April 2023. Ian shows Ailish (Researcher) and Tom (Producer) from Voltage TV the views from Moclin Castle.

The work on the property was scheduled to take just over 3 months to complete. Now, anyone who has ever undertaken a property restoration project will know that this is an almost impossible timeline. Our own property restoration, at Casa Higueras, took a year! When we have worked on our own projects, we didn’t spend all day every day getting under builders’ feet and were quite happy to let them get on with it!

Amanda and Alan did spend much of the summer on their challenging building site, knocking down ceilings and walls, but they did manage to escape to take in many of the most beautiful corners of Southern Spain.

We have already written a blog post about some of the things you can do in and around Moclin if you choose to spend a week here, but the production team also managed to squeeze in a few other activities.

Rock Climbing.

Moclin has a series of well-known ‘Via Ferrata’ areas, including a training cliff on the edge of the village. A via ferrata is a fixed climbing area up a cliff face, complete with steel fixtures to aid the climb. Many people come here to enjoy the excellent climbing, but it is not always easy for visitors to find the right guide or the right equipment. For filming, we introduced the team to Richard Hartley who runs Spanish Highs, a trekking and mountaineering company based in the Alpujarras. Richard and his team have experience of this area and can provide all the materials you need for a climb, even if you don’t want to venture beyond the training area.

Alan attempts the Via Farrata: “Don’t look down!”

E-biking.

Moclin is built on a mountain and even for seasoned cyclists, like Andrew, cycling up steep roads can be daunting. This is a big cycling area and every weekend there are teams, clubs and individuals who take to their bikes and enjoy the spectacular routes. For those cyclists who do love getting out and about on a bike but without having to climb 600 metres up a mountain, e-bikes are the answer. Alan and Amanda did take to the road, but on a relatively flat route. Bikes were hired from Michael Bike Rental (+34 627 538 044) in Granada and they can be the best way to explore some of the villages in the municipality, stopping off every now and again to take in a spectacular view or enjoy an ice-cold beer at a village bar.

Moclin Castle.

The 13th Century Moorish Castle that sits on the top of the mountain is not normally open to the public during the week, but there are guided tours at the weekend. That said, at the moment the castle is closed for the foreseeable future as there is a team of archaeologists working on excavating some of the rubble that covers the ground floor of the building. This will make significant improvements to the safety of the castle and, we hope, will reveal a great deal of the layout of this historic fortress. The castle was built in the 1200s and was considered to be impregnable. It was under almost constant siege from the time it was built until it was finally captured by the Catholic Monarchs in 1486. The King and Queen, Fernando and Isabel, stayed here for 6 years until they conquered Granada. It is possible to see the Alhambra Palace from the Castle, and the 360 degree views are breathtaking.

¡Flamenco!

During the summer, Alan and Amanda came to see the Flamenco performance staged by Granada Cultural Holidays, and joined our guests at the end for a Rumba Flamenca. The performance marks the end of a week-long Flamenco course during which our guests get to learn choreography and the history and music behind this passionate and evocative art form. Come and join us in 2025!

Further afield, Alan and Amanda travelled across Andalucia in search of inspiration for their newly acquired property and the list is a good framework on which to build an itinerary for any visit to southern Spain.

Lanjarón, Granada. Alan and Amanda came to this attractive spa town, known as the gateway to the Alpujarras, the southern foothills of the Sierra Nevada, in search of traditional basket weavers. Here, artisans still create baskets and lamp shades out of whicker and Amanda tried her hand at weaving the large lampshades that eventually found their way into their newly restored house in Moclín.

Gorafe, Granada Geopark. The Granada Geopark was designated in 2020 as one of the 17 Geoparks spread throughout Spain, and its extraordinary landscapes are rich in a history dating back millions of years. The area is renowned for its dark skies, and it was here that Alan and Amanda came for a night of star-gazing. We wrote a blog post about our own visit to this dramatic and historic region.

The Alhambra, Granada. No visit to Andalucia would be complete without taking in the beautiful Moorish architecture of Sevilla, Córdoba and Granada, and the jewel in Granada’s crown is irrefutably the Alhambra Palace. The TV restorers drew inspiration from the intricate designs that form so much of the Nasrid Palaces within the Alhambra, to such an extent that they created their own plaster moulded ceilings at the Granada-based Mudéjar Artesanos Juntos traditional factory. If you are planning a visit to the Alhambra, book early!

Granada City Centre. Amanda and Alan managed to take in some of the other historic locations in this beautiful city, including the Mirador de San Nicolas, a popular square in which to enjoy the sunsets and take in the spectacular views of the Alhambra from the heart of the moorish Albaicín district. They made churros in the famous Cafe Futbol and sampled Arabic tea in one of the city’s Teterías. Filming of the programme also coincided with the Granada Feria and Festival of Corpus Christi, arguably the most important of the city’s festivals and a time when everyone dresses in their finery to enjoy the fair and the many free cultural events throughout the city.

Cantarriján Beach, Granada. The Maro-Cerro Gordo stretch of the Costa Tropical is the perfect antidote to its busier neighbour, the Costa del Sol. This rugged coastline hides numerous stunning coves where the water is crystal clear and the beaches often devoid of people. Cantarriján Beach is one of the more accessible coves and attracts visitors throughout the year; it is also a designated nudist beach which is why it may have proved so popular with Alan and Amanda! The beach is not all about naturism as it also boasts some very fine eating places - Restaurante La Barraca is open all year round, with tables both inside their beach-shack building and filtering out onto the beach itself; their fresh fish is delicious and they have some very good local wines. There are a couple of other great chiringuitos on the beach, favoured by the film crew.

Sevilla. The capital of Andalucia and a breathtaking city, filled with architectural treasures and with many sites used as locations for TV and Film. Alan and Amanda visited the spectacular Plaza de España to draw inspiration for architectural styles that they could adapt for their own property. They enjoyed tapas in Triana, the Flamenco heartland of the city and took a tour of the Gospa Citrus Orange Farm before sampling sherry at the Lustau Bodega in nearby Jerez de la Frontera.

The TV restorers stayed at the beautiful Casa la Siesta in Vejer de la Frontera. The owners of this lovely rural hideaway also happen to be the people behind Bert & May tiles, and Alan and Amanda bought tiles from their factory in Cabra for their kitchen and bathroom.

Cádiz Province. The coastline of Cádiz Province is spectacular. It is wild and unspoilt, stretching from the southernmost tip of Spain westwards past the ancient city of Cádiz. The Costa de la Luz is the Atlantic section and is a series of vast white beaches, shaped by the prevailing winds. Bolonia Beach is dominated by a vast sand dune and the remains of possibly one of the best preserved Roman towns to be found anywhere in Spain. Alan and Amanda explored the beach before boarding a boat to go whale spotting.

This list scratches the surface of what Andalucia has to offer as a destination. Over the coming months, we will be taking the time to explore even more of the region than we already have done, and sharing our experiences.

You can read earlier posts in this series by clicking on the links below:

Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 1
Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 2
Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 3
Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 4
Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 5
Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 6
Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 8
Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 9
Our Summer with Alan and Amanda 10

Follow us on Instagram:

Andrew @awatsonone
Ian @ianrutter
Casa Higueras @casahiguerasmoclin
Esperanza 9 @calleesperanza9
Granada Village and Country @granada_villageandcountry
Granada Cultural Holidays @granadaculturalholidays

‘Amanda and Alan’s Spanish Job’ is being shown on BBC One from 24th January 2025 and will be available on iPlayer.

For the programme, Amanda and Alan bought their property through our estate agency business, Granada Village & Country and we were instrumental in putting together the building teams who completed the renovation of the property.

The property will be available for sale through Granada Village & Country, and featured on Rightmove, at the end of the series.

Our other businesses as featured on the programme:

Casa Higueras Bed & Breakfast
Esperanza 9
Granada Cultural Holidays

With enormous thanks to Amanda, Alan and the entire team at Voltage TV for choosing Moclín and for your enthusiasm, love and consideration throughout the filming of the series. We loved having you all here!