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to sightsee, but one morning was given over to a walk into La Alberca for tapas and lunch. And, we often walked into the village as part of our one to ones,' when one or the other wished to make a small purchase. I don't quite know how to describe La Alberca without reverting to the clich a step back in time'. Unspoilt' isn't quite the word; cars, television aerials and such seem to blend in with the multi-storied, half-timbered houses as if they've always been there.

And, if you want to see how those houses used to be used, I highly recommend a visit to the Stur Juanela Museum, in Calle Mesn. This is a 4-story house, restored to the condition in which it was when the Juanela family lived here in the mid-20th Century, in conditions unchanged for hundreds of years.

In the afternoons, we had free time' officially to allow for a siesta after lunch, but we managed to organise a car convoy to the nearby village of San Martin de Castaar even older than La Alberca, even more charming, and with its own primitive bull-ring. And, so few tourists does it receive that the men outside the cantina were trying their best not to stare at us.

On another day, we drove to the 5653-ft.summit of Pea de Francia, where there's a monastery and a TV relay station. But, far more exciting were the views, and the chance to look down on a soaring bird of prey; the jury's still out as to whether we saw an eagle or a buzzard!

As I said before, the reason for our visit was work but I never enjoyed work so much. I made some good friends, and had a great time. I made plans to go again in 2006, but, in the winter, things changed.

Vaughan Systems said they were no longer going to use the hotel at Gredos, but did open a new centre at Cazorlo, near Jaen. Then, in March 2006, Richard Vaughan, the founder, disassociated himself, and his parent company, Vaughan Systems, from Pueblo Ingls, and set up his own organisation, called Vaughan Town' at the recently vacated Gredos.

Pueblo Ingls continued to operate Valdelavilla, La Alberca and Cazorla under the umbrella of the new parent company, Vaughan Iniciativos.

I'd already signed for a programme at Valdelavilla when this news broke, but I found, on arriving at Madrid, that the organisation intended to carry on as if nothing had happened.

At La Alberca, we had a number of places we could walk to with our' Spaniard. At Valdelavilla, there were only really two places we could walk. Up the hill, and down the hill!

The Spaniards, mainly business or professional

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