Alastair Johnson and his wife Alison decided to relocate to Spain with their seven-year-old son in 2016 for what they thought would be a "one-year sabbatical". Eight years on, the family still calls it home.
Alastair, who had lived in South Africa, London and Sydney before his move to Spain, previously spoke to GB News about why he settled in the sunny European country and why he loves Spain to this day.
Alastair described Spain as a "magical" and "beautiful" place. He revealed: "The relaxed attitude to the time bugged me at first - but they have really got it right."
Spain is an incredibly popular holiday destination among Britons, with tourists flocking in their masses year after year. But the beautiful country has so much more to offer than Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.
Alastair Johnson spoke exclusively to GB News about the best places to visit in Spain if you're looking for something less touristy.
Explore the enchanting medieval town of Besalú
La Garrotxa
The expat said: "It really is worth trying to get a bit off the beaten track. The big tourist attractions are tourist attractions for a reason, but then the people there are a bit more jaded. They've seen a lot more people come and go.
"If you get out into the smaller places and sort of off the beaten track, you really do find some fantastic experiences of being in Spain and there's some lovely parts of it."
As for Alastair's personal "favourites", La Garrotxa takes the top spot.
La Garrotxa
Alastair said: "Just north of Girona, there's a national park called La Garrotxa, at the base of the Pyrenees mountains. There are 40 inactive volcanoes that used to be in the area, which has made this incredibly rich soil.
"It's very unlike most of Spain. There are beautiful beech forests and some fantastic medieval towns there.
"There are absolutely gorgeous little medieval villages that are sort of perched in these mountainous regions, surrounded by places that don't look like Spain at all.
"But there are also very traditional Catalan villages full of great restaurants and nice little bars - and the weekend markets are fantastic."
Alastair likes to visit La Garrotxa with his family a week at a time for a spot of hiking and some delicious food.
He added: "It's somewhere you can really spend some time in and explore that whole region around there."
Holidaymakers can get more out of their trip by adding Girona to their travels. Alastair said: "Girona is a great city to go and have a look around as well that you can easily reach from La Garrotxa."
If you're staying in beautiful Barcelona, there are plenty of La Garroxa day tours that leave from there.
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Take a day trip from Barcelona to La Garrotxa
GETTY IMAGESWhat to do in La Garrotxa
- Go hiking in the beech forest La Fageda d’en Jorda
- Wander enchanting medieval villages and towns - some of the best preserved include Santa Pau, Besalú, Sant Joan les Fonts and Sant Feliu de Pallerols
- Check out Medieval Besalú, a festival that takes place on the first weekend of September where attendees are transported back to medieval times
- Visit La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park, which boasts more than 20 lava flows and 40 inactive volcanoes - better yet, try a hot air balloon tour over the park
- Wander Romanesque and Gothic churches galore
- Explore, shop and eat in Olot, the capital of La Garrotxa - for a delicious meal, head to two Michelin-star restaurant Les Cols
- Take a day trip to Estany de Banyoles, the largest lake in the area, to enjoy picturesque landscapes and numerous water activities
Alastair and Alison set up Moving to Spain to help people looking to relocate. It offers expert advice, resources, insider knowledge and a handpicked network of service providers.
