Finca/Country House for sale in Las Tres Villas, Almería

An unique opportunity to acquire a 2,400 hectare multi-faceted eco-system in the Sierra Nevada National and Natural Parks.

2,400 hectares (5,930 acres) of land
Livestock farm with 200 years of stewardship
200 year old village for restoration, including the hamlet schoolhouse
Main cortijo and 3 separate houses
Huge bodega
A minimum of 8 further stone cortijos needing restoration
Enormous former olive oil mill for restoration
Hunting estate with wild boar, deer, ibex and partridge
Various fresh water springs and wells
A mix of dry and irrigated land with olive and almond trees

This incredible and majestic estate has been in the same family ownership for 200 years, and on this land the family developed an entire infrastructure based on agriculture. A beautiful stone-built village was at the heart of the estate, and narrow lanes wended their way through homes and pastures, and village children went to the local school house. 50 families used to live here, and raised their children here. The collection of characterful homes and stables, constructed using slate and stone from the estate, but now needing restoration, provide stabling and shelter for goats and sheep raised on the farm. Immaculately hand-crafted dry stone walls set out terraces for the cultivation of olive trees.

Across the dramatic terrain, there are many further dilapidated historic buildings providing footprints for new development.

More recently, the family built another small hamlet centred around the main cortijo of the estate: a large 9 bedroom family home, constructed in the middle of the last Century. In this hamlet, there are 3 more houses, all sizeable, an enormous bodega with storage above and wood store. There are reminders everywhere of the estate’s illustrious past: in the bodega, there are large oak barrels in which grapes were layered with straw before being shipped off to the United Kingdom. This has always been an active and productive farm. The farm’s current shepherd and farmworker live in one of the properties, and this has been well-maintained. The roofs of each building have recently been rebuilt or repaired, although the other properties do need refurbishment to bring them back to life.

In one corner of the hamlet, there is a pipe system that drives 100 metres deep into the mountainside, tapping into one of the various freshwater springs that bring water to parts of the estate.

Within sight of the main cortijo, partially concealed by elegant cypress trees, there lie the remains of an enormous olive oil mill, once part of the industrial machinery of the estate.

A network of very well maintained tracks lead to most areas of the estate, although the owners admit that it can take a good couple of days to drive around the entire 2,400 hectares. It is necessary, for example, to hike to the top of the highest peak but the views from the top are spectacular: the coast of Almeria, taking in the rugged natural beauty of the Cabo de Gata and the Gulf of Almeria.

The estate is a geological and ecological paradise. The University of Jaén regularly sends teams here to examine the rare blue rock in the mountains above the main cortijo. Wildlife and game roam freely and the estate has generated a good percentage of its income from hunting wild boar, deer, ibex and partridge.

Finca Nuestra Señora del Carmen is the largest estate in Almeria, and sits across 5 different municipalities and both the Sierra Nevada National and Natural Parks.

As a productive farm, the estate benefits from CAP grants and income is generated from cultivation of fruit, olives, almonds, hunting and the farming of sheep and goats.

For a new investor, this special property represents a unique opportunity for total autonomy on a legacy estate: self-sufficiency, land, livestock and private water rights, the footprints of former villages and hamlets and exciting habitable accommodation. This is a project for heritage restoration and development on an enviable scale in a stunning location.