Hola, amigos! After spending nearly three months away, we were finally heading back to our little farm in rural Spain. Our return didn’t exactly go to plan, and when we eventually arrived home, we found nature had completely taken over. Then, with devastating wildfires breaking out nearby and another heatwave on the way, one job suddenly became far more urgent than simply tidying up the land.
A Journey Back That Didn’t Go To Plan
Our visas still hadn’t come through — again — and our engine management light was already back on before we’d even left. The journey had been a long one, and when the car started giving us trouble along the way, we genuinely didn’t know whether we’d make it home without needing recovery. Thankfully, after checking everything over and making a few adjustments, we were able to carry on. It wasn’t the relaxed return we’d imagined, but we eventually made it back to the valley.
Arriving Home to a Jungle
It felt so good to be back, but “a bit of a jungle” was putting it kindly. We knew the land would have changed after such a warm spring, but nothing prepared us for just how much the grapevines had grown — spreading across the patio, around the house, and into areas we’d only recently cleared. It was lovely to see everything so green and alive, but it also meant our first job back was already waiting for us before we could properly settle in.
Another Visa Setback
We’d been away for two and a half months hoping to get our Spanish residency sorted, but with a huge backlog we’re now looking at another six weeks in Spain before heading out again to (hopefully) finish the paperwork. Frustrating, but we’re determined to make the most of the time we’ve got.
Taming the Grape Vines
First job: getting the vines back under control. Pinning them back, cutting away the growth competing with the actual grape bunches, and clearing space so the plant’s energy goes into the fruit rather than climbing everywhere. It’s a genuinely satisfying job once you see the sheer volume of bunches hiding underneath all that growth — and a good reminder of just how fast things move on this land when we’re not around.
A Sobering Reminder: Wildfires Near Almería
Once the vines were under control, our attention turned to something far more serious. The recent wildfires in Almería have been devastating — we know people who’ve lost their homes, and others who’ve tragically lost loved ones. Seeing smoke on the horizon and hearing those stories really brings home how quickly fires can spread here, and how much they can take from people.
Racing the Heat to Clear Dry Vegetation
While we were away, the grasses and weeds around the house grew massively through spring and then dried out completely as temperatures climbed, leaving huge amounts of dry vegetation right around the property. With another heatwave on the way, it wasn’t something we felt comfortable ignoring. We’d strimmed everything low before we left a couple of months ago, but the moment we had to leave for our Schengen days, it grew straight back out of control.
To make it harder, this time of year comes with strict fire prevention rules — no strimming with a metal blade — and our plastic cutting head had broken too. So it was back to basics: a hoe, a rake, and a wheelbarrow. Slower, yes, but far safer than risking even the smallest spark. Every bit of dry vegetation we cleared went straight to the compost pile and got covered with soil, breaking down safely instead of sitting as dry fuel around the house. We can’t control what happens during wildfire season in Spain, but we can do our best to prepare our little corner of it.
Working With (Not Against) the Spanish Summer
By late morning the heat had climbed so much it simply wasn’t sensible to carry on — anything past 9:30 or 10am this time of year is too hot to work safely. There’s still plenty left to clear, and we’ll keep chipping away at it over the next few cooler mornings. Summer in southern Spain really changes the rhythm of life: once the work is done and the kids have finished escuela de verano, you’ll usually find us escaping the heat at the lakes, the beaches, or the pool. When temperatures push 40°C, you quickly learn to make the most of the cooler hours and slow right down through the hottest part of the day.
What’s Next
There’s still so much to do around the farm, but we’re glad to have made a start on one of the most important jobs of the summer. This is real life on a rural Spanish farm during the hottest part of the year — not always sunshine and blue skies, but worth every drop of sweat.
Watch: Returning to Spain — Breakdowns, Overgrown Vines & Wildfire Prep
Here’s the full episode — the journey back, the jungle waiting for us, and the race to clear dry vegetation before the next heatwave:
Returning to Spain: Breakdowns, Overgrown Vines & Preparing for Wildfire Season
Jump to the moments that matter most:
- 0:00 – Heading back to Spain (breakdowns and all)
- 0:57 – A stressful drive: will we make it without recovery?
- 1:20 – Arriving home to find a jungle
- 1:37 – The grapevines that exploded while we were away
- 2:06 – Another visa setback and six more weeks in Spain
- 2:51 – Taming the grape vines
- 3:24 – A sobering reminder: wildfires near Almería
- 3:48 – Dry grass, dry weeds and another heatwave on the way
- 4:33 – Fire rules mean no metal blade — back to a hoe and rake
- 5:03 – Composting the dry vegetation safely
- 5:27 – Beating the heat: working the cooler morning hours
- 5:46 – Slowing down for a Spanish summer
Join Our Off-Grid Journey in Spain
We’re a UK family living off-grid in Andalusia, Spain — taking the setbacks with the sunshine and sharing the real, unfiltered version of this life. Subscribe on YouTube and follow along as we keep transforming Renacer McGlynn (that’s Spanish for “to be reborn”) into the homestead we’ve always dreamed of.
📺 Subscribe on YouTube 📸 Follow us on Instagram 📘 Join us on Facebook
¡Hasta la próxima!