Are We Driving up the Right Riverbed?: Against all odds an English couple restore a Spanish ruin in Andalucia

With little money and only a basic grasp of the language, how do you set about restoring a ruined cottage in Spain?

The true story of a British couple on holiday in Spain, who discover a ruined farmhouse for sale in Andalucia. The romantic notion of owning their own little place in the sun - for not very much money - and being able to live a Spanish lifestyle, is too good to resist.

Unfortunately, as so often happens in Spain, the deal is not quite what it seems when they discover that the man selling the property does not actually own it. This is only the start of a long journey. Renovating the finca becomes a much bigger task than anticipated. Along the way there are many comic episodes and they encounter a host of extraordinary characters, including six different builders and a hostile neighbour. Comedy and confusion ensue.

Nothing daunted, a few years later they decide to have a house built to their own design. Once again, there are unforeseen problems. A rogue lawyer absconds with their money, and a series of totally bizarre events conspire to make a simple project into a complex puzzle; it takes many years before the reasons for all these frustrations finally fall into place.

Vital reading for anyone wishing to restore a ruin, renovate a finca, or battle with Spanish bureaucracy in a bid to enjoy a little place in the sun.

122 photos and 6 illustrations.