Home from home for Britons in Mallorca planning on moving back to the UK. | Photo: Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter
“We’ve been here for ten years, but we’ve been saving up for some time to return to our home country. This isn’t the life we wanted…”, explains Stevie, a Briton who, along with his partner, claims to have been living all this time amongst the rocks in a discreet yet striking settlement situated by the sea.
The residents of Son Verí, Llucmajor, just half an hour from Palma, have already got used to their presence, as have some of the walkers who come across this enclave whilst walking along the winding coastal path. He says he lives there with his partner, although his plans are to leave Mallorca shortly.
A tent, a few plates and crockery, kitchen utensils, bottles and a handful of pieces of furniture make up this scene, which is nothing more than another case in the housing crisis gripping the island. They fear the thefts they have suffered and witnessed first-hand, such as the theft of a bicycle.
And even more so because of the presence of a group of North Africans who, in recent weeks, have heightened fears amongst residents in the Son Veri and Cala Blava areas, who feel intimidated by their presence and comments.
“We both work and take turns so that, at the very least, there’s always one person here 24 hours a day,” says Stevie, who explains that both the Local Police of Llucmajor and the Guardia Civil, as well as long-standing neighbours, are aware of their presence.
“We don’t want any trouble; we’ve been here all these years, even during the pandemic, and we don’t cause any trouble,” stressed Stevie, who is struck by the presence of strangers, although over the years they have become accustomed to being the centre of attention for tourists and residents alike, who look on in surprise at the whole setup they have put in place at two locations. “We don’t want photos, we just want to live in peace. We keep everything clean and tidy,” he said.
He says that summers are “tough, because the sun shines for many hours and it’s difficult to live like that”, whilst the mild days of winter, spring and autumn “are a delight”, even though when the wind picks up, they find themselves in a tricky spot. Despite this, they say they feel “happy”, even though, in the background, they have the whole of the Bay of Palma with hundreds of buildings and homes like the one they cannot afford.