Me and my OH are thinking of moving out to Spain later this year. We have a friend in the Nerja area who is renting for a few months before heading off on further travels and so we could have somewhere to park ourselves for a few weeks as long as we arrive before the end of September.

Our thoughts have been to try and retain some form of address in the UK and come out for about a year to see if we like it and can manage. Our thoughts about moving are that we are really fed up with the dreary British weather and have always enjoyed spain when being on holiday. We know it will be very different to reside in another Country but just want to give it a try.

Much of our plans depend upon my health retiral coming through soon and this brings me to the questions I have about coming to Spain.

1) Accessibility

I have mobility issues and use a small electric wheelchair when going outside (Not one of those mobility scooters)

So How accessible is the nerja and surrounding areas in terms of letting property and generally getting out and about?

We are planning to bring an adapted vehicle with ramp

Are there issues for registration of such vehicles ? Would there be difficulities with parking and getting in and out of the vehicle as it does need a decent space to drop the ramp?

2)Health and medication

My OH suffered a heart attack in November last year and had a stent fitted. he is taking a variety of medicines like cholestoral reducing tabs and so on. Are these types of medications easily available over the counter or do they require a prescription?

3) Internet

I have looked on the web and seen some long-term property rentals with internet advertised. Can anyone tell me if there are differing levels of internet/broadband as my OH and I enjoy using the internet and use it daily for communication and gaming (WOW)

I do apologise if these topics have been covered elsewhere in the forum. I have tried to read as much of them as I can but here is a lot to get through !!

Due to your health problems you may need assistance with daily life in Spain ,can you afford this? if so get yourselves out here if not I`m afraid its best forgotten ,Spain is not wheel chair friendly ,whilst more drugs are available over the counter many doctors/pharmacists dont speak english, also the bureaucracy is impossible unless you speak fluent Spanish or employe an gestor to help you.

A specially adapted vehicle will be an expensive nightmare to register in Spain and may not even be possible.

I would suggest a 3 month trial period if finances allow , dont give up your home in the UK! and remember Spain is not cheap anymore.

Internet is no problem if you live in a town , it is more expensive than the UK and can take a while to get connected.

Good Luck.

To put a more positive twist on things.......
Most things are possible in Spain but it just takes patience....

You are right by renting initially and keeping a property in the UK as Spain isn't for everyone....

Be prepared for difficulties whilst you are in limbo land......whilst you are doing the trial run, stock up on medication from the UK and research more on what you can buy over the counter here (bearing in mind that there are particular chemists in Gibraltar that sell most things over the counter when they shouldn't)...... get yourself some private heath insurance once over here or if you have an emergency situation use your E111 and state that you are on holiday...... your vehicle does not need to be re-registered for 6 months.....internet is easy to sign up to, and if you don't want a contract get a pay as you go dongle.....

Now, before I get strung up for advising you on the above, these are only temporary measures..........

.......once you are sure you want to stay here, this is where the patience is necessary, the transition period isn't easy.....

- your car will have to get a new Spanish identity, as far as I am aware the only vehicles that cannot be re-registered are transit vans (due to visibility issues with driving on the wrong side of the road) but it will cost you over 1000 euros..... don't worry about the paperwork, employ a gestor to do the job....
- health as said depends on age, but if you are pensioners, you simply fill out the correct forms and you get your pension over here and health care is free... (EU agreements and all that)....
- Spain is getting better with wheelchair access, not everything will be accessible but I cannot see it being too much of a negative.... all big supermarkets and big shopping centers have disabled parking and lifts
- it does get cold here in the winter, so rent somewhere with heating (sounds mad yes I know!)......

Hope this helps

Pretty much all RHD commercial vehicle can not be registered in Spain and this one is modified, this is not as simple as a passenger car , the engineers reports alone could cost over 1k and he may not even accept the mod`s.
It sounds negative but I`m giving you the hard facts.

Gosh you guys make it sound a bit scary. My OH and I are not pensioners, in fact he is not even in his fifties yet.

As for a vehicle we have been making to with our little car and dismantling my chair but if we are moving out for a minimum of a few months there is little room to bring anything else with us !!

But thanks for the information and I suppose, once finances allow, we just need to come out and see for ourselves what it is like )

I am still ploughing through these forums which hold a vast amount of information and again thank you for taking the time to reply

Nerja is better than many towns. It is a coastal town and the streets are level and have wheelchair ramps at junctions. It is not so bad where we live either, there are shops which hire disability equipment and a local podiatrist who is far better and a lot cheaper than any I have found in UK.

I think you may struggle with the heat, it is very warm June, July and August. I would suggest you wait until September.

I would suggest you bring your UK car and if you decide to stay buy yourself a spanish vehicle. I understand, disabilty cars have special tax concesions.

Internet works great in most locations, but it is more expensive than UK.

I can get medications over the counter which would require prescription in UK. Just show empty package. IMHO farmacies in spain are excellent - as are the hospitals. Unfortunately, I have not found a good dentist.

Yes we have visited Nerja once 9 years ago whilst on holiday nearby and it seemed very pretty.

Yes very hot weather can be hard to get used to although its been pretty warm here the past few days !!.

Oh and finding a decent dentist is hard anywhere. I am still to find a good one in Scotland never mind abroad :0

Well I have to say pretty warm in UK is not like the blistering heat we get here in August, it is one thing to come on holiday but having to keep house and cook etc etc in it is so debilitating, I am sure everyone who lives here will agree.

Today for instance I went out to clean the pool and the terrace in the shade was 32, out in the sun well has to have been over 40dg. not yet August

Please bear in mind that you cant wait 6 months before matriculating your car, because you have to sign on the foreigners list when you move here to live within 90 days. One you do this and in effect become resident then you cant legally drive a UK plated car.

As regards health, your EHIC card is for use when you are a UK resident on holiday in Spain (or abroad). When you move to Spain and no longer become a UK resident then the EHIC card is not really relevant any more as you have given up your access to the UK NHS
From what you say you will need to take private health (although you may have problems with previous issues) unless you are in receipt of UK incapacity beneift

I did say;

Now, before I get strung up for advising you on the above, these are only temporary measures..........

Hi, I live in Torrox, the next town to Nerja and there is an orgnisation called Blue Badge Mobility run by Gary and Sarah who would be well placed to answer any mobility questions you may have.

Regards, Iain.