# Andalucia



## Guest (Jun 2, 2013)

We're still touring Spain looking for that perfect place and Andalucia is coming pretty close. What's it like in winter? Particularly near the coast, eg, near the Frontera towns. Tks.


----------



## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

meetloaf said:


> We're still touring Spain looking for that perfect place and Andalucia is coming pretty close. What's it like in winter? Particularly near the coast, eg, near the Frontera towns. Tks.


Andalucia is huge......and climates vary a lot dependent on location.

Since 2005 I've seen a -17 and a +46.......and everything in between.....including snow up to my waist!


----------



## linken1647 (May 31, 2013)

We live in Adra in Almeria Province and daytime temperatures in Dec/Jan/Feb are around 15-20 degrees C. Overnight temperatures are around 10-13 degrees C. Up until mid Nov we are still in shorts and on the beach and then again from April. Of course, like the UK each year is different but we have been here over 5 years and apart from the first year we lived here plus a couple of weekes in March this year, we haven't needed to have heating on indoors


----------



## Guest (Jun 2, 2013)

Interesting and thanks for the responses. Andalucia - or at least this part of it, south of Cadiz down to about Barbate, certainly ticks all the boxes for us. We have to move north now but decided tonight this area is worth further exploration. What a gem this coast is! The Meetloaves are leaving with reluctance and will be heading back here a.s.a.p. We've found what we like, now to probe and find what we don't like.


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

We found the winters cold, wet and windy. We needed heating in the houses cos of the damp and the tiles. Yes, there would be occasional sunny days - tee shirts and jeans, but the minute the sun goes, its cold. 

Jo xxxx


----------



## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

jojo said:


> We found the winters cold, wet and windy. We needed heating in the houses cos of the damp and the tiles. Yes, there would be occasional sunny days - tee shirts and jeans, but the minute the sun goes, its cold.
> 
> Jo xxxx


Really depends on the year. I live in the coastal mountains. This winter and spring has been cool and quite wet, yet last year, we virtually had no winter, certainly little rain and lots of sunshine. No two years are the same. Occasionally we go two or three years with little rain, reservoirs get low, but eventually we get a wet winter and everything fills up. In general, it is a good climate


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Aron said:


> Really depends on the year. I live in the coastal mountains. This winter and spring has been cool and quite wet, yet last year, we virtually had no winter, certainly little rain and lots of sunshine. No two years are the same. Occasionally we go two or three years with little rain, reservoirs get low, but eventually we get a wet winter and everything fills up. In general, it is a good climate


Yes, but we were there from Feb 2008 and was raining when we arrived and hardly stopped til April. Every winter theronafter it rained. One year (2010 I think) it was so bad, they had to open the dam at El Chorros, which flooded Cartama (where my children went to school) and we were stranded in our house for several days due to a "dry" river bed at the end of our drive. Even when it wasnt raining, the house would be so cold and damp that we'd go outside to warm up - until the evenings and then we had to turn all the heaters on and wear thick clothes. On more than one occasion, I had to scrape ice off my windscreen in the mornings

Even this last winter, when we were in Nerja, we wore winter coats during the day (unless it was sunny, then it would just be jumpers) and night. I had two duvets on the bed and a hot water bottle. It is warm in the sun and the sun is out more than the UK, but once it goes down its cold! Half the trouble is, that people dont expect it to be - cos its Spain and should be hot and sunny, I thought that before I moved there......!!!

Jo xxx


----------



## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

jojo said:


> Yes, but we were there from Feb 2008 and was raining when we arrived and hardly stopped til April. Every winter theronafter it rained. One year (2010 I think) it was so bad, they had to open the dam at El Chorros, which flooded Cartama (where my children went to school) and we were stranded in our house for several days due to a "dry" river bed at the end of our drive. Even when it wasnt raining, the house would be so cold and damp that we'd go outside to warm up - until the evenings and then we had to turn all the heaters on and wear thick clothes. On more than one occasion, I had to scrape ice off my windscreen in the mornings
> 
> Even this last winter, when we were in Nerja, we wore winter coats during the day (unless it was sunny, then it would just be jumpers) and night. I had two duvets on the bed and a hot water bottle. It is warm in the sun and the sun is out more than the UK, but once it goes down its cold! Half the trouble is, that people dont expect it to be - cos its Spain and should be hot and sunny, I thought that before I moved there......!!!
> 
> Jo xxx


You have to take the longer view. The winters prior to 1995 were very dry and Spain had a serious drought. It got so bad they built a desalination plant near Marbella. The reservoir at Istan got Down to about two weeks worth of water, but then there was heavy rain and the desalination plant never got used. The same applied in 2008 with Lake La Vinuela. It got down to just 9% remaining, but like ten years previous, there were several very wet winters. This winter has been cool and wet. The spring has been cool as well, but last year was the opposite. I' ve been coming and living in Spain since the 70's. I've seen it all. I've also been hit by a mini tornado and neighbours house last year struck by lightning. Spain has a great climate, even in winter you can get warm weather.

The opening of the dams are for safety reasons. At certain times of the year they cannot allow them to be too full. If a reservoir gets too full too early, not managing the water levels can cause flooding it they are not careful.


----------



## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

I think it was 1995 there was a Skiing championship being held in the Sierra nevadas, but it was cancelled because there was no snow!


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

2008/9, I got frostbite in my toes, something that I had not experienced since 1963.
2009/10 was mild and very pleasant we were eating out on the terrace in December
2010/11 it rained continually for three months, many roads were washed out or collapsed down the mountainsides, rain came through the walls of the house.
2011/12 wasn't too bad
2012/13 we are only just coming out of winter (we were still getting snow showers two weeks ago) into a lazy spring-time (normally it only lasts a day or two before summer starts.

As for summer we can get up to 40° or more.

Having said all that, DO NOT base your choice of where to live on the weather/climate, it can change day by day or it can be so much the same for weeks on end that you yearn for it to be different, in any case, climate may be changing.

Go for what else ticks your boxes, look for what you do not like (both sides of the coin are equally important).


----------



## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

jojo said:


> Yes, but we were there from Feb 2008 and was raining when we arrived and hardly stopped til April. Every winter theronafter it rained. One year (2010 I think) it was so bad, they had to open the dam at El Chorros, which flooded Cartama (where my children went to school) and we were stranded in our house for several days due to a "dry" river bed at the end of our drive. Even when it wasnt raining, the house would be so cold and damp that we'd go outside to warm up - until the evenings and then we had to turn all the heaters on and wear thick clothes. On more than one occasion, I had to scrape ice off my windscreen in the mornings
> 
> Even this last winter, when we were in Nerja, we wore winter coats during the day (unless it was sunny, then it would just be jumpers) and night. I had two duvets on the bed and a hot water bottle. It is warm in the sun and the sun is out more than the UK, but once it goes down its cold! Half the trouble is, that people dont expect it to be - cos its Spain and should be hot and sunny, I thought that before I moved there......!!!
> 
> Jo xxx


Just to pick up a point on your post. April is the most unpredictable month of the year for weather. You could get a beautiful month like 2011, but it can be cold and wet. It's not unusual for Easter processions to be called off because of bad weather.


----------



## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

How about summer weather? Everyone knows it's hot and sunny, but for those living there permanently, is it unbearable?

Here in Madrid, despite being at a high altitude, the hot nights, in particular, can be very uncomfortable. How do you all cope 'down there'? I would imagine that it's cooler at the coast, though more humid, whilst being hotter and drier in the hills, is that so?


----------



## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

Madliz said:


> How about summer weather? Everyone knows it's hot and sunny, but for those living there permanently, is it unbearable?
> 
> Here in Madrid, despite being at a high altitude, the hot nights, in particular, can be very uncomfortable. How do you all cope 'down there'? I would imagine that it's cooler at the coast, though more humid, whilst being hotter and drier in the hills, is that so?


I love summer. We had 46c last year. Yes it was oppressive, but with a pool and air conditioning we are fine. It's only like that about once a year. Most of the time it is 30c - 35c. That is just perfect for me. At night, just switch on the air con, other that that, enjoy it!


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Summer:
Where I live is 96km from the south coast and 2300ft above sea level. In summer, on the hottest days we might get up to around 40° although normally it is about 36-37°. 50 km to the north is Andújar in the Guadalquivir depression and at the foot of the Sierra Morena and only 600 ft amsl where the temperature will be up to 8-10° hotter, Córdoba further west is even hotter.

Tomorrow we are forecast 24° and Andújar 28° and this is only spring. Córdoba 70 km downriver (West) from Andújar and 104km to the NW of here and at 300 ft amsl is forecast *32*°

There are quite wide variations due to both latitude and altitude. When we were looking at houses, one village we went to was Monte Lope 27km to the NNW of here and at 1000ft amsl, on the southern edge of the Gaudalquiver depression - it was sun scorched and looked like one of those wild west frontier towns - all it needed was a tumbleweed bush rolling along the main street to complete the picture!


----------



## Guest (Jun 3, 2013)

Oh rats, just typed a long reply to Baldilocks and other posters and the internet connection timed out and I lost it.

Climate change - an important factor. People down here are talking about it. 

We want to look at the negatives as hard as at the positives so all being well will come back in the winter to see the downside - the un-sunny Spain. It's a huge learning curve, can't understand how people can just up sticks and do this. This is it, your home for the rest of your life, why not take a bit of time to get it right? And it's great fun doing so. Husband and I want polar opposites from Spain, we joke that somewhere there's 25m which is perfect for both of us. Andalucia is a revelation, marvellous place, great people. Just goes to show that what you want is not what you thought you wanted.

I think Jo is probably right and the coast is awful in winter. But Baldilocks is too. It more than just the climate. It's the joie de vivre, the food, the attitude to life. The climate helps, though. It's nearly 10.30 and i'm sitting outside typing this by candlelight. At home, the TV has been switched off and the central heating probably switched on.

I have to get my head around the micro-climates here so any info is important. We can get cold, wet, damp and windy back in Ireland.


----------



## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

Madliz said:


> How about summer weather? Everyone knows it's hot and sunny, but for those living there permanently, is it unbearable?
> 
> Here in Madrid, despite being at a high altitude, the hot nights, in particular, can be very uncomfortable. How do you all cope 'down there'? I would imagine that it's cooler at the coast, though more humid, whilst being hotter and drier in the hills, is that so?


I can't stand the summer here in Seville. I am always stunned to hear people say that they enjoy it. What's to enjoy about not being able to go out between noon and 6 pm without absolutley melting into the pavement? About living in the dark all day because all the blinds have to be drawn against the scorching sun? About sleeping in a pool of sweat every night even with fans blasting away? About keeping the children confined inside all day because it's too hot for them to play outdoors? Anyone who is able to gets away from Seville in the summer, and everyone else spends the whole time complaining.


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

meetloaf said:


> Oh rats, just typed a long reply to Baldilocks and other posters and the internet connection timed out and I lost it.
> 
> Climate change - an important factor. People down here are talking about it.
> 
> ...



The thing you need to look at is the house. Spanish houses really arent built for the cold. They're great for the heat, but they dont have a damp course, central heating is rare, cool tiles everywhere and drafty windows. As I posted earlier, theres many a day, when we would go outside to warm up and at night, the houses arent easy to heat, so lots of warm clothes are needed. That is the difference between the cold in Spain and the cold in the UK - the UK is geared for cold and when we lived in spain, I found that I almost craved a house with carpets, central heating and insulation.

That said, we now spend a lot of the winter in Spain - this last winter, wasnt too bad, altho the nights were cold. Husband would use a hair dryer on the bed every night, we had two duvets and my hot water bottle. But yes, the weather in general is better - more extreme than the UK, but that doesnt matter.

As for the heat of the summer - I love it, the hotter the better for me and I'm finding the summers here in the UK dismal. Even now we're having a hot spell and everyone is moaning cos at 20c its too hot - WHAT??? I'm still wearing trousers, boots and a cardi!!!!

Jo xxx


----------



## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

meetloaf said:


> Oh rats, just typed a long reply to Baldilocks and other posters and the internet connection timed out and I lost it.
> 
> Climate change - an important factor. People down here are talking about it.
> 
> ...


Just to pick up on the bits I highlighted; it doesn't really matter how long you spend looking for the perfect place for, you will not get it right because it will be different each year. 

We've had winters here which are better (warmer and sunnier) than a poor British summer but we've also had winters where it literally hasn't stopped raining for three months and when I say rain I mean real hard rain - not like the weak stuff they call rain in the UK. 

The only thing you can be sure of is (at least down in the south) that it will be hot and sunny from June to September - the only question is how hot.

There are a few more generalisations you can make e.g. the coastal areas are warmer in winter and cooler in summer than the inland areas and it can rain incessantly anywhere, 

When you say that the coasts will be awful in winter - bear in mind that if the coasts are bad, inland will probably be worse because it will normally be colder.

Happy hunting


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

meetloaf said:


> Oh rats, just typed a long reply to Baldilocks and other posters and the internet connection timed out and I lost it.
> 
> Climate change - an important factor. People down here are talking about it.
> 
> ...


Yes, research is a lot more than just popping over for a fortnight's holiday. There is so much to consider BEFORE you start looking at houses/flats, etc. You need, first, to understand yourselves - just what *do* you want out of life and what *don't* you want. After all, if you are planning making a life-changing decision that will affect you, possibly, for the rest of your life, you need to know all the parameters. Once you have listed what you think you want and don't want, prioritise each of those factors as far as importance is concerned, understand their relevance to your future life and happiness. 

Just a few silly examples: 

It may be nice just to tumble out of bed in the morning and have your morning coffee in the bar opposite but it may not be so nice trying to get to sleep with the juke box still banging out thump thump thump at 3 am or the group of bikers revving up right outside the house. 

Many of us have thought how nice it might be to have a place in the campo one of those cortijos done up as a Mexican hacienda - romantic? possibly, but your water supply is dependent on a spring that might dry up in a dry year or somebody else taps into the same supply and you are left with a trickle, Telefonica won't lay a phone line and Endessa won't give you a power line all, unless you lay out a small (or not so small!) fortune. The dusty dirt road that leads to it which is your only access is rather steep in places and passes through a couple of dried up arroyos; but that is in summer - try driving up that steep slope when the surface is wet sloppy mud and through those arroyos when they are a metre or more deep with a rushing torrent. Suppose one of you is ill, how will an ambulance get to you? and how long will it take?

What are your language skills like? Will you be able to mix with the locals or will you feel awfully lonely if there are no other English speakers around? Will you need other expat communities which are mostly nearer the coasts or would you prefer the more cosmopolitan cities in which one can be as isolated and alone as in a desert if you know nobody?

How much will you want to be in one of the touristy places, with hundreds of tourists wandering past your front door and peering in your windows? trying to get out of your front door and finding your way blocked by a parked car? having to park about a mile away because you can't get any nearer and having to lug all your shopping up a steep cobbled street? what about all your friends and relations expecting to come for free holidays?

Suppose, for one reason or another, either or both of you can no longer drive or your vehicle is off the road, what is the public transport like? Unless you are in or near a tourist area or a big town/city, don't expect a half-hourly service like in the UK - in Spain, buses are run when they are needed (going to work/school and coming back and maybe one or two shopping buses per week) not running around on spec. Trains, in particular, may be limited to one or two per day and you may have to go 80km or more just to get to the station.

Can you manage without "English" food/clothes/other things or must there be easy access to shops that will supply those things at other than astronomical prices?

As you've already noticed weather and climate are important so are the dwellings - building methods are different here and you will find restrictions on what you can and can't do to them to make them more what you would like and whatever you try to do will need permits, etc. OK so you came across that nice Brit who says he can do most of the works and alterations including the rewiring for you but what are his qualifications? Many of the so-called builders, roofers, plumbers and electricians have only done a bit of DiY back in UK then set themselves up as builders and prey upon the unsuspecting expat who can speak little or no Spanish - their work is frequently shoddy or downright dangerous but, at least, they speak English. Some have even been known to obtain an advance of the moneys "for materials" and that is the last you see of them.

Sorry, if I sound as though I'm trying to put you off and being terribly negative but you need to remove the rose-coloured spectacles, wipe the misty eyes and look and think clearly if you don't want to join those who planned poorly and have to go back to where they came from with their tales between their legs.


----------



## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

I don't see any problems living in Andalucia. Learn the language and integrate into the community. Get to know your Spanish neighbours, learn who are the best plumbers, electricians and maintenance men, it works wonders having people who can do good work and they are so cheap in comparison the your fellow Brits. Integration is the key. The Rural Spanish are lovely people. Yes, their culture and customs are different, but try and work with them, become a good neighbour. I know fellow Brits who have told me about grumpy Spaniards, but you need to talk to them, yes it's difficult in Andalucia as they have a rough dialect, but just try. To have good neighbours, you must be a good neighbour.


----------



## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

Excellent points, Baldilocks. My point in raising the subject of summer weather was that most people never think that it could be a problem. A fortnight in a hotel with air conditioning and pool means a very comfortable existence, but when you have to pay high electricity bills for the privilege it's a whole different matter. My MiL used to leave Spain by mid-May for the UK only to return in September, as she couldn't cope with the heat in Andalucía (Sierra Morena). It is recognised that older people are less able to manage the heat. These are things that should be taken into consideration!

I am mocked for my 'OCD' in raising and lowering blinds, opening and shutting windows, checking temperature sensors on all sides of the house, etc., in order to manage the internal temperature of the house so that it is as bearable as possible for the least amount of money possible. 'Just put the aircon on' isn't an option on a limited budget! Why is my budget so limited? Because I was widowed out here, have no job and a house I cannot sell. My only income is 112GBP a month from a private pension of hubby's. If it wasn't for my dear mother leaving me something when she passed away two years ago, I would have gone under, but that won't pay the bills forever. Benefits? Don't make me laugh! These are some of the realities of expat life that are often never seen.

Since being widowed, I counsel others who are battling the cancer that took my husband. I always advise them, 'hope for the best, but plan for the worst' - it's advice that would serve the hopeful expat too.


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

I forgot to add:
POLLEN
If you suffer from hay-fever or similar allergies watch out for areas where you are likely to get lots of pollen. The (mostly) dry atmosphere means that the pollen season can be quite severe, for example, around here there are literally millions of olive trees and that means billions (maybe trillions) of tiny olive flowers all producing pollen for about a month to six weeks.


----------



## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

baldilocks said:


> I forgot to add:
> POLLEN
> If you suffer from hay-fever or similar allergies watch out for areas where you are likely to get lots of pollen. The (mostly) dry atmosphere means that the pollen season can be quite severe, for example, around here there are literally millions of olive trees and that means billions (maybe trillions) of tiny olive flowers all producing pollen for about a month to six weeks.


Absolutely correct, this is a bad time of the year for sufferers


----------



## Guest (Jun 4, 2013)

baldilocks said:


> Sorry, if I sound as though I'm trying to put you off and being terribly negative but you need to remove the rose-coloured spectacles, wipe the misty eyes and look and think clearly if you don't want to join those who planned poorly and have to go back to where they came from with their tales between their legs.


I don't do rose coloured specs, lol, and I think your post should be retained to be read by all newbies. That's exactly my thinking. For example, I'm a hazard as a driver so that has to be built into the calculations. Do people think about things like this? I suspect not. Thank you for taking the trouble to write this. Moderators - I seriously suggest this advice be kept and flagged.


----------



## Guest (Jun 4, 2013)

Jo - yes, good advice. A house which is perfect for the summer could be hell in winter.

Aron - we've had a lot of contact with the people in rural areas recently and like them very much indeed. They greatly appreciate and are amused by our attempts to speak Spanish. Nice nice people. Husband was originally a country boy so there's common ground though I don't know a weed from a plant.


----------



## Guest (Jun 4, 2013)

Too much from me tonight, some might say, lol, but my advice to anyone searching is to do what we're doing and either camp or go by motorhome. You find the negatives fast, the unhelpful farmacias, the plagues of mozzies at dusk, the heavy farm traffic at dawn. You live the life instead of being in a hotel with aircon.


----------



## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

meetloaf said:


> Jo - yes, good advice. A house which is perfect for the summer could be hell in winter.
> 
> Aron - we've had a lot of contact with the people in rural areas recently and like them very much indeed. They greatly appreciate and are amused by our attempts to speak Spanish. Nice nice people. Husband was originally a country boy so there's common ground though I don't know a weed from a plant.


A weed is just a flower in the wrong place!


----------



## doro (Aug 1, 2010)

Near Gibraltar (Sotogrande, near sea):

- winter - nice when is sun, when sun goes.. is cold.. I mean, cold more that I have expected
- summer - nice ..
.. oh and all year.. a freaking wind some times

Well.. don't expect to be like in Bahamas or Varanero, is not.

I still don't get it why so many British prefer Spain to retire instead BVI where is the real paradise.


----------

