We were both 60 but not feeling our age so we decided to move abroad and have an adventure whilst we were still young enough and fit enough to enjoy it. England was ok but increasingly things about the country were irritating us and we thought a cheaper, warmer and quieter life style would be good. Both our daughters and their young families lived near to us in the East Midlands but the elder daughter decided to move to the Dordogne in France , which she did in April 2005. Therefore the family was going to be split up anyway. So the choice was France or Spain and in the end we decided on the Costa Azahar in Spain which would be cheaper and warmer in winter than France . Also we reasoned that in locating ourselves between Barcelona and Valencia we would have access to some big cities and culture if we wanted it and we would be only a 10 hour drive away from the daughter in France and a 2/3 hours flight away from the other one in the Midlands . We left England in May 2005 with our 2 dogs having sold our house, and with no new house to go to! People said we were "brave"!

The romantic notion was to have a house with a bit of land (so we would be quite private) on the side of a hill with views of the Mediterranean and the mountains. We knew all about the problems of "land grab" in Spain but we also knew that the climate on the Costa Azahar was one of the best in Spain (warmer and dryer in winter than further north but not so fiercely hot in summer as further south) and that in the province of Valencia you can legally build on rural (rustic) land providing you have a plot of at least 10,000 square meters. The ability to do this near the Mediterranean coast in Spain is increasingly difficult if not impossible due to changes in planning laws in most areas and some of the horror stories from further south did concern us. Initially we decided to buy the land and have a house built on it. However in the end we changed our mind because waiting maybe 2 years for the house to be built and having to contend with all the various paperwork and negotiations with local builders proved too daunting. Having said this we realised that dealing with a good local agent would take out much of the hassle.

In July 2005 we found our perfect house. It was a 4-year old French style chalet property on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean and the mountains close to the three local seaside towns of Vinaros, Benicarlo and Peniscola. It had 3 bedrooms, a big open plan lounge/dining room/kitchen and a large pool, which were all the things we were looking for.

Why then are we selling up and moving on only some 6 months after moving to Spain ?

Simply put we couldn't cope with being separated from both our daughters and grandchildren. We thought 'day to day' contact via telephone, e-mail and webcam communications topped up by visits to both families and their visits to us would work ok, but for us it didn't. There is no way you can know how you will feel in these circumstances until it happens in practice. It is also a very personal and particular situation. What seemed manageable in the abstract for us proved unmanageable and unsatisfactory in reality. Visits to and from the family have been great but we found ourselves missing them as soon as they were finished. Our dogs were the family we did take with us but both became ill after only a few months and our special pet had to be put down which added to our sense of missing our daughters & grandchildren.

Despite this early decision to sell up we do not regret coming to Spain .

We wanted an adventure and have found the Spanish people friendly and welcoming. The bureaucracy has not been a problem and whilst it does help to speak some of the language the Spanish are very tolerant particularly if you try a few words. We have enjoyed our time in Spain and a relaxed lifestyle in an unspoilt region with a pleasant microclimate and over 300 days of sun a year has a lot to commend it particularly when the winter weather in England turns bitterly cold and damp.