As Storm Chandra lashes the UK with strong winds and torrential rain many of us will be daydreaming about moving to sunnier climates. One brave Brit who made the leap is Mark Danby, who uprooted himself from his home in Britain and relocated to Spain’s Costa del Sol. 

But it’s not the holiday hotspots’ scorching summers that attracted Mark, so much as its mild, placid winters. On his Tapas Guy YouTube channel, he explains that winter on the Costa del Sol is when he is happiest as an expat.

He says: “You may be surprised to know that I moved to the Costa Del Sol because of the winter, not because of the summer.”

“Winter here is when a place actually reveals whether it’s the right place to live or not, or whether it’s just a place to come for your summer holidays. Before I came here, winter meant something very, very different to me. It meant short, dark days, and cold, wet mornings.”

The more forgiving climate in southern Spain means that Mark can actually enjoy a full day, strolling in the winter sunshine rather than hunkering down to get out of the rain. “My first winter here felt somewhat unfamiliar,” he said. “The beaches were quiet. Evenings were were calm.”

“For the first time in a long time, my winter days weren’t dictated by weather extremes. I didn’t realise how much I needed that until I had it.”

Mark says that the move from the UK to Spain has had a surprisingly beneficial effect on his mental well-being.He continues: “Here in the winter, mornings can start with a walk or a drink outside, even in January.”

Mark explains: “Physically and mentally, winter has changed things for me. I get out more. I walk more. I spend more time outside. And as a result of that, I do feel generally less stressed.”

He adds that as his overall mood has improved, so has his productivity. But life is not only easier in the Spanish winter, Mark says, it’s cheaper too.

“The winter in the Costa del Sol  is when it becomes financially honest,” he says. “There’s no tourists. Rents drop, sometimes significantly. Leases become available and eating out feels sustainable not just like a luxury.”

Admittedly, Mark says, some bars and restaurants do close in the winter, meaning that there will be slightly fewer dining-out options. 

Then again, he says, in the Spanish summer “everything comes to a standstill” too. He continues: “It becomes too hot, everything shuts down and it takes even longer to get things done.” The pace of life at any time of year, Mark explains, is generally more relaxed. 

But nevertheless, for Mark it’s the wintertime that’s most special. He adds: “The mild climate removes friction from your daily life. You don’t have to fight the weather like you do in the summer. You can actually live with it.

“When you stay through winter, something changes. You stop being a visitor. You become part of the rhythm.”