who want to experience ‘real’ Spain.
Their new life in Spain is utterly different to their old one in London. “We’re still getting used to the transformation; still discovering who we are here,” John says.
“It’s a life we’ve chosen rather than one dictated by others. And it’s up to us to make all we can of it,” says Judy. “I love the landscape and the people – especially their warmth, their laid-back attitude and their enthusiasm for having a good time. The sunshine and light are so uplifting. It’s beautiful here. I thought I’d miss London, but I don’t.”
“Society is less sewn up here,” John says. “You can try things out, and even reinvent yourself. Cútar has attracted quite a few incomers who are artists.”
They explain that Almáchar and Cútar have quite different characters. “Cútar is very peaceful and sleepy; it could turn into an artists’ village. Almáchar will stay a working agricultural village,” says John.
“There’s lots more going on in Almáchar – a lively music scene, events in the cultural centre, as well as courses and outings,” adds Judy. “I went to flamenco dance classes, and a massage course. We also go to Spanish classes every week.
“We’ve made friends, but our work prevents us from spending a lot of time socialising. I hope, soon, we’ll get to a point when we have more free time.”
“It’s hard physical work,” explains John. “There’s all the cleaning, washing and ironing, repairing and painting, then carting gas bottles, bags of cement or piles of tiles up and down steep streets.”
As well as looking after the properties, the couple also tend their plot of land, where they “pretend to farm” mangoes, citrus, almonds and a variety of other fruit trees. “Our 75-year-old neighbour, Antonio, runs up and down shouting at us in Andaluz, trying to teach us about grafting and pruning,” smiles Judy.
“It’s a very practical life here; and the locals respect you for those skills,” says John. “As it’s an agricultural community, they assume you know how to do certain basic things – like grow lemons.”
John and Judy arrange to take time off when friends or family visit. “We do miss our son, Stan, but I doubt we’d see any more of him if we were living in England,” Judy says. “And we probably spend more time with friends who come over for a week or two.”
Those friends comment on how well and relaxed they look. Even John’s diabetes has improved. “Partly because we’re much more in control of our lives,” he says.
“I feel younger,” says Judy. “There’s no obsessive youth culture here; age just isn’t an issue.” They often take time out to party at the fiestas in the villages and Málaga. Spanish culture, especially the art, music and poetry is a big plus point for them.
They are confident that their new life is working out. Their plans for the future include running courses or tours from their house in Almáchar. John has pursued his aptitude for writing with a blog about their experiences; he wants to start another providing information for visitors.
“It’s not all ‘living the dream’ by any means, but we have no regrets,” affirms Judy. “I feel invigorated living here – I love it.”
www.vivasiesta.com, John’s blog: www.puebloman.com
Sierra de Tejeda
The large and rugged mountainous region of Sierra de Tejeda stretches across the provincial border of Granada and Malaga. Its western part, in Malaga province, is known as the Axarquía, and is famous for attractive villages dating from Moorish times. It’s also superb hiking country and its numerous steep mountainsides make it ideal for climbers.
The area’s relatively remote nature means that it has a high number of endemic species of flora and is rich in wildlife, particularly raptors and mountain birds. Its inaccessibility has also made it a harbour for bandits and later anti-Franco guerrillas during the Civil War. Its inhabitants were part of the Morisco rebellion in the 16th century.
