Rural allure: Six villages that have paid people to move in

IMAGINE getting paid to live in Spain.

For most people residing anywhere else in the world, merely living in Spain itself is payment enough. But in recent years, a number of municipalities have been offering everything from cut-priced rent or building plots on sale for three-figure sums through to guaranteed jobs - and even non-means-tested cash grants to people moving in, as well as lump sums for children born there.

You won't find schemes like this in major beach holiday hotspots, on the Costas, or in big cities, though. The idea of financial incentives for people to move to the municipalities in question is to prevent their population from declining, and to justify keeping or acquiring facilities that may otherwise be considered non-cost effective.

Around 53% of Spain's municipalities are considered to be in danger of rural exodus or 'depopulation', being very small and remote, largely occupied only by retirees and with no children being born in them, frequently because they are too far to commute from. Many of these 'shrinking villages' are trying to sell themselves as peaceful and pleasant bases for remote workers, who do not need to worry about living conveniently close to the office, but even this is not easy: Where a population 20 kilometres or more from the nearest decent-sized town has barely 100 or 200 residents, many of them retired, mobile phone and internet operators are reluctant to set up networks in them, as the cost of installation would never be recovered – demand is not high enough – and without internet, you cannot feasibly work from home.

Luckily, Spain's government is focusing heavily on getting the whole of the country online, in accordance with European Union requirements for 100% of the population to be able to access the internet, so this will, eventually, change.

These parts of the country are frequently dubbed 'Empty Spain', or España Vacía, but they normally have some of the most jaw-dropping rural scenery and close-knit, supportive communities, making them delightful places to live in.

According to radio station Onda Cero and to the national daily newspaper 20 Minutos, back in summer, at least six villages in the north, east and west of the mainland were attempting to attract new residents with cheap rent or cash payments, although conditions are sometimes attached. For example, new dwellers are likely to have to be families with children, or people who plan to have children once they are settled, and they will probably have to show that their intentions of living there are permanent or at least long-term, possibly even having to refund any direct payouts if they move away again within a certain number of months or years.

It is not clear whether these offers remain current, but even if they are not, they are likely to arise again, and other villages in 'Empty Spain' might well offer similar incentives in the future, or have done in the past.

Vall d'Ebo, Alicante province, Comunidad Valenciana

One of four neighbouring villages of curious design that start with vall – meaning 'valley' in the regional language, valenciano – the great advantage of the Vall d'Ebo is that, despite being remote and rural, it's only a few kilometres as the crow flies from a lively, bustling coast and medium-sized towns served by good highways.

Along with the Vall de Gallinera – famous for its huge spring cherry crop and annual cherry festival – the Vall de Laguar and Vall d'Alcalà, the Vall d'Ebo is a massively popular weekend hiking destination, and the name of the village is taken from that of the valley it sits in.

All four flow into each other, spanning a rural 'mini-county' known as Les Valls ('The Valleys'), sharing natural landmarks and road networks.

The difference is that the Vall d'Ebo is only one residential nucleus. The Vall de Gallinera is made up of eight hamlets or residential hubs, each up to six kilometres apart – Benirrama, Alpatró (the largest, with 224 residents), Benialí (the second-largest, with about 150), Benissivà, Benitaia, La Carroja, Benissili, and Llombai – whilst the Vall d'Alcalà has two (Beniaia and Alcalà de la Jovada), and the Vall de Laguar has four (Benimaurell, Campell, Fleix, and Fontilles).

The villages sit at altitudes ranging from 300 metres (the Vall de Gallinera) to 637 metres (the Vall d'Alcalà), with populations in the 100s – the largest is the Vall de Laguar, with 843, and the smallest is the Vall d'Alcalà, with 163.

The Vall de Gallinera is the second-largest, with 557 residents, and the Vall d'Ebo, at an altitude of just under 400 metres, has a mere 204 inhabitants.

They've all have been pushing hard for measures to ensure their population does not decline and key services remain in place or improve – rural hotels, a mobile GP surgery, and a mobile bank branch have been in operation for some time.

A short distance from anywhere in Les Valls is the larger town of Pego, with around 11,000 residents, a significant proportion being northern European expatriates, and from there, it is only a matter of minutes to drive to the lively, colourful coastal hotspots of Dénia (44,500 residents) and Oliva, Valencia province (26,000 residents).

When you're in the 'valleys', though, it's hard to believe civilisation and full facilities such as secondary schools, district hospitals, shopping centres and hypermarkets are so close by. Silence reigns, dramatic mountains and pine forests stretch as far as the eye can see, and the entire horizon turns pink at the beginning of the year and again in early spring when the almond and then the cherry blossoms burst out.

The Vall d'Ebo and the Vall de Laguar share the natural wonder known as the Barranc de l'Infern, which literally translates as 'Hell's Ravine' – a gushing river seemingly kilometres below your feet, wedged between two vast cliffs and dominated by mountains, making for views that you will never tire of.

And the Vall d'Ebo itself is a key day-trip destination because of its El Rull cave – named after the man whose dog discovered it in 1919 when chasing rabbits, the underground grotto is believed to be millions of years old, and its stalactites and stalagmites are like a natural sculpture exhibition. They appear to be human figures – a pianist, an artist, and even the Virgin Mary kneeling in prayer can be clearly made out.

Earlier this year, the Vall d'Ebo announced it had a number of empty houses it was willing to rent out for the reduced price of €150, provided the occupants had, or planned to have, children, since the main aim was to keep its local school open.

Similar schemes could well arise in the other three 'valleys', but in any case, property in them is typically very cheap, given the remote inland locations.

And they're surprisingly cosmopolitan: In the Vall de Gallinera and Vall d'Ebo, the foreigner population, mostly non-Spanish Europeans, ranges from around 15.5% to 13%.

Ponga, Asturias

Emerald-green, mountainous, incredibly scenic and with summers that are far less humid and sweaty than on the Mediterranean and south coast, this attractive village of 200 inhabitants is known to have witnessed the passage of Celtic culture.

Much of Spain's northern strip has strong Celtic influences, meaning anyone with Scottish, Irish, Welsh or Cornish roots, or from the Brittany area of France or from northern Portugal will feel instantly at home there. Folk music and dance during fiestas is Celtic in cultural origin, which is why it appears, to the untrained eye and ear, to be 'a bit Scottish or Irish'.

Indeed, the scenery has points in common with the Republic of Ireland – oceans of startling green surround you, and you can explore these on hiking trips, by bicycle, in 4x4 safari trucks, or even at high speed via a zip-line – a number of companies based in the village offer days out, including guided tours or treks, or simply bike hire by the hour.

About an hour and a half from Oviedo and from the beautiful, raw beaches and fishing villages of Asturias' coast, and bordering onto the province of León – famous for its attractive cathedral – Ponga has, in the recent past, offered to pay new residents up to €3,000 just for moving in.

Given that 'Empty Spain' needs young blood to create new generations, Ponga was also said to be offering up to €3,000 in cash to parents for every baby born in the village.

Griegos, Teruel province, Aragón

As a bonus, Aragón's southernmost province has two ski resorts – Javalambre and Valdelinares – where lift passes and equipment hire are comparatively very cheap, as are hotels a short drive away; also, it's less than a two-hour drive to Spain's third-largest city, Valencia, which is on the coast.

In fact, it's probably quicker to get to Valencia than to Aragón's own regional capital and Spain's fifth-largest city, Zaragoza, but both can be reached by good motorways that rarely have any traffic to speak of.

Teruel's scenery is among the most beautiful in Spain – snow-capped mountains and fir-tree forests at high altitudes and, lower down, vast, unbroken countryside, dramatic rock formations reminiscent of the Grand Canyon, swathes of farm fields – often still with working donkeys – and colours that seem to change around every corner, from Mars-red to bluish to hay-coloured.

Indeed, villages in Teruel, many of which have fewer than 200 residents, appear locked in time, frozen centuries ago, and life itself feels a little like that. Everyone knows everyone, nobody stays a tourist for much longer than it takes to unpack their suitcases, letters and parcels are sent care of the local bar – which is where you'll find anyone you're looking for, even the mayor – and inhabitants live off the land, using ancient farming methods such as ox and plough or horse and cart rather than tractors.

Griegos, home to around 140 residents, is the second-highest altitude municipality in Spain, which could explain why it has some of the coldest summers in the country. An average annual temperature of 7ºC – compared with the average of 18ºC on the Mediterranean and south coast – means 'heatwaves' rarely rise above the low 20s and, even in the height of July or August, it's not unusual for the mercury to drop to 0ºC. 

This makes Griegos a popular holiday destination for people living in Spain, since a few days there in summer offers respite from the heat and humidity – without having to compromise on bright sunshine and outdoor life.

We reported last year that Griegos was offering local jobs, mostly in the guest house and bar, along with houses to rent for the employees.

Rent was free for the first three months, then reduced to €225 thereafter.

Anyone who had school-age or pre-school children would be a priority candidate, and would be given an extra €50 a month off their house rent per child.

Olmeda de la Cuesta, Cuenca province, Castilla-La Mancha

East of the province of Teruel, that of Cuenca sits directly between those of Valencia on the Mediterranean coast, and Madrid, just north of central Spain. 

Cuenca city is world-famous for its curious-looking 'hanging houses', and numerous villages and small towns are based near natural springs and rivers in vast canyons that have been adapted for summer bathing, due to the long distance to the coast – one of the most popular watery destinations for tourists and day-trippers is Minglanilla, whose rock-pools and springs 'feed' off the Hoces de Cabriel freshwater network.

Despite being very sparsely populated, Cuenca as a province is well connected – the A-3 Valencia-Madrid motorway runs right through it, and you're only about an hour and a half from either city at any point. Indeed, close to the western border of Cuenca province, Madrid is almost close enough to commute to.

Olmeda de la Cuesta is a tourist attraction in itself: It's the only known town in Spain with more sculptures than inhabitants. It's home to around 21 residents, but its 'statue boulevard', or Paseo de las Esculturas, has 85 works of art at the last count.

The village has reportedly been auctioning off plots of brown-site or building land for just €200 to €300 each.

The only condition applying is that whoever buys a plot is required to construct a residential property on it within a maximum of three years, with the intention of either living in it or renting it to someone else to live in.

As the aim is for these newly-built houses to help increase the population year-round, they would have to be occupied almost all the time, even if not lived in permanently; this could mean at weekends only for someone who works in Madrid during the week, or perhaps with a constant turnover of holiday guests.

A Xesta, Pontevedra province, Galicia

The far north-western region of Galicia enjoys mild summers, but still warm enough to attract numerous visitors setting up home for the whole of August or even for the entire school holidays – typically year-round residents in Madrid or other northern cities, who want to spend the hottest months near a beach.

Often likened to Scotland or Ireland for its emerald-green scenery, rolling hills and grazing cattle, and much-loved for its famous Rías, or river delta network – plus the idyllic Cíes Islands, which are uninhabited and bathed by pale-turquoise waters, frequently described as 'like a Scottish Caribbean' – Galicia's countryside is breathtaking, and it's everywhere.

Three of its four provinces – Pontevedra, A Coruña and Lugo – have a coast, and in fact, Galicia is normally one of the regions with the most blue-flagged beaches in the country, only beaten by the Comunidad Valenciana on the Mediterranean.

Ourense is completely land-locked, and borders onto northern Portugal, meaning you can take a day-trip or even do your supermarket shopping in another country altogether.

Despite its rural panorama and many tiny, remote villages, Galicia is less 'empty' than many of the central regions – its cities are large, ornate and well-visited.

Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña province) is home to the world-acclaimed and stunningly-beautiful cathedral at the end of the internationally-renowned Camino de Santiago pilgrims' route, and is one of the planet's five 'Holy Cities', along with Jerusalem and Rome.

In Pontevedra province itself, the largest city – which is not the provincial capital – is Vigo, which has a global reputation for its spectacular Christmas lights; tourists pour in from all over the world ahead of the festive season just to admire them.

And they use 100% LED bulbs, as confirmed by the mayor, so Vigo's joint biggest attraction – along with its dinosaur 'father and son' hedge sculpture – is not in conflict with the battle against climate change.

At one time, the village of A Xesta, home to around 250 people, was offering rented accommodation to anyone who planned to move there at a dramatically reduced price, of just €100 a month.

Rubiá, Ourense province, Galicia

Also in the verdant, sublime north-west, but in the region's only land-locked province, Rubiá is one of the more densely-populated of the 'pay to stay' villages.

With around 1,400 inhabitants and close to the region's south-eastern border, Rubiá backs onto the province of León and, at 512 metres above sea-level, offers panoramic views across the entire Valdeorras Valley – indeed, you can see a huge proportion of the whole province from here.

Mostly mountainous, the village sits on the edge of the Sierra de la Encina de la Lastra nature reserve and is bordered by the river Sil, and is about an hour and a half from the provincial capital city.

Rubiá's landscape is so awe-inspiringly beautiful that it attracts holidaymakers seeking peaceful countryside breaks and hiking trips – helped by the fact that it is well connected via the N-120 inter-provincial highway.

According to Onda Cero, back in summer, Rubiá local council was offering one-off cash payments to anyone moving into the village, ranging from around €100 to €150.