The effects of climate

Climate and location also contribute to quality of life. I can still remember the horrors of the switch from UK summer time to UK winter time. Suddenly, you realised that for the next few months you would leave for work in the morning in the dark and return home again in the dark. The only time you saw your house in daylight was at the weekend. The clocks do change here as well but because you are closer to the equator there is a more even distribution of the hours of darkness and light.

Even in the middle of winter on the Costa del Sol there is daylight at around 8 am and the dark period of the day does not return until after 6 pm. So you will have almost three hours more daylight than you would enjoy even in the SE of England and if you happen to live in the north – considerably more. I was born in the West of Scotland and during the winter there it was dark until 10 am and it was dark again at 3.30 pm.

No more SAD

The other wonderful contribution to quality of life from this factor is that more often than not the hours of daylight are also hours of sunlight. The one thing that nobody should experience on the Costa del Sol is seasonal affective disorder – no more SAD. Quality of life really is improved by 320 days of sunshine every year. What we certainly do not miss from our old life in the UK is day after day of grey skies. I know I said earlier that Costa del Sol rain can be a very real problem but at least you know that it will probably only last for a short time and the sun will be back soon.