Cutter53

At the moment where I live in UK the weather is -3c, looked at Costa Blanca and it's 14 and expected to get to 20c, and people can't understand why I plan to move there this year.
Better standard of life style, no longer having 4 layers of clothes on in winter, which can last 5-6 months, more time spent outside instead of stuck in watching the goggle box, less stews, broths etc and more salads, personally I don't see any negative points in moving but perhaps I'm looking through rose tinted glasses so if anyone can think of negative points I'd be glad to hear from them.

Moses2013

Wait until summer comes, crowds of people, the heat etc. You'll also feel cold when it's 14 once you get used to it. It's all relative and as you say (expected to get to 20c). When it's 35 in Spain, people elsewhere will be enjoying their summer with pleasant temps (20c). Fresh smell of cut grass, a light summer shower etc. Even Spanish in Northern Spain don't all dream of moving further South, so there must be more to life.


Many Northern Europeans are happy to just spend the winter months in Spain and Britain hardly ever gets real winters in my opinion. LOL (5-6 months). Apart from today, it's been more like Spring here.

Cutter53

What areas of Spain do you think are the best for weather, ie cooler than the hottest regions

missile

Life is what you make and happiness has very little to do with the weather. Eskimos can be very happy at -40 and Tunisians at +40.

After a summer or two at +30 you may appreciate England's temperate climate / green and pleasant landscape.

Moses2013

Bought land a few years ago not far from Blanes/Lloret and climate there suits me fine. Only intended for a holiday home and it's also the scenery that attracts me, but you have a Mediterranean climate with just enough rain. Can get cold in winter too (raining today), but still mild enough during day and can be around 15-17 at this time of year with sun. I know others are only focused on possible sunshine hours and are happy to sit around a pool for months, but that was never me.


I personally really enjoy summers at home and the long summer evenings we have. Do a bit of work in garden, walk along empty beaches and so on.

Retired in Euskadi

As others have stated, it's horses for courses. If all you want is England with Mediterranean weather, then you'll find it all the way from Catalunya to Huelva.
If you're wearing your rose tinted glasses you won't notice the downsides, such as the need for air con, tailgate drivers, more expensive internet providers, to name only three.
But your biggest hurdle will be language. Unless you speak Spanish very fluently, you'll get frustrated very often at not being able to express yourself as in your mother tongue or fully understanding important things.
I live in the north, the Basque country, where there are almost no Brits near here, a Basque culture, identity & language totally different to Spain; green, mountainous, big waves for surfing. But I have to live here with not being able to grow Bougainvillea in the garden, nor garlic in the allotment because of the humidity. But I can live with that!
Good luck.

Cutter53

To people who live on the Costas etc if you have relocated there from Europe did it take you long to get used to the hot summers.

bxpuser24710519

Where I live in Scotland toasty warm with central heating double glazing and carpets. Comfortable all year round.


Where I live in Spain, marble floors, open stair wells, cool in the summer, baltic in the winter, ill fitting doors and windows. Not comfortable all year round, too cold in the winter and VERY expensive to get any heat which disappears up the open levels. Too hot in the summer. I only survived the summers here while I had pool, now I go to the mountains or Scotland for the summer.

dougal03

That's a bit harsh.I live all year in Spain in a cosy apartment which has double glazing ,good doors & recently got laminate flooring.However I have lived in Scotland previously.Never yet visited Loch Lomand when it DID NOT rain constantly.And those dark evenings!! Horses for courses so I hope Cutter won't be put off.You will adapt as so many of us did.I worked outdoors here & survived.Just now my daughter is "enjoying" the weather in Inverness.!

jonboy

"rose tinted glasses" just do not remove them and all will remain well. Have you thought of any potential drawbacks yourself Cutter53? Have you been there over the winter and what was your experiance?

megmet

Well I'm inland 35kms from the Costa del Sol and have been here for ten years, I love my life here but it's not all sunshine and roses. We get too much sunshine in the summer months, it's often closer to 40c than thirty, we tend to hibernate in an afternoon until it starts to cool a little. We are fortunate that we do have air-con and also a pool to cool down in. I find the winters worse to cope with, we are surrounded by hills and mountains so it does get cold and these houses are not built for it with tiled floors and ill fitting doors and windows. For the first two winters we froze, then we got smart and bought a wood burning stove, it's very cosy but if I could I'd rather have central heating, sadly not possible in this house.
Good luck with your move, just be sure to do lots of research first and if possible rent for a few months before you buy, like us you may find once you get here that what you thought you wanted isn't what you decide to go for in the end.

PS...I was originally from Nelson.

Mark604

I've only spent one uninterrupted full winter in Spain though it has been close a few times. But I ended up renting a centrally heated apartment for a month as the house was so cold. Even with a wood burner that didn't heat the whole house.

Leper

Spain is great. OK! It's what you make it. You're living in shorts and tee shirts for most of the year. Eating out is a fraction of the cost the same meal would cost in northern europe. You can drive every day. Walking is never a problem. The Spanish health system is good. Even living here has a feelgood factor every morning. You have your breakfast on the terrace most days. You're an hour ahead of everything that is happening in the UK and Ireland.

If you are retired and can afford to rent or are one of the lucky ones who bought property before the property boom; then you're into bonus territory. Also, count yourself lucky if renting out your home in the UK is financing your Spanish venture.

OK! It's great to return to Northern Europe for family occasions. It is also great when your grandchildren arrive to visit you in Spain. Nostalgia will never cease. Naturally, you miss your friends and family. You always know that you are living in a foreign country and there are times when you roll your eyes at what is considered "normal" in Spain.

The Spaniards never sent for us. If the truth be known we inflicted ourselves on them. But, for many of us:- Would I return to Northern Europe on a fulltime basis? Answer:- Not a chance.

Moses2013

Don't forget that Spain is a huge country and what you might think is Spain, is a different Spain for someone else. Just like the rest of Europe, everything is different, from prices, weather, infrastructure and culture. From Gijon to Madrid to Almeria, you'll find huge differences

Eating out can be a lot pricier than back home, but some places are far cheaper. Cheap also doesn't mean it's good either. I've been to some restaurants in Spain and the food quality at a Kebab place here was better. Of course you'll also find some excellent restaurants and drinks are cheaper, but quality costs everywhere these days. But life can be great, if you have the keys to make it work.

Cutter53

Hi
Hopefully some of you are in the same boat I am, I'm single and plan to retire to Spain, probably somewhere on the Costa Blanca but I'll be by myself apart from my dog and am terrible at picking up new languages, ( I've tried) so if anyone is the same as me and still managed to make moving to Spain a success please tell me.
Paul