Rotting and abandoned, these ghostly Spanish villages were deserted during the recession as their owners fled the country to find jobs in the city.
But now they are being snapped up by foreigners, a third of them British, for knock-down prices and turned into idyllic retirement properties.
For just £75,000 an adventurous investor can snap up the village of Ribeira Sacra along with six houses, a warehouse, and 32,000sqft of land – the same price as a parking space in Battersea or a two-bedroom bungalow in Bognor Regis.
The kitchen of one of four empty homes in an abandoned village close to Ortiguiera
Haunting: Hay bales rot in their lofts, highlighting how the properties were abandoned
The bedroom of one of the properties in the village close to Ortiguiera. Buyers will also get three barns and a cattle shed
The village of Barrerios, near Pontevena is just one of 2,900 villages which lie abandoned in rural Spain and are being sold off for knock-down prices
According to an estate agent there are around 2,900 deserted villages in rural Spain
Similar villages in the same region are being sold for as little as £50,000 which includes a three-bedroom main house along with five other buildings
At £50,000 the whole village costs £200,000 less than the average house in the UK, and £350,000 less than the average flat in London
Another village is being sold online for £75,000, the same price as a parking garage in Battersea or a two-bedroom bungalow in Bognor Regis
These pictures show the village of Pena Vella, near Pontenova, one of many similar clusters of homes that are now being sold.
A similar village in the same area is being sold for just £50,000 and comes with a three-bedroom main house, five other buildings, a fresh-water spring, and 140,000sqft of farmland.
According to estate agent Rafael Canales there are around 2,900 empty villages in rural Spain, the majority of which are bought by middle-class couples in their 50s or 60s looking for somewhere quiet for their retirement.
The semi-abandoned village has a watermill and is situated in 20,000m of land
Fallen silent: Abandoned millstones sit among the rotting wooden machinery
Derelict: Many of the properties need extensive work to be made habitable, although some properties are in better shape than others
Spain was one of the worst-affected countries in the global recession, with unemployment surging 20 per cent
According to an estate agent there are around 2,900 deserted villages in rural Spain
Crumbling: Although the structures may be crumbling, the countryside setting is idyllic
This village is described as ‘an absolutely lovely natural place with much wild life, deer, trout in the streams’
Families who fled the villages for the town see returning home as a step backward
Take the example of British father-of-two Neil Christie who bought the hamlet of Arrunada in an idyllic corner of rural north west Spain.
Even after he has totally renovated the four dilapidated properties, he expects to have spent no more than £140,000 on the project.
He and his wife have moved from their former home in Cumbria and are now staying in a nearby village where Mrs Christie works as a schoolteacher, while Mr Christie spends his time renovating their future home.
British pensioner Neil Christie bought a village last year and expects to spend just £140,000 renovating it for him and his wife to live in during their retirement
The villages, some of which have been owned by the same families for generations, were abandoned during the financial crash as they headed to cities to find work
A map shows the extent of the abandoned properties across rural Spain which are being snapped up for knock-down prices, 8 per cent of which go to foreign investors
Even the most expensive village on his books, Ribadero, will set the buyers back just £372,000, roughly £25,000 less than the average London flat.
Spain was one of the worst-affected countries in the recession, with unemployment surging 20 per cent in the aftermath of the crash, and today more than 5million people are still without a job.
Mr Canales added that families who fled to larger towns in order to earn money are often loath to return to the country because it is viewed as taking a step backwards.
Picturesque: Many of the homes boast rustic period features
An abandoned village on the Costa de La Muerte (‘Coast of Death’). The region received its ominous name because there have been so many shipwrecks along its treacherous rocky shore
The Costa de La Muerte property has four houses, barns, threshing areas and water and electricity
Scenic: The view from the the Costa de La Muerte property
Spain’s economy was one of Europe’s worst-hit during the financial crash as unemployment surged 20 per cent. Even today more than 5million people are without jobs
The abandoned homes are being sold now because the families cannot pay the upkeep or know they will never be able to afford to return
