I'm just really sensitive to cold I think and proper warmer weather, the hotter the better. I'd love to live somewhere like the South of France or Spain.
If you want it warm all year round, Morphix, I'm afraid you'll need to go a long way south. The south of France gets really cold in winter, even on the Med. The Canaries enjoy a pretty decent, year-round climate but there is a little corner of Spain which comes close and that's the area around the Almanzora valley, Europe's only official desert.
How do I know this? I live there part of the year and I would point any would-be winter tourists in the direction of the weather stats for the local coastal area if they have doubts. The southern part of Almeria province in Andalucia consistently enjoys the warmest and driest winters on mainland Europe and the winter sea temperature on that coast is much the same as you would experience around British shores in summer.
As Lynda rightly points out, it is possible to tire of unrelenting heat and blinding sunshine but that's what bars are for! In winter, should you feel nostalgic and hanker after a bit of the cold, white stuff, it's possible to leave the beach area at say, 0900hrs when it's 14 degs, drive up the motorway for an hour and wallow in temps of 4-7 degs, surrounded by deep snow. Fortunately, the local environment people are on the ball and keep the major roads snowploughed so you can have lunch somewhere in the mountains then head back to the beach for 1600hrs and enjoy a couple of hours sunbathing in 21 degs.
If you're the really adventurous sort, you can literally have an early breakfast in a beach-side eatery, drive two hours north, spend a couple of hours ski-ing on the Sierra Nevada, and still be back for a spot of water-ski-ing followed by a couple of sundowners before getting yourself freshened up and heading out for your evening meal. Does it sound idyllic? I think it does but I usually skip the ski-ing bit and just enjoy the weather.
Lots of UK pensioners, colloquially known as "Snowbirds," spend all winter there from flu-jab time at the end of September through till March. Rental rates are cheap and heating costs are minimal so it's easy to see the attraction. Oh dear......I am one of those pensioners and I think I've just talked myself into another trip down there. The flu jab was sorted three weeks ago, I don't need to pay rent so I'm all set; just need to check sleazyjet's prices and car hire to see whether to take my motorhome or not.
If you think you might miss four clearly defined seasons, the mountainous region around El Contador, Chirivel and Santa Maria is very reminiscent of Scotland or parts of Canada or Sweden. Mountains, pine forests, cornfields intermingled with almond groves and orchards seems bizarre but it's real and the seasons are very much different to the coastal strip. I've been a visitor then resident in that part of Spain since the early '90s and can honestly recommend it.
Indalo
