country guest house
location
traditional architecture
* currently only in Spanish
|
Valdemaluque
|
Valdemaluque is located in the west of Soria province in the Spanish region of Castile and Leon.
It is about 185 km north-northeast of Madrid, 65 km west of the city of Soria, 10 km from the town of El Burgo de Osma, and 4 km from Ucero and the Rio Lobos Gorge nature reserve (Cañón del Río Lobos). |
|
 |
The village stands on the east side of the river Ucero valley at around 940 m above sea level.
|
| Valdemaluque is the head village in a municipality that comprises four other little hamlets: Aylagas, Sotos del Burgo, Valdeavellano de Ucero and Valdelinares.
In total these five villages have a combined population of 238 inhabitants (INE 2008) with a density of 3.78 inhabitants/km2. |
|
 |
The river valley is bordered on either side by large areas of woodland, particularly oak, pine and juniper woods, and aromatic scrubland with rockrose, lavender and thyme.
This countryside is home to roe deer, partridges, hares, foxes and wild boar... and the skies are teeming with a wide range of birds, especially birds of prey and vultures.
|
| Modern farming focuses mainly on cereals (barley, wheat and rye), sugar beet and sunflowers.
The traditional local crops, beans and potatoes, are now practically only grown on small family plots for home consumption. |
|
 |
There is also some limited livestock farming, with two rabbit farms in the village, cows on the "dehesa" field, and occasional visits from the Valdeavellano shepherd and his flock.
|
| It is a time of change, the end of an era. Our neighbours are the last generation of Castilian peasants, whose cultural heritage and knowledge of the land will sadly die out with them.
Silence reigns in the village. What does the future hold? |
|
 |
For us, Valdemaluque is pure, wonderful peace and quiet.
It's fields, river, woods, flowers and insects, birds and cowbells...
|
| ...it's crisp clean air, excellent paths and traffic-free roads, unfenced open land... |
|
 |
...it's wood smoke, a stroll at sunset, a sky full of stars...
|
|
