Love September? You will if you move to the Costa del Sol

The sun shines on, the vibe remains, but the queues shorten - September on the Costa del Sol is a fine month

Do you have an internal mental picture of months? How do you view, say, June on your internal calendar?

For me, my mind goes back to when I was a five-year-old boy at school. Our primary school class was learning the months of the year and, as a visual guide, our teacher had handily written each one onto a piece of card and arranged them on a wall in a circle, with December at the position of six on a clockface, and the following months circulating clockwise…

However, June wasn’t at the position of 12 o’ clock, where it should’ve been. Instead, the entire summer months (in the UK, this is June – Aug) were spread across the top, from 10-2. It didn’t make much logical sense, but it stuck – today, here in August, my mind places us at the top of the clock, ready to start the autumnal descent as soon as we tick into September.

Because, in the UK at least, September is the month when the air cools, the days noticeably shorten, the schools reopen and summer fun gets locked away once more for another year. It’s nothing but dark days and classroom toil until the Christmas festivities begin.

And it was ever thus, until I experienced my first September in Spain. Sure, I knew I was in a different – much warmer – country, but I never expected the onset of autumn to be so delayed and, well, mild. In fact, September on the Costa del Sol can rightly claim to be at the apex of the summer season, with October the month when things start to noticeably cool down.

I quickly learnt, too, that September is the favourite month for many expats on the Costa del Sol. It is easy to see why.

The weather is still exceptional but ever-so-slightly cooler than the incessant heat that characterises late August. Many of the tourists have gone home, but enough remain to give the place a noticeable buzz, and the waters of the Mediterranean are warmer than at any other point of the year, too. After months of endless heat, the chill is taken out of the sea, making swimming an absolute joy.

So while the Brits are digging out their jackets, umbrellas and school uniforms as September looms ominously on the horizon, Spaniards – and Brits in Spain – are rubbing their hands in glee at anticipation of the finest month in the calendar year.

I don’t think my old primary school teacher is still teaching, but if she were, I’d have to ask her to reposition those months on her wall.