Travel Tips

This is where I've laid my hat (bandana actually) for the time being. An agricultural area where the main crops are olives and almonds and it's not unusual to see the old locals, bent-double and tending their land by hand. Horses riding past my front window and tractors parked outside front doors, are commonplace. Inhabitants are around 3500 which include a number of permanent Brits. The countryside is consistently beautiful with the potential for different walks everyday for months.

Despite being in southern Spain, in this part of the province, we do not permanently bask in sun. The winters are harsh and many of the houses have only log fires for heating. Last year, we had snow and for many in the village, it was the first time they had experienced it.

The summer this year has been too hot! As a Londoner, I NEVER thought I would complain about the heat but this year has been in the low 40's for too long. We've been on water alert for 3 months, with our water supply rationed to certain times of the day. It's taken some getting used to.

The locals take time getting to know you. Fortunately, my Spanish is good but even still, it took 4 months of greeting my very stern faced neighbour, before I actually got a reply and now the regular bagfuls of fruit and veggies from their 'huerta', confirm their acceptance.

We have a market here every Tuesday where the produce is all home-grown and surprisingly large! and it tastes marvellous.