Moving To Rural Spain

Walking season on the Camino is already starting. Yesterday we had a couple of Americans out at the gate. They were very enthusiastic watching me drive the tractor around picking up piles of chestnut husks and palm fronds. People always tell us we are ‘Living the Dream’. I think they mean living on the Camino. But some are referring to living in rural, picturesque Spain.

It’s true, more and more Americans are selling up their McMansions and moving to Spain. It’s one of the top, if not the top, foreign destinations for US retirees in 2023. Some move to the Mediterranean. We did. At first. But, more and more Americans are choosing northern Spain because of the weather and the growing number of unbearable heat waves in the rest of the country. Even in winter, it’s getting bad down south. Galicia, Asturias, and Cantabria are hot (or colder) on the list as climate considerations influence resettlement decision making.

Empty Spain

Recently, two articles in La Voz Galicia caught my eye. The first is that Galicia is the Seattle of Spain. That was the headline. They mixed up comparing a city to an autonomous community, but you get the picture. Jeff said ‘Duh’ as I read it aloud to him. Here, we have similar weather without the annual Seattle summer heatwaves. Let’s face it, looking outside right now, we could be almost anywhere in the Pacific Northwest. It’s the reason Jeff wanted to live here.

The other article was about the growing emptiness of Galicia. Over 890 villages are now completely uninhabited. And, a further 700 host only one resident. The problem is growing as the population of Galicia ages and younger people opt for city life. Many of these villages are stunning and hundred of years old. Living history. When passing through, to Americans it can seem romantic. So much potential with a bit of remodeling and some elbow grease. We love a good remodeling project in the US. DIY is practically a religion. But there are consideration most people do not ponder over when thinking about living in rural Spain. So I thought, as a veteran of the rural wars, I would list just a few.

Your Personal List

First up, make a list of everything you love doing. What entertainment do you enjoy? Movies, theatre and restaurants? Do you enjoy traveling? Boating? Golf?

Next, how old are you? Do you have any medical issues?

What about variety stores? Target or the like? How many times a week do you find yourself wandering their aisles in your city or town in the US?

Then, when you have found the Galician or Spanish rural manor house, or quaint little village you can scoop up for a song, before you sign a purchase contract, do something simple. Put each of the things you added to your list into Google maps. One at a time. Then, make note of how far these places you need so badly are located from your potential new home or current pile of historical rubble. You will definitely require a shiny new Spanish driving license and a car.

My List

International airport – How far away is it from your ducal palace?

Train stations – Same question.

Gas station – It will suck to be on fumes rolling into your driveway as the light on the dash goes Bing! when the nearest gas station is twenty miles away.

Taxis – Will a ‘local’ taxi service pick you up or drop you off there? Don’t assume they will. You don’t think you will ever need a taxi service out at the manor house? You will. Believe me.

Cellular Service – Got bars? Most rural areas still struggle with reliable service. Stand inside and test this in every room. Even the ones without a roof.

High Speed Internet – With Starlink, maybe. If it can see the satellite. But most rural houses use a 4G modem. And it is sloooow! Adios! Zoom calling back home.

Ferretería (Hardware store) – <see grocery stores> You will want the big box variety ala Home Depot, not just some guy with an old dusty shop filled with empty pegs.

Indian/Thai/Mexican <insert favorite foods here> restaurants – We all get a craving for our fav foods. Where is the closest big city that might have one restaurant to sate your hankering for a taste of home?

Hospitals or Urgencia – You’ll need it eventually. You will also need to know how to get there. Is it a hour away as you hold your bleeding finger aloft with a dish towel?

Health clinic – <see hospital> This is also where the local ambulance will be parked. How far will they need to drive to get to you when you dial 061?

Police station – same as ambulances but when you dial 112

Movie theaters – Where is your closest Yelmo or Cine? They will play movies in voce (original voice) sometimes, on one particular day, for one movie that they decide and you will grudgingly watch. They all vary. You will have to ask which day.

Veterinario– If you bring your animals from the US you will need one.

Pet boarding – <see travel and veterinarian>

Contractors/architects – If you need remodeling work done – and you will – how far away is any potential business? If it’s too far you will find it difficult to get them to come out. Or to even give you a quote.

Grocery stores – Driving twenty miles on a winding one and a half lane road, each way, will quickly wear on you.

Fire Stations – These are thin on the ground in rural Galicia, with towns sharing one station that covers a vast area. You likely won’t care about this, until you do because your palace is on fire after an electrical problem, and dialing 112 doesn’t bring instant results. You could wait over an hour for help. Invest in a fire extinguisher. Or two.

Neighbors – Where are your neighbors? Nothing happens in rural communities without the neighbors help. If you live in an isolated manor house or empty village without neighbors close by, you will find it impossible to survive here.

Banking – Many banks are closing branches all over rural Spain. And Galicia is no exception. Our bank doesn’t have a branch within 40 kilometers of us. It’s a huge hassle if your debit card gets eaten by the lone ATM (cashpoint) in the nearest town on a dark and stormy night. Ask me how I know.

Variety Stores – The replacement for your US Target fix will likely come in the form of something the Spanish refer to as El Chino. These are stores run by Chinese immigrants who will speak Spanish better than you ever will, and they are each independently owned. Spain could not function as a society without them. They are packed to high heaven with more than you would ever find in a Target, for everything you will ever need, sans pharmacy, baby cribs, or food. But those other things can likely be found next door on the same block. When we looked at real estate all over Galicia, the first thing we did is make sure we had an El Chino close at hand. Within ten kilometers of our potential house. Better if it’s five. You can’t Google map these unless you know what to look for. Words like ‘Hyper’ or ‘Bazaar’. Often, they aren’t even listed on Google maps. Drive to the nearest town and look for them. But, trust me, you DO NOT want to live anywhere that doesn’t host an El Chino within ten kilometers.

AutoVia – Is there access to a freeway, expressway, motorway (what ever you call it) within 15 minutes of your new village home or hilltop castle? AutoVias criss cross this country using Madrid as the hub to its network of spokes. It’s become a real problem the government must tackle, as large swaths of rural Spain are left out of this network, rendering communities cut off from services or viable employment. With the speed of change here, Jeff and I will not live to see the new solutions implemented.

AutoVia access is thin on the ground in Galicia, in the interior. The coasts tend to get the road money and the M, A or AP expressways. We were thrilled to learn a new stretch of the AutoVia M54 will be opening soon near us with an on/off ramp just 1.5 kilometers away from our farm. Our neighbors complained, but we cheered. We can’t wait! It’s a half hour to Lugo for me now. It will be closer to 20 minutes when the AutoVia extension goes in this year. And Santiago, today an hour drive, will be 30 minutes due west. Transformational. Commuting territory for any American. Easily, for us, this is within the time/distance for eating out, seeing a movie, or shopping regularly.

Isn’t It Romantic?

Unless you are filming a DIY show on the silly foibles of moving to a rural country house in Spain, living in a ruin, alone and cold, with sketchy internet and dodgy electrics is less romantic after the tenth time you trip the circuit breaker using the washing machine while heating up the kettle. Too cold to get out of your pajamas and robe for days on end. It’s a winter thing here. No kidding. You might just find yourself outside shaking your fist at the grey, raining sky ‘What am I doing here?!?’ Especially if there are no contractors, and watching YouTube to fix it yourself is nye impossible on 1 megabyte internet. But you couldn’t do it anyway because the hardware store is more than an hour away and your car has no gas. It’s inevitable. Surrender to it.

So, after reading this list, if you proceed with your ‘Living the Dream’ romantic notions of buying a 500 year old village in rural Spain and turning it into an artist’s community, albergue or organic pension, you won’t be able to say you didn’t know. Because I’m telling you right now, the details of living in empty Spain matter. And, as we all know, that’s precisely where the devil resides.