Aldeas de las Ceuvas - COSTA BLANCA

Welcome to the Winter Issue of Living Spain magazine. Read on for a full round-up of travel, advice and real life stories.

 

Stretching for 250km across the north-eastern coastline of Spain, the Costa Vasca's history is steeped in fishing and whaling. Its picturesque fishing villages, craggy shores, modern marinas and cities such as Bilbao, have an influence in forming the strong Basque character. 

It's not always hot in España – the winters can be surprisingly chilly. As well as the normal options such as radiators and underfloor heating, there are other alternatives such as burning olive or almond stones. Jo Chipchase offers some advice to ensure your new home is cosy in winter as well as cool in summer.

 

Cycling is one of the best ways to take in the Subbética, one of 80 Vias Verdes (green ways) in Spain. This one connects Córdoba and Jaén in Andalucía, snaking through myriad olive groves, dotted with relics from the days of the oil train. Theresa O'Shea makes a 44km journey through small villages and historic railway stations, and offers advice on how you can embark on a similar adventure.

 

Some of Spain's most beautiful gardens are privately owned. Photographer and journalist Eduardo Mencos was granted special access to some of these rare sights. We feature four of them, ranging from an architect's garden in Cantabria to a colourful, fragrant haven in the highest village in Spain (Ávila in Castille and Leon) protected from the outside world by the longest city wall in Europe.

 

Ten years ago David Carney and Ann Easterbrook sold their Yorkshire home and moved to the Canary Islands, buying a farm on the steep 'pirate coast' in the rugged, sparsely populated north of La Palma.

 

Heading north up the M6 might not seem the obvious route to take part in a Spanish cookery course, but Lucy Cooks near Kendal runs courses in cooking of all kinds, including specialisms of Spain's most southern region. We travelled there in November to learn some handy knife skills and how to achieve those authentic dishes.

We take a tour of Galicia, visiting a number of bodegas and vineyards, and embarking on a series of tastings, including two different Albariño's. The Coast of Death runs alongside the capital La Coruña, so-named for the number of ships it has wrecked, and from there it's south to the tiny island of Isla la Toja.

 

Jan and Neil Raynor uprooted and moved to the Costa Blanca, where they have immersed themselves in the culture, history and geography of their new home.

 

We meet a number of expats who split their time between a life in Spain and a life – often because of work – in the UK. Some of these even leave their loved one behind. We find out how that works for them and what effects it has on their lives.

A group of expat women in Mallorca agreed to take part in a charity calendar to raise awareness of cancer. A network of support has also been set up. Jan Edwards chats with photographer Samantha Hemsley, who conceived the idea after losing her mother to the disease.

The bureaucracy is Spain can seem daunting to new arrivals, but by making your presence there official, there are benefits for the community and for residents. We help you navigate your way through your first few months in your new country.