MAN IN SAN AN by Martin Makepeace

Wednesday 12 August 2026

This day and evening is going to be a little bit special. On 12 August 2026, the Balearic Islands will experience a total solar eclipse, the first visible from the islands since 1905. In other words, nobody currently alive has seen this happen here before and because several hundred thousand people are expected to want the perfect spot to watch it, there are a few things you probably need to know before heading out with your sunglasses, picnic and phone camera.

🌞 1. The countdown starts at 7.38pm

That’s when the Moon begins moving across the Sun. For the next hour, you’ll gradually see more and more of the Sun disappear until totality arrives between approximately 8.30pm and 8.34pm. So, yes, you’ve got plenty of time to find somewhere to stand. Just don’t leave it until 8.25pm and expect to park outside your favourite viewpoint.

🌑 2. Day will briefly turn into night

During totality, the sky will become dramatically darker, almost as though somebody has switched the lights off and this isn’t some slightly disappointing British-style grey cloud. This is actual astronomical darkness in the middle of the evening.

🌅 3. It happens just before sunset

The eclipse takes place unusually late in the day, with the Sun already relatively low in the sky which means the combination of a total eclipse, Mediterranean horizon and evening light could produce some spectacular views. It could also produce approximately several thousand people standing on the same viewpoint trying to take exactly the same photograph.

🌡️ 4. It could suddenly get noticeably colder

As the Sun disappears, temperatures can fall by several degrees. Don’t panic (or celebrate), summer hasn’t suddenly cancelled itself.

🐦 5. The wildlife gets confused

Birds may stop singing and head towards their roosts. Nocturnal creatures can start becoming active. Crickets may decide it’s bedtime. Basically, nature temporarily gets its watch wrong.

✨ 6. You may see stars and planets

The sky will become dark enough during totality for some of the brighter stars and planets to become visible which is particularly impressive when you remember you’re still standing on Ibiza at around 8.32pm rather than camping in the middle of nowhere.

👑 7. You’ll see the Sun’s corona

One of the most spectacular parts of a total eclipse is the solar corona, the Sun’s outer atmosphere. Normally it’s completely overwhelmed by the brightness of the Sun. During totality, it suddenly becomes visible as a ghostly white halo surrounding the Moon.

💍 8. Look out for the Diamond Ring

Just before and after totality, the final – and first – burst of sunlight can create the famous Diamond Ring effect, and yes, this is one occasion where looking up is absolutely encouraged.

🧵 9. Then there are Baily’s Beads

As the Moon moves across the Sun, sunlight can shine through valleys and gaps around the Moon’s edge. The result is a series of tiny points of light known as Baily’s Beads. Astronomy really does have some excellent names.

🕶️ 10. Your normal sunglasses are NOT enough

This is the serious bit. Never look directly at the Sun without properly approved solar eclipse glasses. Normal sunglasses do not provide sufficient protection. The only exception is during the brief period of totality, when the Sun is completely covered by the Moon. As soon as even a tiny part of the Sun becomes visible again, the eclipse glasses need to go back on.

🏝️ 11. The whole of the Balearics gets in on the act

The Moon’s shadow will first reach Menorca at 8.30:01pm, before travelling across Mallorca, Ibiza and finally Formentera. The length of totality varies:

• Mallorca: around 90 seconds
• Ibiza: just over a minute
• Formentera: around 30 seconds
• Menorca: totality begins later in the island’s passage through the eclipse

A minute doesn’t sound very long but you can have a lot of fun in 60 seconds especially as you’re standing there watching the Sun disappear.

📅 12. This is genuinely historic

The previous total solar eclipse visible from the Balearics was on 30 August 1905. Totality was visible from Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera, while Menorca experienced around 99.1% coverage but sat just outside the path of totality. In Palma, totality lasted more than three minutes, considerably longer than we’re getting in 2026. People knew this was a big deal even then. Newspapers promoted the event, scientific societies organised observations and public talks were held to explain what was happening.

The big difference? They didn’t have Instagram of course.

🚗 And Now For The Important Bit: Getting Around

The authorities are expecting huge numbers of people to move around the islands, particularly towards popular observation points. So the official advice is pretty straightforward:

• 🚶 Walk whenever possible. If your chosen viewing location is within walking distance, leave the car at home.
• 🚗 Avoid unnecessary journeys by private vehicle. This is probably not the evening to decide that everyone should drive to the same mirador.
• 🅿️ Don’t rely on finding parking. Observation areas are expected to fill quickly.
• 🚫 Don’t park on road shoulders, crossings, roads or access points. Apart from being illegal or dangerous, you could prevent emergency vehicles getting through.
• 📄 Take proof of your reservation, accommodation, residence or work if you’re travelling into an area where restrictions are operating.
• 🚑 Keep emergency access clear. Ambulances, fire engines and other emergency services still need to get around while everyone else is looking at the sky.
• 🌊 Be sensible around cliffs and viewpoints. Don’t squeeze onto dangerous ledges just because you’ve spotted the perfect Instagram angle.
• 🔥 Take extreme care in natural areas. The Balearics are in summer fire season, so don’t turn your eclipse picnic into an entirely different sort of spectacle.
• 👮 Follow instructions from the Local Police and Civil Protection. Restrictions may change depending on traffic and crowd levels.
• 📱 Check official council channels before setting off. Traffic conditions and access restrictions could change during the day.

And perhaps the best advice of all…

Don’t all leave at once. Thousands of people are expected to try to head home immediately after totality. If you’ve got somewhere to sit, a bar nearby, a picnic, or simply the patience to wait a little while, delay your journey home if you can because watching the Moon block out the Sun for 60 seconds is likely to be considerably more enjoyable than spending the following two hours sitting bumper-to-bumper with everyone else who had exactly the same idea.

🌑 One final thought

Total solar eclipses happen somewhere on Earth roughly every 18 months but for any particular location, they’re extraordinarily rare. The Moon’s shadow is going to sweep across the Balearics on 12 August 2026. For a few precious seconds, Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca and Formentera will experience something that hasn’t happened here for 121 years.

So find your spot, take your eclipse glasses, leave the car if you can, keep away from the cliff edge and enjoy this historic moment.

I saw an interesting post on Facebook this week that really resonated with me.

It wasn’t an angry rant, although it could easily have been. It was more of an August plea with a simple question:

Where do we send our clubbing friends?

Not the ones who want a €5,000 table, a bottle of something with a sparkler stuck in it and 14 people filming themselves pretending to be having the time of their lives.

I mean our actual friends, the ones who come to Ibiza for a proper night out. A club night where we know they are going to have a great time – without feeling like they’ve been pickpocketed of their hard-earned cash by 6am.

This is where Ibiza clubbing has become a little bit complicated. Once upon a time, you could recommend a night with almost complete confidence.

Time to get nostalgic.

Every night was something special and of course Sunday was We Love with Bora Bora fitting in somewhere between everything else and the beauty was that you didn’t necessarily have to plan it all 6 weeks in advance. You went. You danced. You bumped into people. You followed the crowd. You ended up somewhere you hadn’t expected to be and, crucially, the promoters actually wanted you there.

Guestlist mattered. Workers mattered. Residents mattered. There was a relationship between the people putting on the parties and the people who supported them.

You didn’t necessarily need a wallet full of €100 notes to participate. Fast forward to August 2026 and things are obviously rather different. Ibiza has ‘evolved’. 

The clubs are bigger. The DJs are bigger. The production is bigger and, obviously, so are the prices. There is nothing wrong with this, I’m a big believer that Ibiza reacts to the market but there must be more surely.

Nobody is suggesting Ibiza should somehow freeze itself in 1996 but there is a difference between accepting that things change and accepting that the traditional Ibiza night out should become an expensive luxury product because I’m increasingly conscious of what I’m recommending (in fact I usually leave it to my kids).

If I’m recommending a club and telling them to expect to spend €150, €200 or more, I want to be absolutely certain they’re going to walk out at sunrise thinking: “That was fucking brilliant” not “Did we really just spend €600 between us?” and that, for me, is the interesting bit because there are still some fantastic nights happening.

Akasha, Chinois, 528, Nocturna, Tomadachi, to name but a few, are now flying the flag for authentic nights out, and Amnesia under pressure from noisy neighbours, have come out fighting and can probably claim to be the most authentic club on the island.

These places deserve attention because it feels like old school and there’s definitely still a place for that where it’s not all about money – well not from the outside anyway (if you know what I mean).

Ultimately, if we’re going to complain about what Ibiza has lost, we should also support what it still has – this is a true ‘glass half full’ moment and perhaps that’s the bigger point.

We shouldn’t just complain about the death of the old Ibiza, a time when we were younger and more involved, we should actively support the bits that still feel like it.

I’m not anti-VIP. I’m not anti-luxury. I’m not anti-expensive DJs. If you’ve got €10,000 to spend on a table, crack on, but there should still be somewhere for the person who simply wants to dance, sweat, lose their mates (only to find them 3 hours later talking to complete strangers) then end up somewhere unexpected and wake up wondering exactly what the fuck just happened.

The best promoters understood that building a crowd wasn’t simply about selling tickets it was about building a community – I’m looking at you Clockwork Orange.

The clubs looked after the workers and residents because they would come back next week and they would bring their friends and they would tell their visitors where to go. They would become the unofficial marketing department and what’s more they would stick with you.

So perhaps the answer to the August plea is simple. Let’s find those places, support them and recommend them so when our friends ask: “Where should we go tonight?” we’ve got somewhere we can send them without the need for a financial disclaimer.

Somewhere they can spend a reasonable amount of money, hear brilliant music, have a proper Ibiza experience and come home with memories rather than a bank statement that requires counselling.

The corporate takeover might be well underway with guestlists disappearing and spontaneity hanging on by its fingertips but I don’t believe (unlike some of the Facebook Karens) that the real Ibiza has disappeared.

Maybe we just need to stop being lazy, put down the smartphone and get better at finding it.

For years, Ibiza has judged success by one number – visitor arrivals – but now another number is becoming far more important: how much they’re actually spending once they get here.

According to Ibiza’s restaurant association, many businesses are reporting a 20% drop in turnover this summer compared with last year, despite hotels remaining busy. The sector says August has started no better than July, with customers eating out less often, ordering fewer drinks and watching every euro.

The explanation is surprisingly simple.

Visitors are still coming, but a growing proportion of their holiday budget is disappearing before they even land. Flights can be expensive and accommodation cost has reached record levels. Spend several hundred per night on a hotel room or several thousands per week on a luxury villa and something has to give. Increasingly, it’s the restaurant bill.

The hospitality industry says this isn’t just a bad month – it’s part of a trend. Across the Balearics, restaurant turnover is estimated to be down around 6% this season overall, with rising energy, food and staffing costs squeezing margins even further.

Luxury venues continue to perform relatively well, but the middle market – the traditional restaurants, cafés and family-run businesses – is getting squeezed and feeling the pain most.

The irony is impossible to ignore.

Ibiza has spent the last decade reinventing itself as a premium destination. Higher-end hotels, exclusive beach clubs and luxury experiences have undoubtedly increased tourism revenue. Yet those same higher prices are leaving many visitors with less disposable income once they’re here.

So while hotels celebrate high occupancy levels, local restaurants look across half-empty terraces wondering where everybody has gone…but this isn’t just a restaurant problem.

When visitors cut back on meals, cocktails, taxis, shopping and excursions, the money stops circulating through the local economy. The benefits of record tourism become concentrated in fewer hands, you know – the same old suspects.

Ibiza may still be attracting record numbers of visitors, but there’s an uncomfortable question emerging: Has the island become so expensive that tourists can afford to visit Ibiza, but not actually experience it?

I should probably declare an interest.

Even though I was at the very first event in 1995, Radio 1’s Ibiza Weekend was never really my thing. In fact, I once found myself as the lone dissenting voice in a BBC documentary, surrounded by people convinced it was the greatest thing ever to happen to the island.

Time hasn’t really changed my view but it has changed my perspective because whether you loved it, tolerated it or avoided San Antonio altogether that week, it’s impossible to deny Radio 1’s place in Ibiza’s story.

The island stopped, the dance music world paid attention and San Antonio became the centre of the universe for one glorious weekend. Pete Tong. Essential Mixes. Live broadcasts. Superstar DJs. Thousands of young Brits suddenly realised Ibiza wasn’t just another Mediterranean holiday destination.

Radio 1 didn’t invent Ibiza, but it certainly helped export it. For an entire generation, Ibiza and Radio 1 became inseparable but here’s the uncomfortable question: If Radio 1 stopped coming tomorrow, would Ibiza even notice? Twenty-five years ago, the answer would have been obvious but today, I’m not so sure.

The world Radio 1 helped create no longer exists. Young people don’t wait for a Friday night dance show to discover music. They discover DJs through TikTok and Instagram before they’ve even set foot in a club. A 30-second clip filmed behind the DJ booth at Hï can reach more people than an entire weekend of radio broadcasts.

Radio stopped being the tastemaker, the algorithm took over and Ibiza changed too. The budget tourists became boutique hotel guests. The £5 breakfasts became €35 brunches. The cheap apartments became luxury suites. The Club 18-30 generation grew up… and so did Ibiza’s business model.

Today the island sells exclusivity as much as it sells nightlife (see my previous blog post). In many ways, Radio 1 and Ibiza are now speaking to different audiences but there’s another irony.

Radio 1 once defined what was cool in Ibiza but now it often feels like the roles are reversed. Radio 1 is borrowing credibility from Ibiza. 

The station still has fantastic content. Incredible music. World-famous DJs. Packed crowds. It reminds listeners that Radio 1 still belongs at the heart of dance music but Ibiza doesn’t need validation anymore – it’s one of the most recognised tourism brands on Earth.

Its clubs sell out without Radio 1, its DJs become global stars without Radio 1. Its social media reaches hundreds of millions without Radio 1. The island has become its own broadcaster but none of that diminishes Radio 1’s legacy.

Far from it.

Without Radio 1, British club culture might have looked very different. Ibiza’s rise in the UK would almost certainly have been slower. Hundreds of DJs owe part of their careers to a station that genuinely championed dance music when much of the mainstream ignored it. That deserves enormous respect but legacy and relevance aren’t the same thing.

Radio 1 Weekend is no longer the event that defines the season, it’s now become something rarer – a tradition. An institution.

A nostalgic reminder of an era when a radio station could shape musical taste and a broadcast from Ibiza could dominate conversations back home.

Today’s Ibiza doesn’t wait for permission from London. It sets its own agenda. Radio 1 is still welcome. It still belongs here. It still adds something special to the summer but the relationship has changed.

It’s a measure of just how far the island has travelled. Radio 1 is no longer the reason the world looks at Ibiza but it is one of the reasons the world started looking and that means it will always deserve its place in the island’s story.

If you watched the re-run of the BBC’s Life Beyond the Lobby featuring Six Senses Ibiza this week, you weren’t just watching a luxury hotel. You were watching the story of Ibiza.

Not the Ibiza of £1 breakfasts, Club 18-30 reps and inflatable lilos. The new Ibiza.

What struck me wasn’t the celebrity guests, the wellness gurus or the eye-watering villas. It was the location itself. A generation ago, this was a perfectly decent family hotel. Parents queued for the buffet while the kids disappeared into the pool. It was the sort of place thousands of British families happily returned to every summer.

Today, on exactly the same piece of coastline, stands one of the Leading Hotels of the World. Think about that for a moment. In the space of one generation, Ibiza hasn’t just upgraded its hotels, it has completely reinvented itself.

The island no longer competes with Benidorm, Magaluf or even Tenerife. Today, it’s competing with Miami, Dubai, Mykonos, St Barths and the Maldives. By any measure, that’s an extraordinary transformation.

The irony is that many people still talk about Ibiza as though nothing has changed. They complain that toast and avocado costs too much or that hotel rooms are expensive, as if the island is somehow still aiming for the bargain holiday market. It isn’t.

Whether we like it or not (and plenty don’t) the market has moved. For the past twenty-five years, Ibiza has been climbing relentlessly up the tourism ladder.

Five-star hotels have replaced three-star accommodation. Beach clubs have replaced beach bars. Michelin stars have replaced fish and chips. Wellness has become every bit as important as nightlife.

Family enclaves such as Portinatx and Cala Llonga now boast stunning hotels catering to a discerning adults-only clientele. Luxury isn’t an accident, it’s a business model but there’s another side to the story. There always is.

The BBC showed beautiful suites, holistic treatments and impeccable service. It didn’t show hospitality workers commuting from the mainland because they can’t afford to live here. It didn’t show teachers struggling to find somewhere to rent, or young Ibicencos wondering whether they’ll ever be able to buy a home on the island where they grew up.

That’s the contradiction.

The same transformation that has made Ibiza one of the world’s most desirable destinations has also made it one of Europe’s most expensive places to live. Success has come with a price tag.

The debate shouldn’t be whether Ibiza has changed. That argument is over. The BBC programme simply confirmed what anyone who has lived here has watched unfold over the past three decades.

The real question is whether the island can continue chasing luxury without losing the character that made people fall in love with Ibiza in the first place because once authenticity disappears, it rarely comes back.

The old Ibiza isn’t coming back, the new Ibiza is already here. The only question is whether we’re shaping its future, or simply standing back and watching it happen.

Love it or loathe it, one of the biggest changes to life in Ibiza is edging ever closer.

Spain has approved draft legislation that will ban smoking and vaping on beaches, around public swimming pools, on bar and restaurant terraces, at outdoor events, sports facilities and even within 15 metres of schools, hospitals and many public buildings.

It isn’t law just yet. Parliament still has to sign it off but make no mistake, this train has already left the station.

If approved, the days of lighting up on the sands of Cala Conta, beside your hotel pool or over a beer watching the sunset could soon become a thing of the past and before anyone says, “I’ll just vape instead,” think again. Vapes, heated tobacco products, nicotine pouches and shisha all fall under the same proposed restrictions.

This won’t just affect residents. Millions of tourists come to Ibiza every year expecting to spend their holiday outdoors, on beaches, around pools and on terraces and that’s exactly where the new rules are aimed.

Some Balearic beaches already have smoke-free policies, but they’re inconsistent and enforcement is hit and miss. A national law changes everything. Suddenly the rules become the same whether you’re in Ibiza, Madrid or Málaga.

Hotels will have decisions to make. Beach clubs will have decisions to make. Bars and restaurants will have decisions to make and yes, there will undoubtedly be people caught out.

The debate starts now

Predictably, the hospitality industry isn’t thrilled. Some fear it could drive customers away, while smokers argue the Government is once again interfering in personal choice.

Others see it very differently. Cigarette ends remain one of the most common forms of litter found on beaches, while passive smoking remains a genuine public health concern in busy outdoor spaces.

Personally, I have absolutely no problem with this direction of travel – both of my parents died from smoking-related illnesses so perhaps I have a different perspective from some. If this legislation encourages even a handful of people to quit or stops the next generation from taking up the habit, then that can only be a good thing.

The bottom line is that nothing changes today but don’t get too comfortable if your holiday routine includes a cigarette by the pool or on the beach as by this time next year smoking will most likely be stubbed out for good in these places and I don’t think too many people will miss the smell of cigarette smoke drifting across some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Let’s be honest. It won’t trend on social media. It won’t make the national news, it won’t compete with nightclub brawls, celebrity DJs or drunken tourist videos but it’s a very significant story.

San Antonio’s mayor, Marco Serra, has confirmed he’ll be standing for re-election in 2027. For those who live here, own or run businesses here or simply care where the town is heading, this announcement is arguably the biggest political story of the year.

Whatever your personal thoughts, Serra has been the most ambitious mayor San Antonio has seen in decades. Since taking office, he’s been very pro-active, backed major investment in the town, pushed to attract a more diverse type of visitor, supported year-round events and made no secret of his desire to drag the town away from the tired stereotypes that have followed it for years.

Has he solved everything? Far from it.

Housing is still a big issue. Residents continue to complain about anti-social behaviour and public safety. Businesses are split over some of the changes, while others argue progress simply isn’t happening quickly enough.

However, here’s the important point; for the first time in a long time, San Antonio actually has a long-term plan and whether you agree with every decision or not, there’s a coherent vision. That’s something the town has lacked for years.

The 2027 election won’t just decide who sits in the mayor’s office, it will decide whether San Antonio continues its transformation or whether the town changes direction once again.

Local politics rarely grabs the attention of the expat community, yet the person running the Town Hall has a bigger influence over your daily life than most politicians in Palma, Madrid or even London. They shape planning policy, public spaces, policing priorities, tourism strategy, events and investment.

So while everyone else is arguing about DJ’s and beach clubs, keep one eye on this story because long after this summer’s headlines have disappeared, the result of the 2027 election could define what San Antonio looks like for the next decade.

Sometimes the biggest stories aren’t the loudest ones.

Mark Wednesday 12th August 2026 in your diary, because Ibiza, along with the rest of the Balearic Islands, is about to witness one of nature’s most extraordinary spectacles.

For a few unforgettable minutes, the Sun will simply disappear.

The eclipse begins at 7:38pm, when the Moon starts to move between the Earth and the Sun. Over the next hour, it will gradually cover the Sun until, between 8:30pm and 8:34pm, daylight will suddenly turn to darkness as a total solar eclipse sweeps across the islands.

It will be the first time in well over a century that the Balearics have experienced a total solar eclipse, with the last one taking place back in 1905.

The shadow of the Moon will first reach Menorca at 8:30:01pm, before racing south across Mallorca, Ibiza and finally Formentera, where totality arrives at 8:33:23pm.

The duration of totality will vary depending on where you are. Mallorca gets the best deal with around 90 seconds of complete darkness, while poor old Formentera has to make do with just under 30 seconds. Ibiza sits somewhere in the middle, but wherever you are, expect an unforgettable experience as temperatures drop, birds fall silent and stars and planets briefly become visible in the middle of what should be daylight.

The Balearic Government is expecting huge interest from both residents and visitors and has already launched an official information campaign to help people prepare.

A dedicated website (in Spanish and Catalan, of course) provides everything you need to know, including:

• Scientific explanations of how the eclipse works.
• Advice on how to watch it safely using approved eclipse glasses or filters.
• Information about the last total eclipse seen from the Balearics in 1905.
• Recommended viewing locations.
• Details of road closures, public transport and traffic management.
• Guidance on protecting the islands’ natural environment during what is expected to be a very busy evening.

This isn’t just about astronomy. It’s also a major logistical operation.

The Balearic Government, never one to miss an opportunity for another committee, has established a special commission to coordinate preparations, while the regional emergency plan (PLATERBAL) will activate a dedicated protocol known as ECLIPBAL to help ensure public safety throughout the event. Two acronyms that, with a bit of luck, won’t be dusted off again for another hundred years.

The planning has involved local institutions, emergency services, scientists and astronomy experts, including the University of the Balearic Islands, AstroMallorca, the Foundation of the Institute of Astronautical Astronomy of Mallorca and the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia.

Whether you’re a lifelong resident or visiting Ibiza for your summer holiday, this is shaping up to be one of those genuine “I was there” moments.

Four minutes that people will be talking about for decades… and I haven’t said that since the birth of my second child.

On a serious note, please remember one thing: never look directly at the Sun without certified eclipse glasses or approved solar viewing equipment.

The countdown has begun.

Balearic Gov website

Around 250 taxi drivers from across the island have announced they will refuse to pick up passengers anywhere in Sant Josep – including Ibiza Airport, hotels and beaches – from midnight on Friday until midnight on Monday, unless the municipality removes a controversial road sign at the airport.

The drivers claim the sign prevents taxis from other municipalities entering the airport holding area, despite a 2022 Balearic Government decree stating that whenever passengers are waiting at a taxi rank, any licensed taxi on the island can collect them on a first-come, first-served basis, regardless of which municipality issued the licence.

At the heart of the dispute is a simple question.

Why should an empty taxi be forced to drive away while hundreds of passengers queue for a ride?

It makes little sense.

As always in Ibiza, there are plenty of vested interests at play. Every municipality wants to protect its own licences, its own drivers and its own slice of the pie. Meanwhile, visitors are left standing in the summer heat wondering why getting from the airport has become so complicated.

The current system creates unnecessary queues, wastes fuel and sends empty taxis back onto already congested roads.

Surely it’s time to draw a line in the sand.

Ibiza has one airport. Tourists couldn’t care less whether their taxi is licensed in Sant Josep, Sant Antoni, Ibiza Town, Santa Eulària or Sant Joan. They just want to get to their accommodation quickly, safely and without unnecessary delays.

The solution seems obvious.

One island. One airport. One integrated taxi system.

Anything else is simply municipal politics getting in the way of common sense and the losers are the islands only commodity and this is a dangerous game to play.

I’ve just got back to Ibiza after a few days in the UK. The plan was simple: watch some cricket, catch up with family and friends, then head back to the White Isle.

To my surprise it was hotter in the UK than Ibiza. Now, that sounds like a dream but believe me it wasn’t.

Ibiza and the UK have something in common. Neither has a clue what to do when the weather steps outside its comfort zone.

Give Ibiza a bit of rain and the roads become rivers, traffic grinds to a halt, houses leak like sieves and everyone acts like they’ve just witnessed a biblical event.

Give Britain 35°C and the entire country collectively loses its mind. Schools close because classrooms become ovens. Trains are cancelled because apparently steel rails have trust issues. Offices become sweatboxes because air conditioning is still considered some sort of American luxury. Every pub beer garden is packed with people whose skin has turned fifty shades of lobster.

And let’s not forget the fashion. Brits have approximately three days a year to wear shorts, so every pair ever purchased since 1998 suddenly makes an appearance. Hawaiian shirts emerge from wardrobes, flip-flops are worn into supermarkets and there’s always one bloke who decides the local Tesco is an acceptable place to wander around without a shirt. Spoiler alert: It isn’t.

The irony is brilliant. People spend thousands flying to Ibiza every summer chasing sunshine, yet the moment the UK actually gets some, the country starts melting faster than an ice cream in Benidorm.

Maybe that’s just how we’re wired. Ibiza was built for heat. The UK was built for drizzle. Swap the weather around and both places descend into glorious chaos.