Category: News

Nerja Visitors are returning to the Nerja Caves in Pre-Covid numbers

Nerja Caves are celebrating 64 years since the first discovery

Thanks again to our favourite newspaper, the Sur in English, have a great story regarding the caves in Nerja. An article by Eugenio Cabezas for the periodical for the south of Spain tells the great news that tourists and other visitors to Nerja are back in force. According to Eugenio, the numbers are equal to the pre-Covid era.

The Nerja Cave foundation has reported that visitor numbers at the tourist attraction returned to pre-Covid figures in 2022, with 436,107 tickets sold, compared with 441,590 in 2019.

The numbers have been put down to the recovery of international tourism last year. In 2020, just 149,271 people visited the cave and in 2021 the number went up to 289,349.

In fact, in August last year, almost 80,000 people visited the cave, making it the best August in a decade, according to a statement from the Cueva de Nerja Foundation.

“If we add up all the people who have visited the Nerja Cave since its discovery in 1959 until last year, we are talking about almost 19 million visitors over these 64 years,” it added.

The president of the Cueva de Nerja Foundation, Javier Salas, said, “This is great news and good data that will allow us to face 2023 with the guarantees of a job well done for the recovery. Check out the rest of this interesting article.

The Nerja Caves

The Caves of Nerja are a series of caverns close to the town of Nerja in the Province of Málaga, Spain. Stretching for almost 5 kilometres, the caverns are one of Spain’s major tourist attractions. Concerts are regularly held in one of the chambers, which forms a natural amphitheatre.

The caves in Nerja have been classed as a “Good of Cultural Interest”, a form of heritage register in Spain. In the Nerja Caves, you and your family will enjoy a 45-minute excursion to one of the most important caves in the World.

The caves are a must-see for any visitor to the town. If you don’t mind a bit of a walk, it’s worth the exercise but there are transport opportunities available.

When you come and stay with Nerja Beach Holidays self-catering apartments, villas and townhouses, make sure to add the caves to your “must-see” list.

More than 17 million British tourists arrived in Spain in 2022 – 138.9% increase!

The Sur in English

One of the highlights of the week is the delivery of the Sur in English. This is a free newspaper for English speakers in southern Spain. There is always plenty to read. The articles are varied and there is something for everyone.

This week’s online edition carries a story about the influx of tourists into Spain. Andalucia did very well, thank you very much. A massive 138.9% increase in visitor numbers compared to the same time in 2021.

Check out this great article from Sur in English; it’s impressive.

erjaerjaA Place in the Sun is a popular Channel 4 Travel and Property Programme

Nerja is a Place in the Sun

Nerja is a picturesque coastal resort town some 50 kilometres east of Málaga, connected by the A-7 coastal highway. It marks the eastern limit of Málaga province’s Costa del Sol on Spain’s southern coast.

Its seafront promenade, Balcón de Europa, tops a promontory with views of the Mediterranean and surrounding mountains.

Below it lies sandy beaches and cliffside coves. Cuevas de Nerja, a nearby cavern with unusual stalactites and stalagmites, hosts popular summertime concerts. Nerja is also known for its palaeolithic paintings, viewable by guided tour.

At 3 pm on Channel 4, Danni Menzies searches for properties in the Spanish coastal town Nerja on the Costa del Sol, Spain. Will she find house hunter Frances her dream holiday home for under £200,000? Watch to find out! 

Finding your own Place in Nerja

If you haven’t been invited to appear on A Place in The Sun, don’t worry! Nerja has plenty of real estate agents. These realtors are only too pleased to help you find your des res or dream home.

It is wise not to rush house-buying. The best way is to book a self-catering apartment or villa for a week or more and look around. Nerja Beach Holidays has plenty of great self-catering villas and apartments for rent. This would allow you the freedom to come and go. You can take all the time in the world to choose your dream holiday home.

Make sure to check out the main Nerja Beach Holidays website. If you need any help with booking or want more information, please contact us. We are happy to help in any way we can.

You can check out today’s Place in the Sun programme from this link.

Good luck!

Rain in Spain is falling everywhere: not just in the plain!

Rain in Spain, especially in the south is always welcome. Almeria, home to Europe’s only semi-desert barely has around 130 mm of rain a year, the average yearly rainfall in Spain varies hugely. Almeria is the driest area of Spain.

This year (2022) has been a strange year. The rain typically comes to the north of Malaga province, bang on time; during the annual fiesta! You could bet your house that the second week of September, we would get rain of some sort. This year though; nothing.

September gave way to October and still no rain. Then, all of a sudden, as the Eurythmics would sing “Here comes the rain again!” Only, this time, it hasn’t stopped for the last two weeks!

Our local village saw flooding after an overnight deluge. The autumn leaves that are still falling blocked the drains, and this in turn caused the water to settle in the streets instead of draining into the river.

Rain in Spain, thanks to Storm Efraín

Every Friday, the Sur in English brings us the news for the south of Spain. It is a free weekly newspaper in English. There is always plenty to catch up on. This week, it explained the weird weather patterns. Check out this report from Ignacio Lillo.

Storm Efraín, which has wreaked havoc in some parts of Malaga province, has nevertheless brought the best news of the year to the Axarquía region. On Thursday 15 December the regional government’s Hidrosur network rain gauges registered more than 40mm accumulated in 24 hours, with further rainfall expected today, Friday 16 December.

The rain gauge installed at the Benamargosa river, in the hamlet of Salto del Negro, recorded 41mm up to midday on Thursday. In contrast, the one at the La Viñuela reservoir recorded 37 and 30 in the village of Alfarnatejo. Read more.

Why is it so important that the rain falls when it does?

Something I never knew, until I came to live in Spain, was that the rain should fall on time. As I live out in the Andalucia countryside, all around me are olives, lots and lots of olives. Olives, like all other plants and trees, need water. The olive trees, need the rain to fall before the harvest. If the rain falls during the harvest, work has to stop for several days as the fields are muddy, the nets are heavy and it is almost impossible to collect the fruit.

Breaking down on the motorway is no joke! No matter what country you are in: Thank you, Guardia Civil (Velez-Màlaga)

Driving to Nerja

My sister is in Nerja for two weeks, her 5th holiday abroad this year. Mind you; she is retired and it was her birthday treat.

We had agreed to meet up for a couple of days and celebrate both her and my birthdays. We haven’t seen each other since May 2022 when she stayed in Torrox. This time, she is staying with Nerja Beach Holidays, for two weeks.

Our house is north of Nerja, about 1 hour and twenty minutes easy drive via Autovia, so we packed our bags for a two-night stay and set off to Nerja via the coast road. There is an overland route via Lake Viñuela and Velez-Malaga which is a beautifully scenic drive but this can sometimes be a bit hit-and-miss.

There wasn’t a lot of traffic and we expected an uneventful journey, as usual. I should have bought that lucky heather of the Gypsy lady after all!

Not long after joining the A-7 motorway route to Nerja, the car started to shudder, like the space shuttle on re-entry to the atmosphere! It sounded like the engine was dropping out!

There was no option but to pull over and see what the problem was. As it transpires; the front right tyre had burst in three places. It was as flat as a pancake.

As luck would have it – Here comes the cavalry

Cursing our bad luck, we hadn’t seen a car pulling up behind us. It was the Guardia Civil (Tràfico).

Two men got out and asked what the problem was. They saw the tyre was wrecked and asked us to pull up about 50 metres further on as we were still on a slip road. They then got our red triangles and placed them along the road for us.

I tried to call for a Grua (breakdown truck) to get us off the motorway and to a garage to change the burst tyre. This was an impossible task. The traffic had picked up and I couldn’t hear a thing with the noise of the passing vehicles. The Guardia Civil took charge and got hold of a rescue vehicle for us. They made sure we were safely behind the barriers and bade us farewell.

We were towed to El Palo where our two front tyers were changed. We were on our way to Nerja. Thankfully, the rest of the stay and journey back was uneventful.

I would like to put on record how helpful the Guardia Civil Tràfico officers were. They made a very stressful and potentially dangerous incident look like a run-of-the-mill occurrence.

What to do if you break down?

Passengers should move away from the vehicle to a place of safety, behind a barrier or fencing away from oncoming traffic. Place the two warning triangles to alert other drivers of the obstacle. If on a motorway, place one 50 metres behind the car and another 50 metres behind that.

Check out this website for complete instructions on what to do if you break down on the motorway in Spain.

Guardia Civil

The Civil Guard is the oldest law enforcement agency in Spain and is one of two national police forces. As a national gendarmerie force, it is military in nature and is responsible for civil policing under the authority of both the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defence. Wikipedia

Note* Make sure you have the correct documents (insurance) as well as Hi-Viz jackets, and Hazzard Triangles. You might just need them.

The second phase of the plan is to clean and clear the riverbeds of the Río Seco and the Barranco del Puerto ravine.

Nerja rain? That’s not something the tourist would hope for! However; the Nerja Town Hall (Ayuntamiento) people will be hoping for plenty this autumn; why?

This short article from our friends in the Sur in English will explain.

Nerja rain will be most welcome

In the hope that the arrival of autumn will bring rain to the Axarquía, Nerja town hall has announced that it will carry out the second phase of a plan to clean and clear the riverbeds of the Río Seco and the Barranco del Puerto ravine.

“In addition to the cleaning, pruning and repair work recently carried out in a section of the Río Seco, we are going to carry out a new action in the rest of the riverbed up to the border with Frigiliana, as well as in the Barranco del Puerto ravine”, explained Javier Rodríguez, councillor for the environment.

See more of this report from Sur in English

Malaga Weather on average

The area of Malaga has a warm Mediterranean climate, which characteristically means long, hot, dry summers and very mild, sometimes rainy winters. Malaga enjoys about 3000 sunshine hours per year.

I’ve lived in the Malaga province for almost 21 years. You can take it from me, the weather in the autumn and winter can be very unpredictable. I have seen bitterly cold winters that are dry and, warm winters that are soaking wet.

My own location is to the north of Nerja and, a bit higher up, so, we get slightly different weather. Our rural location depends on getting “the right weather”. To us, this means rain in October and November is welcome. Rain in December and January not so much. This is due to the olive harvest.

Rain is either a friend or an enemy, sometimes both. But, for the people working on the Nerja clean-up project, the rain will be a godsend.

Fear not though; if you are on vacation during the autumn in Nerja, you still get beautiful days of sunshine. You can check this out from this weather website.

Nerja Extraordinary Food of Spain award

‘Chiringuito’ beach restaurants have been awarded the Extraordinary Food of Spain award 2021 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishing and Food, recognizing the variety of these establishments and their commitment to traditional cuisine.

The panel of judges decided to present the award to the Ayo chiringuito in Nerja, which in the 54 years since it opened has become a benchmark in Andalucía, Spain, and Europe.

“The owner, Francisco Ortega Olalla is, at the age of 83, an example of dedication and commitment to his environment, both in employing people of different nationalities and also sourcing emblematic products from the coast and making one of the most famous and characteristic dishes that Spanish gastronomy has to offer, paella,” said a statement from the Ministry. Read more from Pilar Martìnez of the Sur in English.

What is a Chiringuito?

A Chiringuito is a small enterprise, usually a bar, selling mainly drinks and tapas, and sometimes meals, in a more or less provisional building, often on a beach or loose surface where a more permanent structure may be inviable. Wikipedia.

These days though, the name ‘chiringuito’ or ‘chiringo’ can be attached to a large building situated on or near the beach. Such sites can hold many clients and be very busy during the high season. The floor is sand or other loose material.

Burriana Beach in Nerja has the famous Ayo’s and La Barca chiringuitos. Both are excellent. Ayo’s is world famous, mainly because of the number of times it is featured on TV travel programs. You cannot make any sort of travel or food video about Nerja without mentioning the Bacon de Europa or Ayo Paella.

La Barca Merendero and Ayo Chiringuito are very different in what they offer. La Barca is itself well known for the ‘fresh-from-the-sea’ Espeto sardines and other fish. Ayo, as I mentioned, is the top Paella place. Although both have a varied and interesting menu.

My own favorite from the La Barca menu would be the BBQ Lubina (Bass) or Dorada(Guilt Head Bream) fish.

Merendero?

A picnic table is a table with benches, designed for impromptu outdoor dining. The term is often specifically associated with rectangular tables having an A-frame structure. Such tables may be referred to as “picnic tables” even when used exclusively indoors. Wikipedia

Don’t worry too much about this description; a ‘merendero’ is a chiringuito by another name.

When you come and stay with us at Nerja Beach Holidays, you really must visit both of these restaurants. They are really very good.

If you want to see a lot more photographs and comments on Ayo’s (not everyone is of the same opinion as the Ministery of Food and Fishing) then check out these Facebook pages.

Nerja Lovers

Nerja Info

There is little or no ice to be had anywhere in Spain; Why?

Ice, Ice Baby!

There is little or no ice in most of the regular outlets in Spain. Here, in the Malaga province of Andalucia, the ice has dried up (no pun intended). Ice is a hot commodity (groan!). If you can get your hands on some frozen water, buy it!

Places such as garages which normally have lots of bags of ice, now, have none! Supermarkets are the same; they are all out of ice.

Why no Ice?

Certain factors come into play here; the long, very hot weather and the very expensive utilities. Because it has been very hot (40ºC+) for such a long period, people want cold drinks. Ice makes drinks nice and cold.

The trouble with the cold cubes is that you need to make them using electricity. This, in turn, makes the product very expensive.

Spain has one of the most expensive electricity markets in Europe. So, it would make the production of Spanish ice cubes expensive. No?

Why is Spanish electricity so expensive? I could explain but, it would be technical and boring. So, instead, I’ll let those nice people at Endesa, the electricity suppliers bore you to death (I mean, explain)

Another factor for the lack of ice apart from the electricity price and the hot weather is the influx of tourists. There are a lot more tourists, now that the pandemic has been brought under control. So, production is having a hard time matching demand.

What about my cocktails?

I love cocktails! I drink cocktails all the time but, a nice Old Fashioned or Mint Julep needs lots of ice to make it nice and cold. Usually, I would buy a bag of frozen H2O from the garage or the supermarket. In emergencies, I would scrounge ice from the local bars.

Now, I have to make my own.

OK, it’s not hard and, there are many ways to do it. However; if you have never had to do this for yourself, ice making at home is as follows:

1. Get a container: Ice cube-making trays can be bought everywhere. The rubber ones are the easiest to use.
2. Fill the container with water.
3. Put the tray, containing the water, into the coldest part of your freezer.
4. Wait until the water goes very hard and cold.
5. Pop out the cubes from the rubber ice tray into a large freezer bag.
6. Repeat this process until you have enough ice.
7. Viola! End of an ice emergency. You can now make your cocktails cool down your drinks or do whatever you need ice for.

Forgive me, if you already know how to do this but, there are people out there that don’t know (really…)

So, when visiting Nerja Beach Holidays on the Costa del Sol, you may find ice is rationed.

Sweating like the Duke of York?

It has been a very hot summer and, it seems to want to continue. So, why not spend your time fruitfully? It is too hot to work! even going for a walk will get you wilting.

So, why not sit inside with a nice, cold drink or sit on your balcony or in your garden of the villa or apartment you have rented from Nerja Beach Holidays? Enjoy!

Ryanair strikes in Spain: these are the 61 flights affected this Tuesday, 9 August

The Irish low-cost airline operates Spanish bases in Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Girona, Malaga, Seville, Valencia, Alicante, Santiago de Compostela, Palma and Ibiza

Why is it industrial action always affects those who least need it? If it isn’t the French Air Traffic Controllers, it’s the Baggage Handlers in London, the cabin crew in Greece or whatever.

People work hard all year and their two weeks in the sun are the highlight of the year. So, why should they suffer? I’m not a political animal and, I don’t want to be expressing such views on a holiday blog but; come on!

When are Ryanair Strikes?

According to our friends at the Sur in English, that fine publication for the south of Spain, the strikes are as follows:

The industrial action, announced by the Unión Sindical Obrera (USO), will continue for five months – until 7 January 2023 – every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

This is going to cause people travelling to and from Spain problems, never mind causing Ryanair a problem.

Can I claim compensation from Ryanair?

Flamingo Ringing – Hello little Flaminglets!

Pretty Flamingos

Once again, the Sur in English has come up trumps with a great story to cheer us up.

Flamingo ringing returns to the Fuente de Piedra lagoon, after the birth of 3,700 offspring or Flaminglets.

It has not taken place for two years because of the pandemic and then a lack of water. But now, 600 chicks have been marked by volunteers so their movements can be monitored in the future. See more.

Flamingos Facts

What is a bunch of flamingos called?

The collective noun to describe a gathering of flamingos is “flamboyance,” an appropriate term for these colourfully-feathered creatures. They flock together by the thousands on salt flats, lagoons, lakes, and swamps around the world, where they can filter-feed for shrimp, algae, and insects

As is normal for me and this blog, we have waded through the Internet to find you some fantastic Flamingo Facts.

Fuente de Piedra

Fuente de Piedra is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia (Andalucia) in southern Spain. The municipality is located approximately 19 kilometres from Antequera and 73 km from the provincial capital of Málaga. It is located within the Antequera judicial district as well.

Fuente de Piedra is very easy to get to and, the laguna, with thousands of Flamingos standing, feeding and living on it, is a straight drive through the town.

I would take some binoculars as they are a fair bit away from the main entrance. You can go on guided tours though. Private, group or tailor-made guided tours.

As you can imagine, thousands of large birds, eating and then pooing in the lake can make things a trifle ‘ripe’ shall we say? That’s nature for you.

A vist to the Flamingoes at Puente de Piedra is a great day out. Check out the main website of Visit Fuente Piedra. It would take to 1 hour 15 minutes in the car (122 KM) A-7 and A-45 but, as I said, it’s easy to find.

A great place to visit when you stay with us is Nerja.

Don’t Get Stung on the Costa del Sol-Jellyish Alert For Some Parts of The Costa del Sol- Get the Free Jellyfish Warning App

Jellyfish Alert

The western strip of the Costa del Sol has some unwanted guests; Jellyfish! According to The sur in English.

Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. (amazing what you can learn on this blog)

The dreaded jellyfish are once again making an appearance on the Malaga province coastline at the start of August. The Aula del Mar marine observatory reports this Monday, (1 August) a higher concentration of these invertebrates on the western strip of the Costa del Sol, specifically between Benalmádena and Torremolinos, where the level of jellyfish is in the middle (yellow) range. See more.

The Infomedusa app indicates a higher density of these invertebrates from Benalmádena to Malaga city.

Infomedusa is an application that shows a daily forecast of the presence of jellyfish. Get the App Free!

Other Animal Rights News

It’s good news week for a range of much malaigned animals. The Spanish government is implementing new laws that will protect pidgeons, dolphins and animal mostley seen in Zoo’s. Sadley though; Not the dear old bulls.

Again, drawing from the Sur in English, the free newspaper for the South of Spain.

Spain’s new animal rights law bans pigeon shooting, zoos and dolphinariums.

Dogs, Cats and Ferrets are not allowed allowed to be sold in shops. The law also bans the use of wild animals in circuses and activities in which animals could be damaged or killed, such as cockfights and pigeon shooting.

However, the text does not make any reference to bulls or bullfighting, although government sources have said a last-minute modification could be possible. See more

So, there you have it: stay updated with jellyfish news by using the Infomedusa App.

Laws on entry into Spain tightened. Brits must Prove they can spend 85 pounds every day to enter Spain

Brits (that’s British to you and me) are asked to make sure they have a minimum of 85 pounds to spend for each day of their Spanish holiday.

Holidaymakers entering Spain could be asked to show they have enough money to fund their trips at the rate of €100 or £85 per day.

The financial requirements go even further, as visitors must have €900 minimum (£766.94), together with two other forms of proof: a return or onward ticket and evidence of accommodation. (Daily Record)

This was enough to start a Twitter storm!* Every local newspaper, from Lands End to John O’Groats was running with the headline in various forms of fear.

The British tourists would need 85 Pounds per day headline in one paper, which became  595 pounds (7 days break) and 1190 pounds (14 days) in another.

Some publications, such as the Liverpool Echo were a little more European by quoting the cost in Euros (100€ a day looks scarier than £85.22). Other restrictions include possessing proof of a return ticket or onward journey and evidence of accommodation.

Laws on Entry into Spain

Most of the Twitterati, Facebook lawyers, Instagrammers and other social media platform users lost the plot. They overlooked one little word: ‘May’.

language note: May is a modal verb. It is used with the base form of a verb. Your use may indicate that something will possibly happen or be true in the future, but you cannot be certain. “We may have some rain today”, “Manchester United may win the Premier League this year…” (Nah! that’s stretching things a bit)

Do we think the Spanish government would shoot itself in the foot by alienating the biggest group of tourists into Spain? Pre-pandemic 18.1 million UK tourists entered Spain.

Post-pandemic the numbers are rising again as people start to travel more. 2021 4.3 million UK residents holidayed in Spain. That number will rise.

So, if your country made 4.8 billion euros from British tourism in 2021 (73% down on 2019 due to the Coronavirus pandemic), burdening the tourists with ever more rules and regulations is not the wisest of moves.

Also, how many more officials would you need to both check and enforce these new laws? How would you prove you have spent the requisite amount each day?. Would the tourist need to keep receipts?

I don’t know ANYONE who has been asked to prove any of this. Do you? I would be very interested to know.

Meanwhile, in true Brit tradition; Keep Calm and Carry on Abroad!

Remember the fear stories about the ‘hellish weather ‘horrible heatwave’  etc from last week? The UK didn’t turn into a burned piece of toast; did it?

Remember to check out the Nerja Beach Holidays website. Some great apartments, villas and townhouses are available for your all-inclusive holiday to Spain.

*a period characterized by a sudden increase in the number of posts made on the social media application Twitter about a particular issue, event, etc., especially controversial one.

Chaos at international airports. Strikes and Staff shortages hit foreign tourist arrivals on the Costa del Sol

Travel News – It doesn’t look good!

As if the poor tourists haven’t had a bad enough time. It’s horrible enough that the poor souls have to contend with the cost of living crisis at home in the UK. Added to that, rising inflation, rail strikes, and the chaos at ports that has followed Brexit.

Having to queue to get in and out of ports hasn’t helped at all.

Reading the Sur in English online, today, it doesn’t look good at all.

Strikes and staff shortages at airlines and major hubs are making flying a nightmare this summer, and hotel occupancy forecasts for foreign guests have been revised downwards as a direct result

An article, by Pilar Martìnez, is a ‘must read’ if you have travel plans from the UK to Costa del Sol.

A slowdown in foreign tourist bookings and cancellations has affected occupancy forecasts for hotels on the Costa del Sol.

The Hoteliers Association of the Costa del Sol (Aehcos), in its latest report, has revised downward the expected numbers of international travelers – to a 60 percent occupancy rate, a fall of ten percent. However, Aehcos said the decline will be offset by growth in domestic demand.

The association blames the Ryanair and EasyJet strikes and also the chaos at European airports for the decline.

Read more of the Pilar Martìnez article here.

Travelers really do need to keep an eye on the news channels. Industrial action is one thing; at least you get a warning. Staff shortages: they are a different kettle of fish altogether. These often cannot be accounted for.

Being the harbinger of bad travel news is not what I’m about, but, I do feel for people who have had holidays ruined or canceled because of no fault of their own.

I know! because I had flights to Lanzarote canceled by those charlatans at Vueling.com in 2020 (I’m still waiting for my reimbursement but that’s another story)

I wish you all the best of British luck; I hope you get your well-deserved holidays.

Terral Wind will give you an insight as to what your hair feels like under a hair dryer

Terral: what is it?

Wind! Very hot wind. That is the best and only way to describe ‘La Terral’ as we call it in the Malaga province of Andalucia, Spain.

If you have a good head of hair like me, you will have used the hair dryer at some stage. Well, imagine standing in front of a massive dryer, you get the picture?

Many people think that this horrible phenomenon comes from the Sahara Desert via the North African coast; it doesn’t.

Where does Terral Wind come from?

Cold wind from the north of Spain travels south and through the mountains around the Malaga area. A rapid increase in atmospheric pressure combined with a loss of moisture and increase in temperature gives you this hot, dry blustery wind.

It doesn’t end there: once this Terral Wind reaches the coast, it displaces the surface moister. This in turn makes the colder, deeper water rise to the surface. Viola! you have very cold seawater.

That is why, during these how and windy days, the sea is rather cold.

There is a great website with more information on the Terral Wind and other subjects of interest. Malaga Web, go check it out.

UK very high temperatures and weather warnings

Terral Wind in the UK is called Helm Wind. The Helm Wind is a named wind in Cumbria, England, a strong north-easterly wind which blows down the southwest slope of the Cross Fell escarpment. It is the only named wind in the British Isles, although many other mountain regions in Britain exhibit the same phenomenon when the weather conditions are favourable. Wikipedia

It comes to something when some parts of the UK are even hotter than Spain. Temperatures are getting to 40ºC in some parts of England. This is causing some concern at the UK weather centre. So much so; that they are issuing severe weather warnings.

It does make the older generation laugh. Take a peep at this Wikipedia snippet: The 1976 British Isles heat wave led to the second hottest summer average temperature in the UK since records began.

At the same time, the country suffered a severe drought. It was one of the driest, sunniest and warmest summers in the 20th century, although the summer of 1995 is now regarded as the driest. Wikipedia

How ever did we cope?

If you had the same scaremongering media back then, none of us would have left the house.

The Daily Mirror leads with a story of passengers ‘passing out’ in ‘boiling terminals’ after long flight delays.

The Washington Post really goes for it, with; National emergency in Britain as ‘deadly’ heatwave hits Europe.

The Sun is edging its bets with: Scorching heatwave to last at least eight more days befor ending with a bang! as thunderstorms set to hit the UK.

The Daily Star: With record-breaking temperatures forecast for much of the UK over the next few days, Kit Malthouse is chairing an emergency Cobra meeting at No 10 Downing Street. It goes on to tell us that there will be ‘temperatures never experienced’

How to survive the terribley hot UK weather

The trick is to get plenty of liquids down you. There is more advice available from the UK Government.

Walk in the shade, apply sunscreen and wear a wide-brimmed hat, if you have to go out in the heat. avoid physical exertion in the hottest parts of the day. make sure you take water with you if you are travelling. take care and make sure to follow local safety advice if you are going into the water to cool down. Check the UK Gov website for more sage advice on how to survive in the very hot weather.

Coming soon:

How to survive the torrential rain and storms that are due to follow the very hot UK weather.

Stay safe;-)

Spanish tourism sector looks forward to a profitable summer

Hotels have put their prices up and travelling by car will be much more expensive. But, tourists appear to be prepared to put up with the extra costs

Spanish Tourism

At last! it looks like some good news for the Spanish tourism sector. Let’s be honest; it’s not been a bed of roses these past few years. The Carona virus caused havoc worldwide, not just in Spain.

Rising fuel prices, cost of living crises, flight disruption, strikes and a lack of workers in the hospitality sector to name just a few things that have hampered the tourism industry in Spain.

For a real in-depth look, for those who are interested, check out this blog on Spain’s travel sector.

Before the pandemic arrived and dealt the tourism sector such a massive blow, the average price for a hotel room in Spain was 82.60 euros a night. Now, three summers and losses of millions of euros later, that same room will cost 95 euros on average, a rise of 15%. This gives an idea of how much the sector is recovering from the crisis, as bookings this year have exceeded all expectations.

Millions of foreign tourists are flocking to Spain again this summer, desperate for the sunshine and beaches they have missed so much. But rural tourism is also on the increase, as the CEHAT (Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation) has confirmed.

Check out more of this story from the Sur in English website.

Would you believe it?

Having said all of this, one of the biggest, nay! the biggest number of visitors to Spain come from the UK.

The United Kingdom was the main issuing country with 2,318,788 tourists, accounting for 22.1% of the total and an increase of 7.0% as compared to July last year. France and Germany were the following most important countries of residence of tourists visiting Spain in July. (Institute of National Statistics)

What does mother nature do to help the Spanish tourist industry? she ramps up the weather in the UK to record high temperatures!! Even Scotland is hitting the º30C mark. No need to get away to the sun then.

Joking aside, this is great news which ever way you look at it.

Check out the Nerja Beach Holiday websites to see what is available for your holiday in Nerja.