Fancy a proper slice of Scottish history without leaving Andalucia? Head inland this week for Teba’s 20th Douglas’ Days, a cracking four-day party running from August 20 to 23 that turns a quiet Malaga province town into a full-on medieval Scottish stronghold.

Back in 1330, Sir James Douglas, the loyal knight known as the Black Douglas, was carrying the embalmed heart of Robert the Bruce towards the Holy Land when he stopped to help King Alfonso XI of Castile. He joined the fight to take the Castillo de la Estrella from Nasrid forces and fell in battle. Locals have kept that dramatic tale alive ever since, and this year’s milestone edition feels extra special. Declared a Fiesta de Singularidad Turística Provincial, it draws Scottish pipers, reenactors and visitors from Scotland and Gibraltar for a real Scottish atmosphere you simply will not find on the coast or anywhere else in Spain.

What to expect over the four days

Thursday kicks off with the official poster reveal and a book launch, followed by evening bagpipe performances of the Douglas’ March to Teba in Plaza de la Constitucion. Friday sees the medieval market open along San Francisco, Grande and Herradores streets, packed with craft stalls, traditional food and street theatre. Catch the moving itinerant play Lagrimas por Itaba as it winds through the town towards the castle ruins. Saturday brings a formal homage procession to the Douglas monument, themed neighbourhood walks recreating Christian, Sephardic and Andalusi quarters, plus live music into the night. Sunday is all about open doors at the town’s museums, church and hermitage before the closing ceremony.

Local residents throw themselves into the costumes and decorations, while visiting groups such as the Saint Andrew’s Society of Gibraltar and Scottish artisans keep the pipes and kilts coming. There is even a municipal bagpipe school now training the next generation of local players.

Plan your trip inland from the Costa del Sol

Teba sits in the Guadalteba area, an easy drive from the coast, about halfway between Malaga and Ronda, and a refreshing change from the bigger ferias. Full details and the latest timetable sit on the official site at douglasdaysteba.com. For background on the historical battle, the Andalucia tourism page offers a clear overview.

If you enjoyed last year’s twinning celebrations with Melrose, this 20th edition takes the whole experience up a notch. Readers who caught our earlier coverage of the 2025 Douglas’ Days or the current Malaga Feria will find this a completely different flavour of summer fun. Grab the chance while it lasts – bagpipes echoing around whitewashed streets under a Malaga sky is pure magic you will talk about for years.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 pic.twitter.com/FALt1pYDQX

— Sovereign 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿👑 (@SovereignBain) August 28, 2025

Spain keeps baking under what seems like relentless heatwave after heatwave this summer, yet a massive climate driver is already firing up far across the Pacific that looks set to rewrite the rules for winter 2026-27.

Meteorologists put the chance that this Super El Niño will still be influencing European weather well into spring 2027 at an unusually high 95 per cent.

Extra heat building in the tropical Pacific acts like a giant atmospheric engine. It pushes powerful air currents, shifts high and low-pressure systems around the globe, and eventually reaches the jet stream and weather patterns sitting over Europe. Peak strength is expected between November and January, right in the middle of our coldest months.

By November–December, this El Niño will be the strongest any living person has ever experienced. It is expected to completely surpass any previous year by a massive margin.

Combined with ongoing climate change, global temperatures could briefly reach nearly 2°C above… pic.twitter.com/zO0pRntnGA

— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) August 15, 2026

Two extremely different winter scenarios on the cards

One possible outcome sees the polar vortex, that huge whirl of cold air sitting high over the Arctic, become unstable. Arctic air then tends to spill south, bringing weeks of hard frosts, snow and bitterly cold nights across large parts of Europe, including Spain’s higher ground and inland areas.

The opposite scenario produces a milder, greyer, wetter winter of the sort many places have seen in recent years. Extra warmth locked into the wider atmosphere keeps temperatures higher than average and encourages more unsettled, rainy spells.

Which version wins out should become clearer over the next few weeks as more detailed model runs arrive. Either way, the basic ingredients for an unusual season are already in place.

Why Europe’s winter is never just about El Niño

Spain’s winters also respond to the polar vortex high above the Arctic Circle, sea temperatures across the North Atlantic, and the exact position of the polar jet stream. Super El Niño can tip the odds, yet those other players still decide the final score.

Readers on the Costa del Sol and inland Andalusia will remember the furnace-summer warnings earlier this year linked to the developing El Niño. July 2026 then delivered Spain’s joint-hottest and driest July on record, as covered in our full report on the extreme month. Recent short-term changes, including the weekend storms and cooler air now moving across the country, show how quickly patterns can change even before the main El Niño peak arrives.

What the official numbers say right now

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center currently gives a greater than 90 per cent chance of a very strong event through the northern hemisphere’s autumn and winter, with the October-December period carrying a 95 per cent probability of reaching the “very strong” category. Around 69 per cent of the outlook points to a potentially historic episode stronger than any recorded since 1950.

The takeaway is simple: next winter is unlikely to feel routine. Whether that means icy spells or another stretch of mild, damp weather, the Pacific is already loading the dice. Keep an eye on the regular AEMET updates and the Euro Weekly News weather section as the picture becomes clearer over the coming weeks.

No human alive has seen an El Niño event this strong. In fact, it’s possible that no human in history has seen an event this strong.

Forecasts continue to project a 3.5-4.0°C ‘Super El Nino’.

Temperatures in the east Pacific are now widely 5°C above average, peaking at 6°C. pic.twitter.com/voKRoioBXT

— Met4Cast – UK Weather (@Met4CastUK) August 12, 2026

Juanma Moreno, president of the Junta de Andalucia, has warned residents that more seismic movements are very probable in Granada province over the coming days and even weeks. He spoke on Sunday, August 16, from the advanced command post dealing with the Niebla fire in Huelva, calling for calm while stressing the need for caution after the weekend’s activity.

A magnitude 5 quake struck near Alhendin in the early hours of Saturday, reverberating through most of Andalucia. Overnight into Sunday a further series of tremors followed, the strongest measuring 3.1 near Armilla. Around twenty events were recorded in the southern metropolitan area, roughly half of them felt by people in towns, including Ogijares, Gojar, La Zubia and Churriana de la Vega.

What officials are saying

Moreno described even more tremors as both very possible and foreseeable. “We ask citizens that if they feel any tremor, they already know the manual on how to behave,” he said. He added that it is important to stay careful while the sequence continues.

He confirmed the main event produced no major damage and no fatalities, despite its scale and comparisons sometimes drawn with stronger quakes elsewhere. Volunteer architects from the College of Architects are already working with the regional emergency agency. Teams are checking buildings that show cracks or other defects to decide whether any problems are structural or only superficial. That inspection work continues.

Advice for residents and holidaymakers in the area

Anyone who feels the floor shaking should follow the established safety steps: drop, cover and hold on under sturdy furniture or against a solid wall, keep clear of windows and heavy objects, and stay away from façades, cornices and balconies once outside. Avoid unnecessary movement in and out of buildings and never use lifts during or straight after a tremor. Keep up to date via official channels rather than unverified social media posts.

Spain’s National Geographic Institute (IGN) is continuing to monitor the sequence closely. Regional guidance on how to prepare and react is available from the Agencia de Emergencias de Andalucia.

Earlier coverage and context

Granada sits in a known active zone and has experienced seismic series before. Experts describe the current activity as a typical mainshock-aftershock sequence that should gradually release less energy. Authorities remain on alert and will keep the public informed as inspections and monitoring progress.

Residents are asked to stay calm, apply the safety advice they already know, and report any serious structural concerns to the emergency services on 112.