A team of two from BBC Radio, Nick Bull & Heather Simone visited Almuñécar as part of a report on the relationship between Laurie Lee and the town. They were hoping to interview people who had met him.

Laurie Lee was here in 1937 and was evacuated off one of the town’s beaches as the Civil War threatened to engulf it. He then came back in the 50’s with his young wife, Katy.

The BBC did a 2-part film here in the late 80’s on this second visit entitled, A Rose for Winter, which was directed by the late John King, whose son some readers might know for his nature documentaries.

The first visit in the 30’s was immortalized in his novel, As I Walked Out One Summer’s Morn. He basically walked from the North East coast (Vigo) to Almuñécar, armed with a violin and a lot of optimism. In fact, he was known by the locals back then, as the Englishman with the Violin at the now-disappeared Hotel Mediterraneo.

Laurie Lee never referred to Almuñécar by its real name, choosing to call it, ‘Castillo,’ in his novels.

Anyway, Nick Bull and Heather Simone were surprised and delighted to hear that Almuñécar was preparing to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the poet’s birth this June (26th/27th).

On a personal note, if you can ever get to see a copy A Rose for Winter, look out for the scene where a drunken student accosts Laurie Lee’s young wife on the streets of Granada… it’s Martin the Gazette Publisher, long before he turned into a podgy middle-aged man.

Furthermore, here’s a shot taken during the filming in the priest’s house in Salobreña – Martin’s standing, pretending to be pensive in the centre of the photo… Click to enlarge

(News: Almunecar, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)