This photo essay recounts a walk from Capilleira to the abandoned village of Cebadilla. While there’s a beautiful circular route along the scenic Poquiera Valley, I opted for the shortest route on this particular occasion.
La Cebadilla was built to house workers for the Poqueira Hydroelectric Power Station. Even though the power station remains operational, the village itself has become a ghost town, with abandoned houses, an old hermitage, and a school. Allegedly, two of the houses are still used by maintenance staff; however, it was difficult to see which ones as they all looked abandoned.
At its peak, La Cebadilla had a population of two hundred inhabitants. However, the rugged terrain posed access challenges. The townspeople had a designated shopper who, every two days, would travel to nearby villages on a donkey to purchase essentials like bread, milk, and other necessities.
Legend has it that this spectacular landscape captures the hearts of the people who pass through it, as it once did with a Moorish princess, whose spirit is said to still be seen wandering around the place of Barranco Hondo.
