Former banker’s beautiful property for sale in Granada, Andalucia
When, in 2003, Laurie Attridge decided to take early retirement from Nationwide after 33 years, and where he had been Head of Intermediary Markets, the then 57 year old banker and his wife Annie planned to sail around the world.
Both experienced sailors, the couple meticulously drew up a detailed business plan for their adventure only to be told by a fellow skipper that they were “too f***ing old”!
Not ones to be deterred, the Attridges accepted an offer to deliver a 48’ catamaran from Annapolis, Virginia, USA, to Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean in order to gain ocean sailing experience. As they approached the Bermuda Triangle, little did Laurie and Annie know but they were to hit the tail end of Hurricane Lenny, the strongest November Atlantic hurricane since 1932.
4 days struggling against 40 – 58 knot winds in a sailing vessel designed for cocktail trips in the Caribbean, the couple and their crew eventually found that they had been blown some 300 miles off course.
After their near-death experience, it is perhaps understandable that, when a friend suggested that the Attridges visit Andalucia in southern Spain, the couple accepted the invitation. While walking on one of the many beautiful ridges in the Valle de Lecrín, to the south of Granada, Laurie and Annie spied a plot of land that happened to be for sale with planning permission. It was here, surrounded by orange groves and ancient olive trees, overlooking a serene lake beneath a vast sky that the Attridges realised that there was an alternative to their oceanic dreams.
The couple set about designing and building their dream home in the Andalucian hills which became the nucleus for their post-retirement family life. Now, after 20 years, the couple have decided to sell their beautiful creation so they can move to Mexico to be near one of their daughters. The adventurous spirit of the perennial sailors continues.
Their property, El Cercado, sits in the most breathtaking location on a 9,600 m2 plot of land that has been planned and cultivated with the same meticulous attention to detail as the Attridges dedicated to their original plans to sail around the world. The 484 m2 house has 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a large open-plan kitchen/dining room and an elegant sitting room. There is a beautiful solar-heated swimming pool and delightful pathways that link verandahs, patios and terraces throughout the grounds; everywhere you look there are views across to mountains and lake Béznar. Apart from the 120 ancient Lechin Olive trees, every other tree in the garden has been planted by the Attridges, creating an oasis of calm and tranquillity; a 20 year antidote, perhaps, to their experience of Hurricane Lenny.
The city of Granada and the Alhambra Palace are 35 minutes’ drive from the property and in the opposite direction the Costa Tropical can be reached in less than half an hour. Granada Airport is the nearest airport with flights to the UK, and Málaga Airport is an hour and 30 minutes’ drive away.
Laurie and Annie Attridge may no longer be sailors, but with the lake below their home providing their daily emotional connection with water, they have created something very special in this lush corner of Spain.
El Cercado is being marketed by GC Property Consultants with an asking price of €860,000. For further details, contact Ian Rutter: +34 663 506 000 or [email protected]. Website: www.gcpropertyconsultants.com
