Xelardo 3

Xelardo, Lliria, Valencia, Spain
18-21 March 2026
I have a thing about derelict and abandoned places, or rather, in the more heroic and adventurous section of my mind I have a thing about exploring abandoned or derelict places. Of course, the gap between where my mind is and reality is huge – I’m way too chicken to climb a fence, crack open a slightly ajar door or slither under a gate. Sneaking into places isn’t really my thing, especially on my own and in a foreign country. But, having said that…

I’ve been into The House twice, the first was back in 2017, the second a year later. It sits alone and unloved at the end of a stony dirt road about 200 metres from our friends’ back fence. Back in 2017 a house that is now on the far side of thay back fence had yet to be built, though even before that The House wasn’t visible from their first floor deck.

I’m not sure whether The House was ever a home or just orchard workers’ temporary accommodation. There is no apparent sign of power; no plug sockets inside or powerlines running from the road, so whatever it was it was rustic. I’m also not sure when it was abandoned or why. It must have been a long time ago as there is no sign of an orchard in the hard scrabble field around it.

What drew me back to The House and will again next time I visit, is The Chair. I loved The Chair and wanted to see if it was still resident and what condition it’s in now, nine years after I first found it. This is from May 2017.

The Chair, it’s safe to say, is not beautiful. It’s an old 70s lump of wood, metal, springs and stuffing wrapped up in what I assume was fashionable at the time of purchase, brown leather. It’s not pretty, but it’s great and I’m so pleased that it’s still there and still in a reasonable state. There is some damage, but less than I expected, but it has been spun 180 degrees from when I last saw it.

I’m not sure what wild(ish) animals live in this area and I guess I should think about snakes as I yomp around in the low scrub, but I keep forgetting to check if they’re a thing in this area.
Xelardo is an urbanisation, a residential extension to the small town of Lliria, at the far end of the number 2 train line, 40 minutes from the centre of Valencia. It’s not remote remote, but it’s hardly urban. There are, of course, yoof here, but they’ve obviously not as much into vandalism as some, though a second chair that has been moved outside and dumped among the cacti has been almost completely destroyed.

I made two attempts at viewing The Chair. The first, on the walk to Marines I mentioned in the last post, was disturbed by a man walking a dog and I didn’t venture into The House. On the return from Marines the coast was clear, so I nipped in and took my photo. If I was less chicken, I would have explored a bit more.