We have visited Spain regularly in September, it suits us very well because the grandchildren have gone back to school and requests for ‘grandparent duties’ stop. Like many we find August too busy and too hot for our northern white skin.

This year we couldn’t book a fast crossing with Brittany Ferries except on two dates in August, so we chose the later on, 26th August 2026 and booked that. Little did we know that Spain and Europe would have extreme temperature during our stay in Spain. The heat has been sufficient for us to abandon out plans to go south to Granada by way of the Roman sites at Albarracin.

Instead we headed north, into the mountains close to the French border, and even here we have been in temperatures around 33°C, we are left sitting our our days waiting for the sun to pass over and behind mountains so that the temperature starts to fall. Currently we are in Canfranc, just a few km from the French border at 1200 metres; no point moving from here at the moment, if we go down a little into Spain temperature jump to around 33 or 34° and it’s the same if we go north into France. Today is Sunday, all the forecasts suggest that by wednesday temperatures will be heading for normal, about 10 to 12° lower.

So, we sit and wait. I am reminded that waiting is something that none of us are godd at these days. We expect immediate results, so perhaps we are being told something that we need to listen to?