Castillo de Locubin is a white washed town in the heart of olive country in the Province of Jaen, Spain. The town has a population of approximately 5550 inhabitants. Although Castillo de Locubin is a town, when living in it you certainly feel that you are living in a village amongst a very close-knit community.

 Living in Castillo de Locubin is like stepping back in time. One of the first things that strikes you when visiting the town is how warm and friendly the people are. People here like to talk to you, the fact that you both know you cannot understand each other makes no difference what’s so ever, they still talk as if you can understand them.

 Castillo is a place where women still clean their steps and sweep the street in front of their house. A place where the local produce is still brought to your doors in vans, for instance, there is a couple of bakers shops in the town, yet each shop sends a delivery man with his fresh bread and typical Andalucian cakes out to the houses, every day apart from Sunday the baker man toots his horn to let the people know he is there. Gas men also come and deliver bottled gas three times a week, which is what most things are run by, i.e. cooker/water boilers, this works well and is very cheap and means you don’t have large gas bills every three month. There is also a frozen food man that comes round and many other people with different things.

 Shops, Bars & Restaurants

In the town there is everything you need regarding shops of all kinds and shops that sell more or less everything. There are also numerous banks and cash machine. Every Mondays there is a Market held in the main Plaza (square) it is very cheap and great for shoes, clothes, local produce and many other products. There are also a number of bars and a couple of good restaurants situated on the main Plaza (square).

 Fiestas

The main Plaza (square) is where all the local fiestas are celebrated, usually after a procession around the town. The fiestas are very frequent especially between Easter with Semana Santa (Holy Week) through till October, nearly all the town gets involved with the fiestas, people of every age.

 Cherry Fiesta

The big cherry fiesta is held on 17^th, 18^th & 19^th  June. Castillo is very famous for its cherry’s and supplies different countries every year with their product. Locals have competitions with their homemade cherry products. You also get the opportunity to buy products as the locals take their produce to market. It is a great time of celebration.

 Olives

From around Dec - February/March time, the town goes quite, it is olive season, this is where most people will be found, amongst the many olive groves which surround the town, whole families dedicate there time to bringing in the harvest. As you drive along the roads at this time of year you will see the nets around the olive trees, you will see people beating the olives off the trees with a large stick, this is the traditional method still used here today. At the end of the season again there is more fiestas and processions.

 San Juan Rio (river)

Around the town there are many walks, as the town is on a hill you have astounding views from most places. The countryside is beautiful and amazingly green. Castillo is home to the source of the San Juan Rio (river) a place of outstanding beauty, while there you could easily imagine you were stood in the Yorkshire Dales. Drinks and ice cream are also available, it is also the perfect place to take a picnic or to just sit and relax in a peaceful setting by the river.

 Churches

In the town there are three main Catholic Churches, San Anton at the top of the town, Hermitage of Jesus Nazereno across from the main Plaza (square) and near to the castle, there is San Pedro, which dates back to the 14^th century but owes its appearance in the reforms of the 17^th century directed by a local architect-Juan Aranda de Salazar, Master Builder of the cathedrals of Granada and Jaen. The church here is still very much the centre focus for the town and its people and plays a big part in making the town as special as it is.

 Castle

Castillo de Locubin has still the remains of a castle known as La Villeta, hardly anything now remains, however, Muslim documents mention a castle which at one point had two gates, a courtyard and keep, which fell down in a gale in 1593.

 Schools

The town has schools here for every level of education, often in small towns and villages children have to travel, Castillo de Locubin is very fortunate to have all the schools in the one town, therefore most of the children can walk. There are a small amount of English children in the schools and each week the English children have Spanish lessons during school hours, this is of course a great help to them.

 What has Castillo de Locubin got to offer you?

Along with the hot climate, the laid back lifestyle, Castillo de Locubin has much to offer. Property prices although are on the increase, there is still a wide range of good value property on the market. It is a ideal location where you can have all the benefits of rural Spain and is still only 1 hour away from Granada, two hours away from Costa Tropical and with the added bonus of cheap flights now going from Granada-Liverpool and Stansted, it’s a fantastic place for anyone wanting to start a new life in Spain, plenty of business opportunities or just a place to maybe have a second home in the sun.

We hope you have enjoyed reading about Castillo de Locubin and if you would like to know any more information about our town, please do not hesitate to email us, we will be very happy to hear from you and answering any questions you might have.