Hidden Valley

Finding freedom in Spain's deep country

Free UK delivery on this item.

This brand new item is available with free UK delivery using Royal Mail tracked services.

Please note: the price advertised is as low as we can go — we do not accept or respond to offers. We're also unable to accommodate special requests added in your order notes at checkout. If you have a specific request or requirement, please contact us before ordering so we can check if it's something we can help with.

The story of the real 'good life' of an off-grid existence in rural Spain Paul Richardson fled the city to live on the land in a rough-and-tumble village on the edge of Europe. Immersing himself in the culture of his remote Spanish community, he learned the traditional arts of animal husbandry and vegetable growing, wine-making and home distilling, and made bread from the rye he sowed on the stone-walled terraces of his twelve-acre farm. In prose that shimmers with wit and sensuality, the author charts his personal route-map along a road less travelled - from urban pressures to rural tranquility, and from insecurity to fulfilment. Along the way he pays tribute to the influences that have shaped his progress - from The Good Life to Henry David Thoreau, from the 1970s pioneers to self-sufficiency to his farming neighbours in the far-flung region of Extremadura. In Richardson's hands, off-grid living both becomes an act of rebellion and a heartening proof that a simpler, better life is possible, if only we can remove ourselves from the ethos in which conspicuous consumption is a duty and success/failure the wheel on which society turns. Hidden Valley is a glorious narrative of one man's journey towards self-reliance. Original and thought-provoking, it is also hugely entertaining.

Product Details