A short introduction from TJ

Hi, My name is TJ
My dream is to buy and live in a cave. Until now I have only looked for caves close to Baza because, even if I have a car I don't want to depend on it. After searching and reading articles and messages it seems like the most interesting caves is located in the villages nearby Baza, so I might have to expand my interest a bit further.

Hi TJ and welcome to the forum! It's a good time to be looking for a cave just now as prices are generally lower than they have been (not good for venders but every cloud has a silver lining). We've lived for five years without a car and it's great that you want to keep your usage down - keeps you fit and helps the environment!
Between Baza and Huescar there are some lovely little villages with a whole variety of cave houses, some reformed, some not, and some with land. Every village has a weekly market and they've all got shops, a bank and a variety of activities going on. There's usually one or two buses to Baza during the week so it's possible to travel if you don't mind working around the timetables. Nowhere will be as lively as Baza, but if you don't mind some peace and tranquility then it can be ideal! Happy cave hunting!

Thank you very much for the welcome. I think I have gotten the wrong impression about the villages surrounding Baza. I didn't imagine  that they have services like banks and shops. So, there is not need to travel to Baza to get groceries e.t.c.

What about buses from the villages to Baza?
Do the busses to and from Malaga stops at the city center of Baza or at the big mainroad N-342? :-)

Hi , welcome and good luck with your hunt ! Alsa is the bus company,they seem to go everywhere and quite often drop off at towns near motorways.
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Hello TJ and welcome! Happy Cave Hunting

Arness wrote:So, there is not need to travel to Baza to get groceries e.t.c.

Well, that is an interesting question.
Yes, it is possible to survive on the stocks in local shops. The choice is very limited and the prices reflect the lack of competition. But why would you want to? Just like rural communities in the UK, a car will improve your lifestyle 1000% if you live in a village or out in the countryside.

Baza has a bus station that connects it to the major cities: Granada, Malaga (eventually), Murcia etc. But without a car, you're very limited in what you can buy - since you'll have to carry it around. Also, the buses aren't exactly fast or frequent as they provide a service to the villages en route.
The nearest train stations are in Guadix or Lorca and will get you to where you want to go, so long as time is not of the essence.

Pete is right, theres no 'local' bus services, although you will see 'bus stops, they are not served. You WILL end up doing your 'big shop' in Baza, that's almost a fact of life here. To be honest, good luck with the 'no car' bit, especially if you want to live 'out in the sticks'. Having lived here permanently for a little while, I think the only way you will succeed without your own transport is to live IN Baza, which is not a bad thing!!!
Don't reject this area because of anything I've said (not that I would want you to at all), its a fantastic place and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

At the risk of repeating myself, it can be done! And I think TJ is not wanting to depend too much on a car, which may be different to not owning one at all.
Personally, I think having lots of choice is over-rated, tho I accept that I'm in a minority. I'd much rather go to the local furniture shop than to a big city to shop, and I think it's great that you can do that here.
The local supermarkets are a bit limited, but the ones in Huescar have more varied stock. And there is a great range of fruit and veg and household stuff at the village markets. I have to admit that I tend to do my clothes shopping in Granada!
I can only speak for Castillejar / Los Olivos, but there are two buses every weekday to Baza, and two back, amd they stop at all bus stops on route, if someone is waiting there.
The buses from Baza to Granada stop at Guadix and sometimes Purullena/Diezma - you can check the routes if you don't want to stop much.
The Malaga / Granada to Baza buses stop at the bus station in Baza - there's not many direct Malaga-Baza and usually Malaga-Granada-Baza is more convenient, and you can have a coffee break in Granada!

miron wrote:Personally, I think having lots of choice is over-rated, tho I accept that I'm in a minority.

heh, heh. yes. basically I'm still a city boy at heart. i like having supermarkets with 100,000 different products; 200 sorts of pizza and 100 different chicken pies.  (though I've yet to see a chicken pie anywhere in spain. (and Lidl, which never seems to have the same stuff from one week to the next    !!!)
Compare that with the 3 (!) supermarkets in Baza, which all stock the same old jamon, queso, pan, and the odd frozen lasagne that the others do.

Thanks a lot. I see now that I need a car not only for buying groceries, but for collecting necessary supplies to fix the cave. I have a Defender that could be usefull  "down there"

Malaga-Baza and usually Malaga-Granada-Baza is more convenient, and you can have a coffee break in Granada!

Cheap flight from here/abroad to Malaga and bus to Granada- Baza will be  perfect to me.

If you wanted to manage without a car you would ideally get a cave within walking distance of one of the locations of the weekly markets:
Mon: Cullar
Tue: Orce
Wed: Galera
Thu: Huéscar
Fri: Castril
Sat: Castillejar
Sun: Benamaurel

All of the above also have banks and shops. And then you would want to be on the bus service. I know Orce, Huéscar, Castril and Castillejar are, not sure about the others.

The real problem with the altiplano as a rural community is trying to find things. I went out to get 80 bricks to match existing ones and whilst they were certainly cheap (€20 for 80) I must have spent close on €15 in fuel visiting five widely-spread builders merchants to get ones to match.

I nearly forgot: there's the shop vans too! If we want, we can get fruit and vegetables, fish, wine, beer and tinned stuff, and frozen foods all delivered to the door weekly. And the bread van will come 3 times a week!
I was a city girl once .......

Thanks to both of you.

I appreciate that kind of home delivery service very much.
I'm glad you mentioned it.